Balotelli is no loss

There’s an easy way to deflect the flak if you’re a failure.

Just start blaming everyone else.

But that’s the coward’s way and we shouldn’t be surprised Mario Balotelli decided to go down that road.

He’s finally left Manchester City to join AC Milan and went with a blast at life in England.

He didn’t like the weather, the food, the press or driving on the left.

No mention, of course, that he’s only scored one goal in 14 appearances this season.

I was worried when I hadn’t scored one goal in three!

Balotelli (above) should have offered to walk back to Milan after producing so little.

You can say he’s young, that he’s eccentric or, if you’re very kind, that’s he’s misunderstood.

But the main conclusion has to be that he’s been a failure on the pitch and a nuisance off it.

I’m just surprised Roberto Mancini stuck with him for so long.

Like any reasonable person, I can forgive people making mistakes.

We’ve all done daft things in our time, but the key is to learn from them.

There’s been no sign that Balotelli is interested in modifying his behaviour when his failings are highlighted.

Maybe he’ll score a lot of goals in Italy but I somehow doubt it.

Is Paul Lambert the unsung hero of the Transfer Window?

The Aston Villa boss watched as fellow strugglers QPR paid £12m on Chris Samba, and other teams flashed the odd couple of million here and there.

Meanwhile, Lambert was signing a midfielder from the French Second Division, and borrowing a Spurs player who hadn’t made a single appearance in the Premier League.

In a football sense, I was really surprised that Villa didn’t push the boat out for a couple of experienced faces.

Not only are Lambert’s young side really struggling, but the teams around them at the bottom are showing signs of improvement.

We saw Reading come back from two down against Chelsea to grab a draw and Wigan do the same at Stoke.

At first glance, it seems Lambert either has confidence that his young defenders are going to come good very quickly, or he has a cast-iron assurance that owner Randy Lerner will stick with him whatever happens.

He revealed that moves for defenders didn’t go through because the salary demands were just too high.

And that is the crux of the matter.

With the biggest worldwide television deal just round the corner, it would have been worth speculating £30m to try and keep your side in the Premier League.

But what happens if you go down anyway, and are saddled with one massive some would say obscene wage bill?

Villa fans only need to look at what’s happening at Birmingham City.

And QPR are walking a financial tightrope, especially when you see them paying Christopher Samba £100,000 a week!

Just how crazy is that?

Throughout all of this, Lambert has retained a quiet dignity.

He doesn’t moan or come out with veiled threats about the consequences of not splashing out.

He’s looking to get Villa out of trouble the old-fashioned way.

Hard work, belief and a bit of bravery are the keys to them staying up.

Results, of course, will dictate the length of Lambert’s stay at Villa Park.

Whatever happens, I’m sure many people who think a bit more deeply about the future of the game will respect what he’s doing.

Financial realism has to arrive sooner or later, and Villa are maybe just one step ahead of the rest.