Watch Noel Gallagher's Interview With Mario Balotelli Later Today

The first part of Noel's exclusive interview airs on Football Focus, at 12.30pm on BBC1.

Another Gallery: Noel Gallagher And Mario Balotelli

Click here for a number of pictures of Noel Gallagher meeting Mario Balotelli at Manchester City's training ground last week.

Thanks to AG

Watch Some More Of Noel Gallagher's Interview With Mario Balotelli

Click here to watch the video.

Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has told the club's fans not to target Carlos Tevez with any abuse when the Argentinian forward returns to action.

Tevez has not played for City since boss Roberto Mancini accused him of refusing to warm up at Bayern Munich in September - but he has now apologised.

Balotelli said: "I think supporters have to be like they were before.

"If they make pressure on Carlos, they make pressure to all the team, so they should do nothing."

Tevez, 28, had become a firm favourite with the City faithful after helping the club win the FA Cup last season following a switch from rivals Manchester United.

But that soured with his apparent refusal to come off the bench at the Allianz Arena in Germany - and he then returned to his native Argentina without the club's permission.

Following a five-month stand-off, Tevez returned to the club in February and has reconciled his differences after apologising for his conduct.

He returned to action in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Preston, then scored on his first public appearance for the reserves against Bolton.

Balotelli, speaking to former Oasis man Noel Gallagher for the BBC's Football Focus, said supporters should forgive him.

The 21-year-old said: "I think everyone can make a mistake. Carlos is part of the team. He's just a part of the team, so everybody loves him."

Manager Robert Mancini says he has already forgiven Tevez and is looking forward to the striker's return to first-team football.

Watch the full interview on Saturday's Football Focus at 1215 GMT on BBC One and on the BBC website.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

thanks to AG

Noel Gallagher: "Forget About Me, Balotelli's The Real Rock Star"

We want to believe this kid goes into petrol stations and buys everyone a full tank.

The BBC had been trying to get hold of Mario Balotelli to do a TV interview with him for quite a while. But he doesn't do TV interviews because he doesn't like journalists. And they kept going back to him and he kept saying no.

But I've been on tour and I've been dedicating a song What a Life to him every night. It's amazing the reaction that it gets, all around the world. People love him. It starts off with booing because he's a City player, but it turns into cheers because he's a modern day rock-star.

And he'd heard of this and he said if he was going to do an interview he'd only do it with me. So they asked me to do it, and I cleared my schedule. Too right, I'll do that for a laugh.

I spent an hour with the lad, he was quite shy. You could tell he's got a bit of the devil in him. He seems to be very much unaware of why people would make a fuss about him. He seemed very interested as to why I would dedicate a song to him. He's like all naturally talented people: he's not got a clue what he's doing.

I can only liken it to this: I was born with a natural gift for music. And I've never had a lesson in my life, I was never taught to play the guitar, or any musical instrument, and I can play half a dozen of them. I was never taught how to write or sing or anything.

And when people ask me to teach them to play the guitar, I'm at a loss, because it just comes to me. I haven't got a clue what I'm doing when I do it. And when I meet other songwriters, and they talk to me about my songwriting, they might as well be talking French. Because I don't understand any of this, I just do it. And it's like that for him.

I was asking about his penalties, and he just shrugged his shoulders the way that he does when he scores. I asked him about the stoppage-time penalty against Tottenham: The league title's on the line, you're 21, and in a new country, why did you grab the ball? "Because I always score." But what about the senior players? Sergio Aguero and Gareth Barry, did they not make a move? "No, because they see me in training every day, and I never miss." He said that he regularly puts 10 out of 10 past Joe Hart.

I asked him what was going through his mind with his "Why Always Me?" T-shirt in the derby at Old Trafford, the day after he nearly burnt his house down with fireworks. "I got up, and I read the papers, and I knew I was going to score a hat-trick". But you only got two? "That's because Mancini took me off, if he'd kept me on I'd have scored a hat-trick." And I believe him. So I asked him about "Why Always Me?" And he said it was a message to the press: "Why are you so interested in me?"

I go all over the world and all over Britain, and my one topic of conversation – if it's not music – is football: with black-cab drivers, people in pubs and so on. And everyone loves Balotelli. Everybody in England, even Man United fans, they all love him. And that's fascinating for him. I'd love him if he played for United. At the interview he asked a question: "Why do you love me so much?" And my answer was five minutes long, and he was laughing all the way through. I don't think he could quite fathom what all the fuss is about.

But it's the goal with the shoulder, the penalties, the bits on YouTube where he nicks Aguero's gloves in the warm-up, all that kind of thing. He's young enough for it to be all innocent. And he shows flashes of sheer brilliance.

So I asked him about the rumours, we listed them all. Unfortunately 90 per cent of them are bollocks, but there's a grain of truth in them all. I told him he was killing me, because we want them all to be true. We want a footballer to be going around giving £1,000 to a homeless person, because it's just cool. We don't want professional footballers to be like Michael Owen or Ashley Cole, people that think the world owes them something. We want to believe that this kid goes into petrol stations and buys everyone a full tank of petrol. Not because that's what they should do, but because footballers are young and they should behave young.

My favourite Balotelli story is the magic tricks. One day he was wandering through the Trafford Centre minding his own business, as if he could do, like a modern-day Mr T. And there's a guy doing magic, and he asked if he could teach him some magic. The guy said, "No, I don't teach magic." So Mario went home, pondered it, and thought, "I'm not having that", so he went back to the Trafford Centre and said to the bloke, "teach me these magic tricks". The guy said, "No, there's too many people here." So Mario took him in his car, back to his house for dinner, and the guy showed him magic over dinner. That's where he learnt the tricks.

He's not arsed about the money, where he is, who he's playing, none of it. He does have a great affection for Roberto Mancini. He said the only reason that he's in Manchester is because of Mancini, they obviously have a bond. I think he loves the fans, because for all the times he's been sent off the fans have never turned on him. I asked him what he wanted to achieve in football, and he just wants to be the best player in the world. But I'm not sure he knows how to go about that. He's just a force of nature.

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Gallery: Noel Gallagher And Mario Balotelli

Click here for a number of pictures of Noel Gallagher meeting Mario Balotelli at Manchester City's training ground last week.

Thanks to AG

Noel Gallagher Praises Mario Balotelli

Click here to watch Noel Gallagher talk about Italian and Manchester City footballer Mario Balotelli.

Thanks to AG

Mario Balotelli Tells Noel Gallagher He Needs To Mature

In a BBC exclusive interview with musician Noel Gallagher, Manchester City's Mario Balotelli admits he has to grow up.

Watch a short part of the interview here.

The Italian striker has been involved in a number of controversial incidents since joining City in August 2010.

When told boss Roberto Mancini wanted him to mature, Balotelli said: "If Mancini says something, he's right."

The forward added: "But I'm 21, so I'm still young. I think from last year, already I'm bigger [older] in my head."

Balotelli was fined a week's wages after breaking a curfew ahead of City's 2-0 win over Bolton at the weekend.

And he was disciplined by City for throwing a dart at a youth team player in March 2011.

Firefighters were also called to the forward's detached house in Cheshire in October when his bathroom was set alight by fireworks.

But the Italy international has also hit the spotlight for positive reasons, notably when he convinced a bullied truant to return to school before giving the antagonists a telling-off.

He has also substituted in a pre-season friendly for showboating, had a bust-up in training with Micah Richards, and wandered into a Manchester school to look for a toilet.

Balotelli rarely gives interviews but agreed to speak to former Oasis man Gallagher, a City fan and self-confessed admirer of the player, for the BBC's Football Focus.
He told Gallagher he is happy in England and said Mancini, who coached him at Inter Milan, was a major reason he decided to join City, for a reported fee of around £20m.

"If Mancini wasn't here, I never come here," said Balotelli, who was born in Sicily to Ghanaian immigrants. "But now that I'm here, I'm OK, I'm happy."

Balotelli, who began his career with Serie C side Lumezzane, added that he was a "really private" person and said he could not understand why being seen about Manchester caused such excitement in the media.

"I don't like when people talk about my business or my life," he said. "I'm really private. Maybe someone thinks I'm arrogant or something but it is just me.

"I don't care, they can say what they want. I just walk in town like a normal guy. I go to the pub. Not to drink."

Balotelli has become one of many influential players for City, who currently top the Premier League.

He has scored 14 goals in all competitions this season, finding the net in each of City's last three league games.

With 11 matches to go, City, who take on Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League on Thursday, are two points ahead of neighbours Manchester United.

Ahead of the game against Sporting, Mancini confirmed Balotelli has been fined a week's wages for breaking curfew.

He also warned Balotelli and the rest of the City squad that they needed to think about their actions before matches.

"I've spoken with Mario and given him a one-week fine for what he did," said the City boss.

"It's a no-no. Every player should have good behaviour before the game."

Watch the full interview on Saturday's Football Focus at 1215 GMT on BBC One and this website.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Noel Gallagher Meets Mario Balotelli

"Hi Mario, I'm Dan Walker from the BBC".

"Hello... wait... BBC? Journalist?"

"Yes".

"I do not like you already".

That was the conversation that accompanied my first meeting with Mario Balotelli, the Italian enigma who has excited and baffled in equal measure since stepping on to these shores.

Singer Noel Gallager and I had been waiting for the striker at Manchester City's training ground. We had arrived nice and early and been given a tour by Patrick Vieira, who is near the top of my "nicest Frenchmen I've met" list. He's just behind the guy who gave me an extra "boule" of chocolate ice cream last summer.

After the tour Noel challenged me to a game of darts on the board outside the "player care" area. I asked if he wanted to play Killer but he was unfamiliar with the rules so we decided to go for the classic 501. That was swiftly abandoned after it became clear our remedial maths was holding up play significantly.

Eventually we settled on "around the world" (or "around the clock" in some parts) which, for those of you who don't know, rewards the dartist who hits every number in order first, starting at one and ending at 20. I got off to a flyer, reaching seven in my first nine darts while Noel was struggling - even landing one "arrar" dangerously close to the foam-surround protecting the precious wall.

Just as Noel was explaining that he was struggling because we were using a "cockney" dartboard and not a proper "Mancunian" one, our interviewee turned up.

The chat with Mario had taken the best part of five weeks to arrange. Balotelli simply does not talk publicly. As you will see when you watch the whole thing on Football Focus on Saturday, he has no time for the media. Manchester City are inundated with requests throughout the season but 99.9% of them are turned down because the player simply says "no".

It is odd for a footballer who rarely talks to be so captivating but Balotelli is not a normal footballer. Whether it is the rumours about dressing up as Santa Claus or paying for people's petrol, doing magic tricks for friends during a game, stamping on opponents, scoring with his shoulder, frequenting various nocturnal establishments, setting off fireworks or his "Why Always Me?" T-shirt, the man is a fascinating individual.

Like every other broadcaster in the known universe we had made several attempts to interview him throughout his time in England. About five weeks ago I called Manchester City's press department on the off-chance he had decided it was time to sit down in front of a camera. He hadn't.

Now it should be said that City are one of the most approachable, forward-thinking and accommodating clubs when it comes to player access. They are constantly doing things in the community, supporting charities and giving us the opportunity to talk to their highly paid stars. With that in mind, I went back to the club a few days later with a second proposal: What if we could get Noel Gallagher to do the interview? Again the answer was "No, I just don't think he's interested, but let me talk to Mario". This seemed like serious progress and a week or so later we were on the phone again.

"He'll do it," said the voice at the other end. "He likes Oasis and he'll talk to Noel... but only Noel". The only thing we had to do now was get Mario - who does not have a great track record when it comes to reliability - and Noel - the busiest man in showbusiness - together. Cue two weeks of conversations with agents, agencies, friends and friends of friends to find a suitable date and a suitable location.

The most important thing in our favour was that Gallagher loves Balotelli. He is currently on tour with High Flying Birds and dedicates a song to Mario each night. To Noel, Balotelli is a rock star who happens to wear a pair of shorts. Such was the former Oasis man's keenness to sit down with his favourite player that he was willing to change his entire schedule to get to Manchester last Friday.

I don't want to say too much about the interview other than that it was fascinating to watch. Balotelli comes across as a shy, slightly awkward individual, almost entirely unaware of the talent he has at his disposal and slowly coming to terms with the responsibility that accompanies his fame. When asked if he had a question for Noel at the end of the interview, he said: "Why do you like me so much?" He seemed baffled that someone could have that much affection for him. Noel's answer was about four minutes long!

You will hear him talk about Roberto Mancini, his own attitude, his need to mature, his goal celebrations, the return of Carlos Tevez, his background and his future in the game. Perhaps most interestingly of all, he deals with some of the many rumours and myths that accompany his activities in and around Manchester. Did he really attend mass on Christmas Eve and put £1,000 in the offering box? Did he take a bullied child back to school to deal with the oppressor? Does he drive around Manchester handing out money to onlookers and what is the real story behind the impromptu firework display at Balotelli Towers the night before the Manchester derby?

It is also worth saying that Mr Gallagher plays a sterling roll in all of this and brings the best out of the striker. There are a number of celebrities who "like" football because they feel it essential to their popularity, but Noel is a genuine supporter. Within minutes of meeting him, he was running through Vieira's career statistics and detailing where City had improved since the days of Danny Tiatto and Bob Taylor.

We will have a full-length interview with Noel coming up in a couple of weeks, but Saturday's Football Focus is all about Balotelli. I know it is easy to overhype these things but the stuff you will see was well worth the hundreds of phone calls, emails and logistical shenanigans it took to set up. I hope you enjoy it and don't forget you can always find me at twitter.com/danwalkerbbc

You'll be able to see Noel Gallagher's in-depth exclusive interview with Mario Balotelli on Saturday's Football Focus at 1215 GMT on BBC1.

See a picture of Noel and Mario here, and scroll down the page.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Noel Gallagher's Interview With Mario Balotelli To Be Broadcast This Weekend On Football Focus

Musician and Manchester City fan Noel Gallagher prepares to "get inside the mind of one of the greatest characters ever to grace a football pitch in Britain".

To find out who Noel is talking about, tune in to Saturday's Football Focus at 1215 GMT on BBC One and this website.

See a short video of Noel for Football Focus here.

Noel Gallagher's Tales From The Middle Of Nowhere (Vol.2) Part Forty One

From Noel Gallagher's 'Tales From The Middle Of Nowhere' tour diary.

Yes..now then.


Been a long time eh? Lots to tell .. . think the last time we had words I was just on my way to the great city of Glasgow? Had a gig at the SECC I think? Top night as I recall. It always is up there.


There was a nice surprise before the show. Bonehead was in town and stuck his head round the door to say hello!! Hadn't seen him for . . . well fuckin' years!! He was in good spirits, he says hello by the way.


Did a gig at that 02 place in London couple of nights after. It was shit yet mega at the same time somehow. It felt a bit too big for me. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood. Dunno. I didn't enjoy it much anyway. I seen people eating while I was playing . . . ACTUALLY EATING!!!!!!!??????????? Please somebody explain to me what the FUCK that's all about. Cheeky cunts! Tthere is of course a time and a place for such things and surely at a gig isn't one of them . . . is it?

After that nonsense it was good to jib back up to Glasgow for a little (and I mean tiny) gig for some competition winners in a place called "the Grand Ole Opry" which was neither grand nor old!! Great night though. Loved it. Next up was them NME awards. Bizarre affair that thing now. Is it an award ceremony or is it a mini indoor festival?? Seems like it's a bit of both. I was presented with the god-like genius award, which was nice. I must thank all the people what said such nice words about me. I'm talking 'bout you Paul Weller and you Ray Davies and you Bobby G and you Guy Garvey and you Sergio and you Brandon Flowers and you Sir Roger Daltrey and you you little Arctic Monkey chops and Johnny Marr. Had to keep a lid on the celebrations though. Had a gig up in Birmingham the next day. Great show. Some clowns down the front were seemingly hell bent on trying to start a fight. Luckily they never quite managed it. Knob heads.

Legged it up to Manchester that night as I had been invited to go and watch Man City train!! What an honour. Fuck me them boys can play. Got to meet and do an interview with the man simply known as . . . Balotelli. It was filmed by the BBC so you'll be able to see it soon. WHAT A DRUID!!! That kid truly does not give a flying fuck about anything.

You currently find me in the great city of Barcelona. Had a gig last night which was tip- top. Some of the lads were in a right mess from the night before. A dodgy rogan-Josh apparently!!!

Off to Paris now and I'm late.

Au revoir.

ONWARDS.

GD.

Source: www.noelgallagher.com

Keep up to date with Noel's award-winning tour diary by signing up to Noel's Official Website's Inbox here.

Video: Noel Gallagher Meets Mario Balotelli And More

Below is a video of some behind the scenes footage of Noel Gallagher's visit to interview Mario Balotelli for the BBC's Football Focus.

Noel Gallagher Interviews Mario Balotelli For Football Focus

Manchester City fan Noel Gallagher interviewed Mario Balotelli yesterday for the BBC's Football Focus show.

I will keep you informed on when it will be broadcast, a few more pictures of the pair can be found here.

Noel Gallagher Meets Mario Balotelli

Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has urged Mario Balotelli to take heed of Italy coach Cesare Prandelli's warning over his behaviour... as rock and roll star Noel Gallagher turned up at Carrington to greet the cult hero.

Gallagher dedicated a song at his O2 Arena show in London last weekend to the controversial Italian and the pair hit it off as they met at City's training headquarters.

Speaking last month, the songwriter and City fan said: 'OK, he's a footballer, but I bet if he picked up an instrument he’d be amazing.

'He restores your faith in human nature! I’m so proud he’s playing for Man City. You see him when he’s not in his football kit and you just think, ‘He fucking looks cool as f**k! He's a total rock'n'roller.'

And Mancini's warning comes after Balotelli was left out of the squad for Italy's international friendly defeat by the United States this week with Prandelli publicly citing the player's indiscipline as a reason.

The 21-year-old has been sent off twice for City this season and missed eight games through suspension, although three of them were a European ban hanging over from last year.

Click here for the full article and a picture of Noel and Mario.

Listen Again To Noel Gallagher On Rock 'n' Roll Football

Noel Gallagher joins Ian Wright and talks about his new band, Manchester City's run to win Premier League title and his opinion on Balotelli.



Thanks to frjdoasisfan

Noel Gallagher If Mario Balotelli Picked Up An Instrument He’d Be F**king Amazing

Noel Gallagher has told the NME that if Italian and Manchester City footballer, Mario Balotelli picked up an instrument he’d be f**king amazing.

The songwriter said “OK, he;s a footballer, but I bet if he picked up an instrument he’d be f**king amazing. He restores your faith in human nature! I’m so proud he’s playing for Man City. You see him when he’s not in his football kit and you just think, ‘He fucking looks cool as f**k!’”

Speaking to the Guardian last year, the former Oasis guitarist stated that the Italian attacker is a "total rock'n'roller".

Balotelli has been featured in the news for setting off fireworks from a window of his home, handing out money to homeless people in Manchester city centre and high-fiving fans from his car.

Noel Gallagher: 'Amorphous Androgynous Collaboration Unlikely To Be Out Until Next Year'

High Flying Birds man says he wants LP to reach same heights as his solo debut.

Noel Gallagher has revealed that his collaboration album with Amorphous Androgynous may not be released until next year.

Speaking in the new issue of NME, the former Oasis chief said that he wanted to wait until he had finished touring his debut solo album 'Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' before finishing work on the new LP.

He said: "I've got a break in the middle of this tour in July, so now the plan is to do something then, and then to finish it off after the tour in October. So it might come out at the end of the year, but it's more likely to be next year now".

The guitarist also said he was keen to make sure the album matched his high-standards, adding: "I set the benchmark pretty high with this record ['Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds'], and I'm not just putting a record for the fucking sake of it. At the moment it's not a great record – so it won't come out until it is."

To read the full interview with Noel Gallagher, in which he explains why he'd rather collaborate with Damon Albarn than Thom Yorke and gives his views on everything from ROFLcopter to Manchester City footballer Mario Balotelli, pick up the new issue of NME, which is on UK newsstands now or available digitally.

Source: www.noelgallagher.com

Review: Noel Gallaghers' High Flying Birds at Manchester Arena

Just like his beloved Manchester City, Noel Gallagher seems to be on a roll – and keeping just ahead of a close rival.

It was brother Liam who hit the ground running after Oasis split amid rumours of hurled guitars – and fruit – in 2009.

But while the younger Gallagher’s new project Beady Eye got the early plaudits, it’s Noel who, like so many Oasis songs, is proving the slow-burning hit.

Tonight his band – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – have come home to Manchester. And even Liam - who branded his elder brother’s new project ‘boring’ - might have looked at a packed Arena with more than a little sibling envy.

The gig starts – ironically perhaps – with It’s Good to be Free, the b-side from Whatever.

Gallagher, wearing a leather jacket and jeans and sporting a hint of a tan from his recent stint in Australia, then launches into a furious rendition of Mucky Fingers, from Heathen Chemistry.

Only then do we get the first song from his post-Oasis catalogue – the foot-stomping Everybody’s on the Run – followed immediately by the new single, Dream On.

The first big cheer of the night, though, is for an Oasis classic: a keyboard-heavy acoustic version of Whatever.

It’s a fairly low-key start – particularly given the relative lack of banter from Gallagher.

So a rocket-fuelled Supersonic is exactly what the night needs – and brings the thousands to their feet.

The reaction seems to warm Gallagher up as well as the crowd. He dedicates What a Life, one of his new group’s biggest hits so far, to ‘the greatest living human being on earth’ – controversial Blues’ striker Mario Balotelli.

Half the crowd cheers and half the crowd jeers, which strangely seems to be exactly the kind of reaction Gallagher wanted.

Many of the fans here got a sneak preview of what was in store in October, when Noel and the band played a euphorically-received gig at the Carling Apollo.

But anyone thinking the less intimate setting of the Arena might dilute the impact needn’t have worried.

If there’s one thing we learned from Oasis’ glory days, it’s that Gallagher knows how to fill the biggest stadiums with sound. Half the World Away – the Oasis number made famous as the theme tune to The Royle Family – raises the roof.

By the first encore, Little by Little, Gallagher seems to be visibly shattered. Maybe being both front man and lead guitarist - not to mention the fact he'll be 45 this year - is taking a physical toll.

The anthemic The Importance of Being Idle is well received, before Don’t Look Back in Anger transports an audience full of thirtysomething men back to their youth.

As a musician, and songwriter, Noel has not withered with age, but rather adapted. The Oasis classics have already stood the test of time.

Tonight is a demonstration that the new material – while more measured and plaintive – will almost certainly do the same.

With a wave and a ‘see you later’, he’s gone.A girl behind me wails: ‘But he’s not done Wonderwall!’It’s true. He might have mellowed but Gallagher still seems to like confounding expectations and springing the odd surprise. Just like Mario.

Source: menmedia.co.uk

Noel Gallagher Is One Of The UK's Best Dressed Men

Rapper Tinie Tempah is officially Britain's best-dressed man of 2012, according to a list released by GQ magazine.

Noel Gallagher has been named as the forty second best dressed UK man by GQ magazine.

THE GQ BEST-DRESSED MEN LIST 2012 - TOP 10

1. Tinie Tempah
2. Mario Balotelli
3. Matt Smith
4. Robert Pattinson
5. Andrew Garfield
6. Henry Cavill
7. Idris Elba
8. Christian Bale
9. Sergio Pizzorno
10. Ian Brown

Worst-Dressed

1. Chris Brown
2. Steve Hilton
3. Robbie Savage
4. Dappy (N-Dubz)
5. Mike Jeffries (Abercrombie & Fitch CEO)
6. Country Winston Marshall (Mumford & Sons)
7. Mark Wright (reality TV star)
8. Douglas Alexander (shadow foreign secretary)
9. Jamie Oliver
10. Ollie Locke (reality TV star)

The GQ Best Dressed Men List 2012 appears in the march issue of GQ, out next Thursday.

Watch Again: Noel Gallagher On Soccer AM

Click here to watch a video of Noel Gallagher talks to Soccer AM about his new album, the Manchester derby and his love for Mario Balotelli.

Noel Gallagher: Everyone Loves Mario Balotlli

Noel Gallagher says it's tough not being part of Oasis anymore, but the prospect of Manchester City dominating for the next few decades more than makes up for it!

The driving force behind one of the greatest British bands ever, the former Oasis man is currently soaring high after his aptly named debut solo album 'High Flying Birds' reached number one in October.

Despite his own personal success, Noel says he still misses being part of the band, but added that being a part of City's success would be a fair trade.

"One balances out the other really," he told Soccer AM.

"It's a bit of a bummer not being in the band, but I'd kinda swap that for the oncoming decades of glory we're about to enjoy!"

"I think we'd all agree that you can't fault anybody at that club at the minute," he added. "It's just amazing what's happening and the team that (Roberto Mancini) has put together.

"And we've all got Super Mario to keep us entertained! The absolute greatest living human being on the planet at the minute! He's not of this world. He's not like the rest of us.

"When he eventually leaves - like when (Kevin) Keegan left Newcastle and had to get lifted off the pitch in a helicopter - Mario's going to get fired out of a cannon and back into space where he came from! We all love him.

"The thing about him is that if he played for any other club in the country we'd all still love him, because he's a great character. And the word from City is that when they go on these kids' days, all the kids flock to him because he's like the naughty schoolboy or something.

"There's a little bit of Mario in all of us as well, because I've been sat in my bathroom sometimes thinking; it would be great to set this on fire wouldn't it!"

Hammering

On the pitch Balotelli and City have enjoyed one their best starts to a season ever, including a 6-1 hammering of City rivals Manchester United.

The win in October will go down in the club's folklore and Gallagher revealed nothing could distract him from that game - even finding out his album had reached number one in the charts!

"I gotta say when the fourth, fifth, and sixth went in I was on my knees in front of the telly," he said.

"And at that moment I got a phone call to say that my album had dropped in at number one and I couldn't have been more underwhelmed at that! I was like whatever! We've got six!"

After the success of his first solo album Noel has suggested another is in the pipeline as he intends on collaborating with Amorphous Androgynous.

But he admits being on stage by himself after two decades with Oasis still feels a little strange.

"The bit in the studio was easier and I enjoyed that because you can work at your own pace," he said.

"The bit on stage was a bit weird at the start because I'm not a natural show-off frontman, I'm more of a grumpy old fella! I've had to get used to that but I'm enjoying it.

"When I was in rehearsal I was thinking what am I going to do and I thought people are not going to come and see me because I'm Mick Jagger or I behave like Mick Jagger.

"They're going to come and listen to the music and as long as I've got the songs I'll be alright. And people seem to like it. And I like being me, you know what I mean? I wouldn't want to be anyone else!"

Source: www.socceram.com