Absolutely. Even though I want Nesta to remain for another season, when a player is too old and decides to move on, I have nothing but respect and admiration for them. That's why I can't stand the various Ambrosini, Gattuso, Seedorf etc. anymore. Their stubbornness in believing they're still world class have deprived us from a natural evolution from one generation to another, even though I know people like R7 and Fillipo will disagree with me there.

Yep, I disagree (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) . Firstly, I don't think a player like Inzaghi or Ambrosini still thinks he's world class as you want us to believe. I think they are more realistic and I think they get carried away by this family atmosphere we had. Secondly, I don't blame them: when someone should be blamed it's the management who still though for example Oddo was the solution for a fullback or waited for Costacurta and Maldini to retire and then started thinking about bringing reinforcements.

I think one of my very first posts here was on the line with the mentioned: look at Silva and Nesta, and how Thiago has been doing greatly under his mentorship. Just think about how good of a mentor Pippo could have been to a small little Paloschi, or Ambrosini is to Strasser. Sadly, we never understood the importance of a good blend, and never really managed to get into a regeneration cycle. This is why we never signed or had a good fullback after Serginho, this is why we most probably won't find a Gattuso-like player in the future.

+1. The last time we had that was with Rui and Kaka.

What's depriving us of a natural evolution is the management not the players themselves.

The management are the ones who keep offering them contract extensions, even when it is absolutely clear that they're just not good enough anymore, and it's the management that fails to see that even if these guys stay on, they cannot be considered as they once were, as top quality players.

Had the management brought in other players, than none of us would have that much of a problem with having Seedorf on the team for the occasional appearance when he's needed

And this should be enough to dispell the myth that Allegri deals with contracts. He rarely even plays some of the older players, so why would he ask for them to be given new deals?

Pay them 3 millions and 4 millions just to be some kind of mentor and completely of no use in actual games? please. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

If they earned as much as poor Pippo does it would make sense. but they receive big paychecks and some of them (as we saw with Pirlo - though he had a right to do so as he still had a lot to give to football) won't back down from having lucrative contracts. Seedorf will sooner show us the middle finger than to stay and mentor some kid for one million.

Did I say we should pay them as much? I talked about Maldini and Billy first, they would have played for peanuts if we wanted them!


You're wrong about Seedorf he isn't greedy and that's known, but you're in general right. Again, it's the managements mistake. Rino or Ambro can settle for less money, I think any of the senators bar Bommel can.

I think the ship has sailed for mentoring tbh (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

Bringing in Strasser when Gattuso and Ambro were STARTING to decline as opposed to already past it would have made more sense....They can't really mentor as "consultants" because they aren't particularly trained to. Not because you're good at something means you're good at teaching it and vice versa. Mourinho is a brilliant coach who wasn't particularly good at the game himself etc.

Again....all we had to do is let Carletto play Yohan more during our Kaka years and we'd have had a decent replacement. May not have been like for like but surely Gourcuff is better than anything we have in midfield with a Milan jersey on. The same goes for Anto/Abate who could have been IN OUR SQUAD in the days of Serginho, Cafu, Oddo heck even Kaladze.

Now it's EXTREMELY difficult in incorporating youth into the team because there's no one to guide them or leave at least a pattern of what is expected....Look at how well Pato played with a similar player in the one he was supposedly destined to replace -Ronaldo.

Again look at the WAY Barcelona and to a lesser extent Manure have incorporated youth...Messi was groomed to replace Ronaldinho and eventually did. I'm pretty sure it's one of the factors that made him into the phenom he is today. Nani and CR7 got to see Ruud, Beckham and Giggs all the time.

People think I'm not a Milan fan because of my perpetual bashing of Berlu and management in general but the sugar daddy thing is only sustainable when the daddy is spreading the sugar. Now we have $0.00 to play with we look awful when in truth we have (had?) the initial asset outlay to generate a truly successful economic model that doesn't need Silvio at all. This might also sound like an indictment on Galliani but one must remember that it is Silvio himself who has often prevented this evolutionary step by his stubborn insistence and interference (Seedorf = striker anyone?).

Look at what we had:

Kaka>gourcuff
Ronaldo+Inzaghi>Borriello
Cafu/Stam>Abate
Maldini/Serginho>Antonini/Taiwo (I don't care what ANYONE thinks...Taiwo IS a good player...not his fault that Allegri refuses to talk to him)

All of the above got sidelined and had a sad decline eventually. But Abate, Antonini and Borriello were tossed around from club to club to club untill they showed something at the respective cr@p clubs then they were brought here and ppl expected them to reproduce that form under decidedly different conditions (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) Is there any wonder that they ALL became rubbish? Abate played as a winger and guess what? He was actually a good crosser. Borriello was made the focal point of Genoa and scored 19 goals in 35 games etc etc.

The point is that our PLAN is none existent and a system without a plan can only yield unpredictable results.


I know my theory sounds a bit fanciful but do you really think Silva would have become the defensive collosus he is if he hadn't played alongside Nesta for so long? GRANTED his talent was always there and his physical assets are undeniable but there's no subsitute for experience and the quicker players get it the better their careers become.

I love talking about plans, tactics, and future planning as much as the next guy. But before that, tell me the only thing I want to know, where is all our money going?! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/angry.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/realmad.gif) We are one of the top 5 clubs with the highest amount of earnings, a big fat stadium (of course, not completely ours, but still), high reach the world over, success, glory, brand name, legends, prodigies, fashionable kits, fashionable players, and history.

If it came to more money, then I can safely say we can massively expand our reach in the Far East by signing a good Japanese or Korean NT youngster (or maybe even someone like Honda), and that could bring in even more $$$. But we are the best Italian club in terms of revenue and reach, even as it is, better than a lot of other clubs, even in leagues such as EPL, German, French and more.

Either the management is too shortsighted, or terribly corrupt, there can't be another reason. AC Milan is already set, has a lot of things going for it, and with a little more careful, yet forward thinking management, we very much have the potential to be the 3rd best club in the world and stay there.

Not just that, we can even create some good young guns, integrate them just enough to sell them to other big clubs too, if we wanted. One or two a year, put them into spotlight and click. But no! Heck no! Something is seriously wrong, and has been for some time now. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) Our scouts are even half-asleep, rarely have I ever seen we snatching good deals, before they are spotted - bar Pato and Silva, of course.

I see clubs like Athletico Madrid putting up a great team, not totally better than us, but better than us in a lot of key areas. Meaning either their scouts are working overtime, or ours are sleeping on the job! Part of me believes Berlusconi and Galliani are still stuck in the 90s and early 00s, and running the club like that two decades ago.

And no, I don't want us to splash money like other oil rich clubs, just smart, tactile, forward-thinking management. One would think after 20+ years at the top, they'd stop making mistakes.

On Tawio: He clearly isn't up to it. At Milan whenever he played he was bad - some blamed the coach. He is now at QPR sucking again - coaches fault again?

This post has been edited by kurtsimonw: May 9 2012, 10:52 PM

Yes and no. Kurt, you're being rigid.

Taiwo is a good player if you ask me. He has some clear disadvantages but he's better then Mesbah and after some work he could surpass Antonini if you ask me. He's clearly not brilliant or even a long term solution but anyway.

Sometimes you need a little push. And Taiwo got the wrong push. I read his remarks on Milan; he showed much admiration and love for the club. But Allegri gave him the instant cold shower. Whenever he played he was bad - you say? But when did Allegri really test him?? Against Cesena he wasn't that bad. I think you need to work a little to raise players like Taiwo or Sokratis who're making their debut for a club like Milan. Bommel came from Barcelona and Bayern, sure, he found his way as soon as possible.

I honestly believe the guy has it in him to play good at QPR and more. I think we could find some use of him.

He played 7 games as a starter (3 of them in CL) and never impressed. He is just an Antonini level player, nothing more IMO.

Seedorf isn't greedy??? Did you forget his whining at the end of last season? He's always been like that. The guy wants to start, always. He thinks he's still capable of playing on high levels, but the fact is that he's been a completely depleted player for a couple of years now. I seriously can't wait for him to beat it.

You're actually proving my point. My complaint was not so much against $hitlegri but more about our approach towards management. None of the aforementioned youth products excelled at all of the clubs they were farmed out to. There must have been some talent somewhere for them to be incorporated into our youth system and my theory, no matter how improbable, is that the final transition was poorly handled. Not getting them properly groomed for the big stage means that they will always be "good" enough for some small club but too flawed to be acceptable at the highest level. If you think about it all of them are VERY good at somethings and then horrific at others

Greedy about money I meant.

Yes, he wants to start - but this means he's motivated and to me it's okay. But anyway, let's drop it. He'll be gone soon anyway.