For me, it's not.

Especially if the club "supposedly" has aspirations of one day returning back to the best.

48k is what a mid to bottom level side would aspire to.

I understand that we didn't want to have any empty seats, and for your usual run of the mill Serie A game, 48k is enough, more than enough considering average attendances in the league. But with that number there's no room for leeway, on any big match day you'll have to turn away thousands of people of want tickets. Sure you can charge at a premium for the small amount you have available. But for me a 60k seater would have made far more sense for us.

It would still be packed on most game days and when it's a big one at least there are more seats, which we would still charge top dollar for and a better atmosphere.

Unfortunately I think Milan became Liverpool. We are no longer a top side, and we don't have aspirations of returning to greatness. At least, not while Silvio is in charge.

Look at the great Leeds, Forest, Villa (Sorry Kurt) teams of the past - ditto Marseille.

See any of those great teams back 'where they belong' today?

Nope.

We're in that category now.

48K is based on the demand for Milan tickets per season. If 48K seats is below the demand, then that gives the club incentive to raise the price of tickets accordingly.

You must be talking as a correlated ratio percentage of San Siro. There is no way we sold 48,000 season tickets last summer.

Gazzetta are also running an article about the stadium being too small.

The ones you called unreliable?

Unreliable in terms of transfer rumors/news. This is completely different.

I am not saying 48K is an absolute figure here, neither are they fools to just say 48K seats out of exaggerated guess work. 48K would seem reasonable if you consider our season tickets sold, as follows:

2001/02 46,304
2002/03 50,726
2003/04 49,146
2004/05 54,009
2005/06 50,392
2006/07 32,797
2007/08 45,214
2008/09 44,158
- Financial crash
2009/10 27,865
2010/11 29,397
2011/12 31,233
2012/13 24,670
2013/14 23,490 Source

You would have to evaluate the 48K seats in our new stadium from the other side of the spectrum. if in 2013/14 the club sold 23K seats to season ticket holders, the excess 62K seating would then be sold for match days at San Siro. And with such low demand, those tickets are not priced as you would for an almost sold out stadium such as a 48K. As then you could charge a premium on your tickets excess to season tickets.

Top matches, such as those against Juve, Manchester, and the likes ... The club would be racking in a fortune because it has limited seating, hence charging a premium on the back of the demand. I mean, at San Siro you have at best 8 matches a season where you'd see a packed stadium, but the rest of the season we play official matches with the stadium 'literally' 15-25% occupied.

I mean, I understand the glamor and prestige of having such a massive home stadium. Yet we can not afford the expenses of maintaining one; be that salaries, maintenance, security, etc. We have been sharing the expense of a rental stadium all these years. Not one that we own and are responsible about all its aspects.

Unreliable only in terms of probable line-ups. Gazzetta are the biggest and most important sports newspaper in Italy.

Thai group pays €1bn for Milan?
By Football Italia staff

This morning there are reports investors from Thailand have offered €1bn to buy Milan from Silvio Berlusconi.

According to La Repubblica newspaper, there is already a deal to sell 30 per cent of the club’s shares for €300m.

However, this also includes a pre-contract agreement to continue moving power towards Thailand over the next three years.

The eventual complete take-over would be worth in the region of €1bn, not including investment in the new stadium.

This agreement is important as it’d give the Thai investors sole rights to buy up Milan, fending off interest from Chinese group Dalian Wanda – who recently bought 20 per cent of Atletico Madrid and Infront, the company that runs Serie A television rights.

The report suggests that Berlusconi would remain as Honorary President, similar to the role Massimo Moratti had after Erick Thohir bought Inter.

On February 20 it will be the 29th anniversary of Berlusconi taking over Milan, who at the time were on the verge of bankruptcy.

These days, such moves look more and more inevitable. Ferrero was probably my last hope.

I'm only surprised it's a Thai billionaire and not an Indonesian one.

He's now confirmed to a local newspaper that he's willing to offer 1 billion for +50% of the club's shares, and that he's optimist the deal could be sealed in February.

Link

Fingers crossed. This could be the huge turn for us that we've all been hoping for.

And yet another denial from Finin-fucking-vest... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

the denial i read on football itlalia is somewhat different.. I think there is something going on.