[Bluesummers]

We are in a crisis right now, and it is affecting us greatly. Post your thoughts or solutions on how to fix this nasty problems from firing carlo to buying ronaldinho.

Statistics

2Wins, 4 draws, 3 Losses.

CL statistics

2 wins 1 loss.

This post has been edited by Bluesummers: Oct 28 2007, 06:47 PM

[Darunia]

We have 3 losses and we haven't played Juve or Inter yet (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/sleep.gif)

Carlo should change his tactics IMO, it just isn't working for Serie A.

Maybe Ronaldo will help, but you can't count on a player who is injured all the time.

[Nova]

We have 3 losses and we haven't played Juve or Inter yet (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/sleep.gif)

Carlo should change his tactics IMO, it just isn't working for Serie A.

Maybe Ronaldo will help, but you can't count on a player who is injured all the time.

ahhh tactics ... (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

It's easy to say change tactics , but how would you change it ?

Playing gourcuff aint gonna win us games , the kid is too much stressed on the pitch and needs to adapt wich we cannot afford.

The ony things you are going to read here are ...

1) Carlo out
2) Galliani out
3) Better transfers


Why the main reason is that they just dont fight. Last year we had the fury of the calciopoli wich made us fight , but now we have absolutely no one to blaim but ourselve. If you want to be champions , you have to act like champions . wich from what I've seen today , is farrrrrrrr away .

This post has been edited by Nova: Oct 28 2007, 07:12 PM

[Jack Sparrow]

Good topic....keep things constructive.


I don't know to be honest. I can't isolate anything. Having seen nothing but highlights all this season also doesn't help.


Is it the fact that we don't have strikers??

Maybe. I don't know of too many teams that do well with just one striker in Serie A.

Roma might play with only Totti, but the fact is with two pure attacking wingers, a single forward is a whole different game theory.


If I must criticise Carlo, I suppose it must be that he doesn't play wingers at all. As such I don't believe that the standard 4-4-2- with your mid composed of one holding-one creative-and 2 wingers, is suited all the time for modern football, but it is still useful.

But then this one loophole in his armoury is not gonna have me jumping up and down saying he must be removed. I love this guy. And I believe if we fail to reach our objectives this season, he's either over-deliver next season or step down voluntarily. He's given too much to the club to be treated like Martin Jol. If we do fire him unceremoniously, I would be pissed.

But wandering back, I wonder why nobody else felt, we lacked support in defence. The forward deficiency in Milan is overhyped imo. Regardless of how you see Gila.

Imo it's the defence. I have isolated the problem area, I don't know where it needs fixing. But I know for a fact that dst has noticed, and I'm sure you'd have as well, our defence is messing up our creativity.

Carlo has realized for some time that our defence is not up to it, and so he's forced to play 2 DMs for added cover. It stifles you up especially when you need more impetus.

When your forward line is only one man deep, the logical conclusion is that the impetus has to come from mid-field.

You'd remember this...my fav formation from the Carlo era. In theory it would be a 4-3-1-2, but in practise, it was either a 3-4-1-2 or a 4-1-2-1-2

---Cafu----Nesta----Paolo---Sergio
------Rino-----Pirlo-------Clarence
-------------Ricky/Rui-------------
--------Sheva-------------Pippo---


Here Rino was not essentially deployed to protect the back 4. He was meant to back Andy P up. His sole job was to protect Andy P. Or get the ball and give it to Andy P. Andy P was a revelation during that period. Forget the miracle of Pippo's revival or Sheva's class. Andy P was the beating heart of that Milan side. But then he could afford to be.

The Maldini-Nesta combo should go down in history as one of the greatest CB pairings. They were really solid.

Then we had Cafu and Sergio. Both of them were playing well. Cafu was himself, having been given a lease of life as regards European football thanks to Milan, and Sergio was getting much better at defending.

But here was the point, at any given point in time, we could unleash those two like wolves at sheep, and they would totally rampage. They could afford to. Our defence then was together and fluid. Defending was second nature. And Dida was well, the top GK of the time. Buffon was maybe a better shot stopper, but he couldn't handle PKs for ****.



Now what do we have playing...

---Oddo----Nesta----Kaladze---Janku
------Rino--------Pirlo-------Ambro----
-------kaka----------------Clarence
-----------------Gila----------------


Our defence has simply lost it. Maybe it's a chemistry thing, maybe like dst says Kala is sh!t. Or maybe Nesta is getting old and complacent. But the fact is Milan's defence is no longer considered a challenge. It clings on to the reputation Nesta and Paolo held.


Our attack depends on Pirlo-Clarence-Kaka combining with our striker to finish things off.

If one of these guys are not jelling in our 3 man force, we are in for a rough nite. Unless of course these guys have those super human nights and take out the trash single-handedly, which is not to expected every week.

Of late I had some hope, when I saw the highlights and that Gila was doing much more than being just a finisher. But it doesn't work with a team for whom the match is not do-or-die.

In CL, that's not the case. A team is dead worried, that each match could be it's last. They're caught in a position where they are not sure whether to make sure they don't lose or they win the game, and Milan somehow seem to have the better clarity during these times.

In Serie A, it's us in the conundrum. Do we score or stop them from scoring? We are so confused, so without direction.

We have two options in Serie A, in CL I wouldn't change a thing

5-3-2

----Oddo/Cafu----Nesta---Paolo/Bonera----Kala/Simic----Sergio/Janku
-------------Rino/Ambro------Pirlo-------Clarence---
--------------------------Ricky-----------------
-------------------------------------Gila-----------------


Or 3-4-1-2

------Nesta----Paolo/Bonera-----Kaladze/Simic-------
----Cafu/Oddo-----Ambro/Rino---Pirlo----------Clarence
-----------------------------Kaka--------------------------
---------------------Gila------------R99/Willy----------------




They are a study in contrasts. Either beef up our defence so we can't be beaten. Or beef up our attack so we beat anybody, no matter how much they score.

Either way, I don't mess up with my three-man force of Clarence-Kaka and Piro.


What would I like to play...I like Ballack, I think he's the closest to Pirlo, without the same silkiness, but much better aerial presence, and athleticism.


------------Nesta-----Paolo/Bonera------Simic/Kala--------
---Cafu/Oddo/Brocchi/Rino-------Pirlo---Ballack--------Sergio/Janku
---------------------Kaka/Clarence/Yoann(Coppa Italia)--------------
--------------------------------Gila---------R99--------------------


Stock formation, can be played anywhere, any competition. Ambro can come on for either Ballack or Pirlo.

If R99 is not available, we play the 3-4-2-1 instead with Ricky and Clarence or Yoann.

I would like to ask those of you who watch the Portuguese League intently. Esp. Porty, can Quaresma play as second striker. Esp since he has most of the technique of Zlatan Ibrahimovic?

[armiss]

the only problem is our strikers , yes Gila is back , pippo is good but they dont have that creativity for various options , this is the main difficulty from last season , we resolve this problem with a united team , Kaka and Seedorf and no completly ready Ronaldo but helpful in serie A .

team get tired of this stroy , they need smart and skillful strikers like Ronaldo , Pato , Drogba and Ronaldinho , this is not right that hard work from our team in front of the goal relate to thinny options , we need assurance .

[KillerMax]

Crysis... isn't that a video game?

Crisis? Well, that one is what we are in right now.

[dst]

Playing gourcuff aint gonna win us games...

Then I guess playing Brocchi will... we're truly bad right now, I don't think giving a chance to Gourcuff would hurt us!

[bigmacmtl]

galliani should be shown the door plain and simple. i'm upset cuz carlo hasnt done a thing to help the team but in the end he doesnt have mucht work with so he cant be totally blamed. fat **** must go, this so called team fo champions which he decided was good enough (and the season before that) and look what we've done so far. BIG changes in management with sevral key aquisitions.

1 or 2 New strikers (inzaghi can retire or not play anymore), creative mid like diego (brocchi out the door, emerson and ambro shown given less play), gets ride of 2-3 defenders and bring in 2-3 ( a couple of full backs and a world class CB), oh and a new keeper would be nice. (and all this should be done over the course of the winter and summer transfer markets.

This post has been edited by bigmacmtl: Oct 28 2007, 11:02 PM

[Nova]

Then I guess playing Brocchi will... we're truly bad right now, I don't think giving a chance to Gourcuff would hurt us!

None of the 2 will win us games. I dont even care about gourcuff when I saw us playing like yesterday.

Besides , I've seen him play before and Im tired to use him as an excuse to blaim carlo. Oh and btw , to me , brocchi plays better then gourcuff when he gets on the field. That doesnt make brocchi a good player , but only proves how bad gourcuff is when he gets his chance. Own goal & ruined offside trap vs celtic anyone ?

Gourcuff is not even close to seedorf so he belongs on the bench.

ps. People must realise that Galliani wont be fired . he can't be fired , berlusconi would never even think about it.

BUT !! changes must be made I agree. I just dont believe firing carlo would help us at all.

This post has been edited by Nova: Oct 29 2007, 09:57 AM

[MizNelson]

ps. People must realise that Galliani wont be fired . he can't be fired , berlusconi would never even think about it.

Galliani will die of old age first before he'll ever get canned.

[Nova]

Galliani will die of old age first before he'll ever get canned.

I hope so , the man is crazy. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5khN1kcNLHU

This post has been edited by Nova: Oct 29 2007, 10:01 AM

[misha]

BUT !! changes must be made I agree. I just dont believe firing carlo would help us at all.

I think it might help. It possible that a new manager would bring new ideas and it possible that he would motivate the players more. And even maybe he will take a harder stand towards the board about signings. Carlo achieved almost every trophy there is and it might be a good time for both Milan and Carlo to move on.

I'm not comparing us to Chelsea, but they thought that life is over agter Jose left ,but now many of them have changed their mind. I know that some people love him a lot (I'm fond of him myself), but I don't think he will be here next season.

[pacang]

IMO, what the coach should do is :

1) apply new blood in our tactics (no need for transfers, try Willy in the field) Pippo and Gilardino both played in serie a for quite sometime, all other coaches know how to deal with them. Try to use striker with pace (in this case only Willy is available), even if he doesn't score, his pace will disrupt opponent's defence and give them some run around.. thus allowing more space for Kaka or Seedorf to go forward

2) use our midfielder's traits to the fullest.. ie, Ambro and Gattuso to close down opponents in our 3 quarter, Seedorf to hold the ball when we have possesion, Pirlo to construct a play and Kaka to execute it.. Ambro to be in the box while corner is taken, Kaka to start counter attack.. blablabla.. we have the qualities, the talents.. and ask them to stick to their role in the team..

3) defenders not to charge down opponents too quickly, instead wait for support from Ambro or Gattuso but still maintain the offside line and marking.. may sounds difficult to do, but our defenders are able and they're good enough.. remember the game against Man U at San Siro? they didn't charge Cristiano and let Gattuso make the first tackle.. that's beautiful defence..

waaaaa... typed so much already.. sorry for the inconvenience

[Zed.D]

I hope so  , the man is crazy.  (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5khN1kcNLHU

OH MY GOD!! (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) no disrespect, but he's a big laugh.



EDIT: I've never noticed the similarities between Braida and Bryan Ferry before!

//

It's funny how some people say Mourinho doesn't have enough prestige and class to be a Milan coach, but they never pay attention to how our vice president, Adriano Galliani, talks, acts and reacts sometimes... (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

This post has been edited by zdrossoneri: Oct 29 2007, 02:39 PM

[Jack Sparrow]

^^^

You have to remember that a manager's and a VP's position are quite different.

A Manager is much closer to the players. And no we're not talking about prestige. We were talking about team harmony.

Even Drogba mentioned how players in the team had 'betrayed' Mourinho.

This means two things...

1. Mourinho had his favourites.
2. Players didn't like him a lot.

Can you imagine something like this in Milan?? I have never in 5 years ever got the impression of a coach vs players mentality in Milan. They were one unit. As it ought to be.

Very few teams in the world have that. Besides Milan, there is Man U (and he's been there 20 years, and has had hiccups), there was Sevilla(but then there was no Sevilla before Ramos), Roma's got it now.

I respect Jose's skills as a coach, I just think the excess baggage that comes along with it isn't worth the aggravation. In fact it's pointless not to admit, that Chelsea were known more for Jose's antics than their football.

Jose's been gone a month, and these guys go on to notch up their biggest win of their history. And it wasn't against some itsy bitsy team either.

The fact that I don't like Jose's type of football is a personal viewpoint. I'm not bringing that into it.

[Zed.D]

@ Jack Sparrow

I'm sure there are at least three great coaches who top the shortlist for replacing Carlo ahead of Mourinho and we all know he won't come here eventually.

I just say his attitude (matched almost by no one (except for Capello)) is what a spiritless and unmotivated Milan need right now. Carlo, Lippi, Spalletti, Rijkaard, Van Basten, etc... none of them can do it the way Jose does it. they're just too mellow, too light!

The rest [including how he was seen by his players at Chelsea, who liked him, who disliked him, which players he favored, etc] doesn't have to do ANYTHING with Milan since we're talking about two completely different teams, from different countries, with different histories, different ideas and procedures, etc.

Besides, he has proved he's a great coach when it comes trophies and championships; the statistics are undeniable.

[Jack Sparrow]

You say they're too mellow and light. But I feel honestly, the fact that Mourinho's very media savvy, and says what he feels like publicly, and that the other coaches don't,in no way means that they're too light.

And in any case, Milan is not a team of 19 year olds whom you can discipline like kids. Remember what R99 said about Capello and Carlo being different, and how everyone in the forum was cheering saying that's right.


If you think Rijkaard doesn't have an attitude, think again on how he got the Llama name. MvB?? Holy geez...the Dutch team is comprised of guys who perform. Seedorf had to work his @$$ off to get back in.

Spalletti? C'mon, he built a team into title contenders...you don't do that by being a softie.

Lippi? I don't know. But he handled a team that's as big as Milan, and he did well.

Professionals shouldn't have to be molly coddled or hard whipped to perform. They're being paid to do so and should respect the game and the club enough to do so. And now if they don't I suppose you'll say they have to be sold. But then again, last season look what happened, they suddenly got everything together. Breaking up a winning team is not as easy as you think. It's a change that is almost always forced(unless ur Wenger, who plays it like chess), and through hardships.

Carlo took quite frankly a team who was holding on only due to reputation, and built it up again. As far as I'm concerned he should be allowed to build it once more. He has I think started work on it. Except the f@cking defence. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/realmad.gif)

You can build an offense around Pirlo, Kaka, Pato and Gila. But Nesta is getting older, and it's about time an understudy was brought in. Like Paolo had Baresi. Darmian, Marzoratti...c'mon in.

[Nova]

You say they're too mellow and light. But I feel honestly, the fact that Mourinho's very media savvy, and says what he feels like publicly, and that the other coaches don't,in no way means that they're too light.

And in any case, Milan is not a team of 19 year olds whom you can discipline like kids. Remember what R99 said about Capello and Carlo being different, and how everyone in the forum was cheering saying that's right.
If you think Rijkaard doesn't have an attitude, think again on how he got the Llama name. MvB?? Holy geez...the Dutch team is comprised of guys who perform. Seedorf had to work his @$$ off to get back in.

Spalletti? C'mon, he built a team into title contenders...you don't do that by being a softie.

Lippi? I don't know. But he handled a team that's as big as Milan, and he did well.

Professionals shouldn't have to be molly coddled or hard whipped to perform. They're being paid to do so and should respect the game and the club enough to do so. And now if they don't I suppose you'll say they have to be sold. But then again, last season look what happened, they suddenly got everything together. Breaking up a winning team is not as easy as you think. It's a change that is almost always forced(unless ur Wenger, who plays it like chess), and through hardships.

Carlo took quite frankly a team who was holding on only due to reputation, and built it up again. As far as I'm concerned he should be allowed to build it once more. He has I think started work on it. Except the f@cking defence. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/realmad.gif)

You can build an offense around Pirlo, Kaka, Pato and Gila. But Nesta is getting older, and it's about time an understudy was brought in. Like Paolo had Baresi. Darmian, Marzoratti...c'mon in.

Great post buddy !

[Rossoneri7]

Totally agree with Jack ! (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/king.gif)

The thing about Mourinho was he was not camerca shy nor was he able to contain his anger in front of the media .. Before Chelsea he won the CL, so what ?? Even then, NONE wanted him (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif) But just because he has become the type of person who simply loves to talk to the press, .. Now he is a favorite! And if ur judging by credentials ?? Give Carlo/Lippi/Capello/Hiddnik/ or anyone of the top notch coaches .. And I'll cut off my hand if they don't win the CL and EPL in one season (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[kurtsimonw]

Give Carlo/Lippi/Capello/Hiddnik/ or anyone of the top notch coaches .. And I'll cut off my hand if they don't win the CL and EPL in one season (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Win the CL and EPL in one season?

Either you're over-exaggerating or disrespecting every manager that's even been in the EPL. Well, except for Sir Alex, since he's the only one to win both competitions in a year.

[dst]

There's a simple reason why I don't want Mourinho at Milan; he'd still be running inside Camp Nou, yelling about Sheva's incorrectly disallowed goal!

[Rossoneri7]

Win the CL and EPL in one season?

Either you're over-exaggerating or disrespecting every manager that's even been in the EPL. Well, except for Sir Alex, since he's the only one to win both competitions in a year.

No I am not exaggerating .. Look at the calibure of coaches that are in the EPL atm .. Surely they can't compete for two titles (not even ur beloved Mourinho .. except for those league cups if u consider them imporant that is) ... SAF is the ONLY one to win the Treble and he is a top notch coach.

Why not ? I mean, we are talking about Chelsea here with Cech in Goal and Drogba as a striker ... And please let me not elaborate more on the quality in between nor on the high quality bench (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

So yes, from that prespective, give Carlo the reigns of Chelsea and you'll see something you have never seen before!

[Jack Sparrow]

There's a simple reason why I don't want Mourinho at Milan; he'd still be running inside Camp Nou, yelling about Sheva's incorrectly disallowed goal!

Next time I want my monster posts to be cut down to one line, I'll know to send you a PM. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

[kurtsimonw]

No I am not exaggerating .. Look at the calibure of coaches that are in the EPL atm .. Surely they can't compete for two titles (not even ur beloved Mourinho .. except for those league cups if u consider them imporant that is) ... SAF is the ONLY one to win the Treble and he is a top notch coach.

SAF is the only one to win the treble. That's because it's a tough league, so it's very hard to do. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/huh.gif)

Jose can't compete for 2 titles? (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

Does it matter how prestigous the League Cup is, or how ignorant foreigners are to the FA Cup? Not really, Mourinho still had to play the like sof United, Arsenal and Liverpool in those competition.

He had numerous CL semi=finals (Which shows he was able to compete in it, being th best 4 in Europe is hardly bad. Especially when you win the league + domestic Cup in the same year.

[Rossoneri7]

^^^

U r missing the point i was making. As always, u seem to think i don't rate the epl ... that wasn't what i was going about.

Imagine a world of just a league title and cl .. no league cups at all. Now, picture the current chelsea squad and carlo or any of the others that i have stated, with respect to united and arsenal; chelsea have a much stronger squad. And it is in this context that i say he could win the double.


p.s. when u talk about foreigners, please note that i lived in london and was born in st mary's hospital .. which makes me (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[kurtsimonw]

^^^

U r missing the point i was making. As always, u seem to think i don't rate the epl ... that wasn't what i was going about.

Imagine a world of just a league title and cl .. no league cups at all. Now, picture the current chelsea squad and carlo or any of the others that i have stated, with respect to united and arsenal; chelsea have a much stronger squad. And it is in this context that i say he could win the double.
p.s. when u talk about foreigners, please note that i lived in london and was born in st mary's hospital .. which makes me (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

I was referring to you as a foreigner, I was referring to none-UK managers. They don't compete in some Cups because they don't understand it's tradition/history.

That's why Rafa was dislikes by Liverpool fans after Burnley knocked them out of the FA Cup in it's first year.

Yes, Chelsea probably would win the double if football over here only had a league and the CL to play for. But it's not that way.

[Rossoneri7]

I was referring to you as a foreigner, I was referring to none-UK managers. They don't compete in some Cups because they don't understand it's tradition/history.

That's why Rafa was dislikes by Liverpool fans after Burnley knocked them out of the FA Cup in it's first year.

Yes, Chelsea probably would win the double if football over here only had a league and the CL to play for. But it's not that way.

Why not ? Abramovic clearly only cares for the league and cl. And a top notch coach would have no problem winning them. I know i speak hypothetically, but with a squad like chelsea, it is bound to happen. And i wouldn't be surprised if it did in the next couple of seasons.

Plus the added fact of fa cup and league cup (only one of them is considered historical) .. they competition wouldn't be as severe for the epl (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

in anycase this is just hypothetical ... but think about it a bit a little.

[Bluesummers]

Problem i find with mourinho is that his arrogance and attitude get in the way of his job often. If they get a good result say 4-0 and he says oh we won that thanks to my hard effort and my coaching abilities, well i see that as a problem. It was not him on the pitch, it was the players. And if he does come to milan and starts saying that, i wont be joyed. You can say that when your squad is filled with young players but saying things like that with professionals who have been playing for 5 years+ who know how to win is just plain stupid. Thats why many disliked him at Chelsea because before he was coach, they still won games at their previous clubs.

[KillerMax]

Problem i find with mourinho is that his arrogance and attitude get in the way of his job often.  If they get a good result say 4-0 and he says oh we won that thanks to my hard effort and my coaching abilities, well i see that as a problem.  It was not him on the pitch, it was the players.  And if he does come to milan and starts saying that, i wont be joyed.  You can say that when your squad is filled with young players but saying things like that with professionals who have been playing for 5 years+ who know how to win is just plain stupid.  Thats why many disliked him at Chelsea because before he was coach, they still won games at their previous clubs.

When did he say that?

[Zed.D]

@ Jack Sparrow

You didn't exactly understand what I meant. I never said likes of Spalletti, MVB, Rijkaard, etc are not as good as Mourinho; I didn't mean they're too light either. I meant compared to Mourinho, they don't have the necessary charisma to to take over a squad full of condescending winners and champions! and I'm saying the truth.

They're good enough for Madrid, Roma or Chelsea's players; a bunch of young and hungry players who are ready to die in order to get a starting place. there's not been such thing in Milan for a while now and bringing coaches who do it the soft way will not do. only Cappello or Mourinho (from available options) have such personality and charisma imo.

[Jack Sparrow]

First of all ...MONSTER POST ALERT!!!! I MEAN GODZILLA MUTATED MONSTER!!! But if you will..please find the time to read it. It will be my last defence of Galliani and Carletto. I'm not upto it anymore. It takes too much outta me and gives me back very little, and we're all rigid in our opinions. I'll have to accept that. R7's been telling me this for some time. This time I'll listen.

You didn't exactly understand what I meant. I never said likes of Spalletti, MVB, Rijkaard, etc are not as good as Mourinho; I didn't mean they're too light either. I meant compared to Mourinho, they don't have the necessary charisma to to take over a squad full of condescending winners and champions! and I'm saying the truth.

They're good enough for Madrid, Roma or Chelsea's players; a bunch of young and hungry players who are ready to die in order to get a starting place. there's not been such thing in Milan for a while now and bringing coaches who do it the soft way will not do. only Cappello or Mourinho (from available options) have such personality and charisma imo.

And you're confusing charisma with media savvy is what I'm saying.

And you talked about being ready to die to get a starting place. Well it doesn't work out all the itme. The players need to believe they are part of a team.

You don't need me to tell you what happened in Chelsea and Madrid. Chelsea with their persistent in-fighting. Remember Drogba and his traitors?? And Madrid under Capello? Remember Robinho, Diarra, Cassano??? You want to call it competition?? I call it team-breaking.

Capello's team would not have lasted much longer. The management knew it. They tried unloading a few troublemakers, and then finally decided they had to get rid of Capello himself, if the problem had to be stopped. The boring football was only part of the reason. Capello is not as boring as you might think. However he is a disciplinarian and like Mourinho considers himself the supreme boss.

Mourinho's team was breaking at the seams. It was evident this season. His political problems might have facillitated the exit, but the trouble in the team was clear.

Is that what any of us want??

Roma however ARE a bunch of hungry players. They are a team of virtual nobodies, with the exception of De Rossi and Totti. In fact they're Italy's Arsenal. I'll always respect Spalleti as a team builder, but for me Spaletti's flaws and Ancelotti's strengths were exposed by Man Utd last year. On Sunday we lost 1-0 to Roma. Not 7-0. Some of us like to forget that.

You wanna sit back and say we want the Scudetto. Believe me I do too. But then you're sitting in that lofty perch that Milan has prepared for you. 3 finals in 4 years. Making it to the final four every bloody time.

The only way you'll get what Galliani means by CL being more important is when we constantly win the scudetto, but keep getting thumped by the likes of Madrid and Manchester. Trust me on this. Ask Inter if you like. They saw their hated rivals whom they 'beat' on both occasions in the League, take out a team (in their own fortress) after being universally considered down and out. I mean Munich.

Even now when the 'pundits' talk about the strongest teams in Europe, for every Madrid and Chelsea, it's Milan from Italy they talk about in the same breath, not the scudetto winning Inter.

So imo, if the team isn't strong enough to compete on two fronts (I wholeheartedly accept this is a sh!tty situation), then they giving priority to the CL is fine by me. Do we need new players?? Yes please. But Milan don't just buy any multi million dollar, hyped player on the market thinking it'll work out. Any big transfer Milan has done has worked out. And believe me we were daredevils on the transfer market when it came to buying what we need. I think it was Rui...there were near riots when we got him from his previous, and Braida (or was it Fester) hid the contract in his trousers as he was leaving the club office. I'm not questioning their dedication.

Why are we in such a sh!tty situation then? How could they overlook our obvious needs?

Ok here, I think the only mistake they made, was in assuming the fitness of R99 and Sergio. Yeah yeah, before you go on about how injury prone they are, and how stupid our mgmnt was...go back to the Ambrosini thread. We got comments talking about how Ambro was made of glass, and is always on the sidelines and so on and so forth. So what's up now??

R99's was a freak injury is what I hear. The same with Sergio. Fact is if both of them were at full fitness, things would be different now. Sergio would have easily taken care of the deficit of Janku. And R99 well...

No disrespect to any of you here. But too many of us like to talk like pundits, saying we wouldn't be here if <insert erudite observations about strikers and the foolishness of Galliani here>, but let me tell you, hindsight for every one is twenty-twenty.
This view is influenced by the hindsight bias - the tendency to see outcomes as being obvious, but only after the fact.

The hindsight bias is a reason why proverbs seem to contain so much common wisdom. However, proverbs may directly contradict one another. For example, does "haste make waste"? Or is "he who hesitates lost"? If you are trying to make a decision of how to act in the future, it is extremely difficult to decide which one of these proverbs applies in your situation. In contrast, it is easy to see which proverb applies with hindsight.

Every single person who has anything to do with football, saw Chelsea buy Sheva. They'd seen Sheva play for us. Every single person was quick to say this is the big one. He's gonna do this and do that. And now what?? Everyone is talking about how it was a stupid purchase, since Mourinho didn't really want him and how he was never gonna fit into the 'system' and so on. Well that's B.S. Anytime you spend over 15 mill. euros on a player, you better have a system to accomodate him.

And what of Arsenal. How many strikers do they have?? RvP, Adebayor, Walcott, Bendtner?? And we said how stupid Wenger was to sell Henry. And how RvP was their only hope up front. The other three?? Go through the league thread to find out what we thought about them. What's going on now?? Now it's not just my good friend Locke Lamora...everyone is saying 'Arsene knows!'. Yes sure, Arsenal's style of play doesn't need top-notch strikers anymore..is another argument.

Well geez...you got two goal-scoring mids, playing off the best deep playmaker in the world, it ought to work too right?? It doesn't, and that sucks, so now we have the luxury of saying , 'you know what I knew it all along!'. And we can throw up ideas all we want, in fact anything that's different from what we're doing now. So, we'll bring in Gourcuff, we'll buy Drogba, we'll do this. But if we do and we flop, then what? Do we lose anything? Gourcuff lost us a match, I'm not saying he's crap because of that, but doesn't change things. Not bringing him in, might have won us thta match. So, does it prove anything? Maybe Gourcuff is not Zidane. He looks good, he's a good kid, and got talent. But he's got some way to go, before he can take Ambro out of the team. And when the time comes, Carlo WILL do it. Make NO mistake. He benched Rui for a barely 22 Kaka!!!

Yes, now Kaka is the best player in the world, but do you know what it meant then??!! When it came to number 10s, there was Zidane, and then there was Rui... imagine something like Pato(who'd never been seen in the Club World Championship or the U-20s, u'll have to take out the media hype) benching Henry(of Arsenal), you'll have some idea.

And as for competition in Milan...how was Kaka able to bench the great Rui Costa. If the players play they will be noticed, and they will find the space on the first 11. Ambro even after injury didn't get a walk in. He played his heart out. Gourcuff from what little I've seen, hasn't impressed me enough to bench Pirlo or Seedorf at his best.

I'm a Carlo fan...I admit it, and it pisses me off, when now that we're in a low point he's made a scapegoat. YES...for the millionth time, he's not the best tactician there is. But teams that play good football rarely have those.

Manchester Utd- SAF is a great coach, but not the best tactician. Even after 20 years in the game. Carlo owned him last year.

Barcelona- Rijkaard. I don't need to explain more. His team has always been about players.

Arsenal- Wenger. The best team builder I've ever seen after Sacchi. But tactics??

Ajax- Ten Cate(formerly). Believe me, I've seen the Dutch fans for Ajax. And I've even read reports. Those blokes boo back-passes. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) And Ten Cate invented the Barcelona football. But Ajax?? Look where they finished last year.

Tactics are something weaker teams use to get an advantage over stronger teams. When your players can't do the job, yes tactics are needed. But when they can do the job, you just let them do their thing. Football Management 101. And not the best tactics work out then. Last year's final. The only tactician who might be better than the great Jose still lost. After marking (supposedly) our hope and redemption-Kaka out of the game!! Kaka made the pass that won the game.

Yes, now our team looks weak (not on paper though), and perhaps we need tactics. Well then you have any fresh ideas, as to why things that used to work don't anymore?? Why is the great Nesta suddenly not man-marking like he used to? Why is the sublime Pirlo not finding players at will like he used to?? Why is the Dutch magician, Seedorf suddenly stuck?? Why is it that Rino's tenacity is no longer enough? To me these issues need to be fixed first, before we throw in new formations or fit in new players.

Sure bench em all, till they find it again. That's right...we'll put the fear of failure into them!!! If I were any one of those players, I'd find it offensive for my commitment to be questioned. Seedorf was called Calamity Clarence by the merda. Every CL we won, he's played a part. He's given his best performances for Milan, and will never back down when he's called to do it. And so on for all of those players on the roster.
And we want to bench them?? Are we really so good observers of the game, that we can claim that they are no longer motivated!!! We said it last season too...and they found the motivation. Winners don't need motivation, it's in them.

What we need is not a new coach, or a whole new roster of players. What we need to do, is exactly what those 'idiots' in our management tell us to do. Stay calm and assess the situation. Find out what's going wrong,and fix it. Sure we all know what's going wrong. Each of us has different opinions. But then we have that luxury. Carletto and Galliani don't. Every step they take has repurcussions, on players, on human beings, on the team, on the finances. We're talking millions of dollars here if nothing else.

If a player needs to be brought in to fix holes, they WILL do it. Not buying in a new striker, so that Pato can play is an excellent decision imo. Because with 3 main strikers, Pato will always find the space to develop, and Milan needs that. In fact he's been virtually assured first team status. And I'm sure that's why he came in.

Gila has been called the future of Italian forwards. By Pippo and Carletto. And fan boy that I'am even if weren't I'm not gonna question them. Why?? Coz I'm not the second highest goal scorer in European competitions. Coz I haven't got legend status as a mid-field player for two top Italian teams, and then gone on to coach a team to the number 1 position in Europe. I'm humble enough to admit, I don't know enough as they do. I don't see Milan train. I don't see the things that they see. If they keep faith, I will too.

In the end even if this a crappy season, we still won a trophy. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) And I'll accept that. Some of y'all should try supporting Newcastle as I did. Or Bochum even. Helps keep things in perspective. A crappy season will be forgotten. That's life, and our board is being smart. Sometimes a long term gain might be much better than a short term loss. Or to overlook a short term gain (get us a top striker) is better than running a long term loss (have Pato wasted as he doesn't find time to play. Have our 'top' striker grumble about playing time etc.)

This post has been edited by Jack Sparrow: Oct 30 2007, 07:18 PM

[Rossoneri7]

@ Jack ... If I call this a Great post, I would be calling it short !! (and this is not because I know you or anything..) You are wise (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)


And your whole post can be summarized in one word; AC Milan (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/devilsmiley.gif) (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

p.s. Keep up those mammoth posts (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/king.gif)

[Bluesummers]

First of all ...MONSTER POST ALERT!!!! I MEAN GODZILLA MUTATED MONSTER!!! But if you will..please find the time to read it. It will be my last defence of Galliani and Carletto. I'm not upto it anymore. It takes too much outta me and gives me back very little, and we're all rigid in our opinions. I'll have to accept that. R7's been telling me this for some time. This time I'll listen.
And you're confusing charisma with media savvy is what I'm saying.

And you talked about being ready to die to get a starting place. Well it doesn't work out all the itme. The players need to believe they are part of a team.

You don't need me to tell you what happened in Chelsea and Madrid. Chelsea with their persistent in-fighting. Remember Drogba and his traitors?? And Madrid under Capello? Remember Robinho, Diarra, Cassano??? You want to call it competition?? I call it team-breaking.

If Capello had not done what he did the team would have been worst off than they are now.  The club players behaviors was getting out of hand and discipline was in need of installement. 

Capello's team would not have lasted much longer. The management knew it. They tried unloading a few troublemakers, and then finally decided they had to get rid of Capello himself, if the problem had to be stopped. The boring football was only part of the reason. Capello is not as boring as you might think. However he is a disciplinarian and like Mourinho considers himself the supreme boss.

Some clubs need that attitude to show the players that this isn't a fun sport they do when they feel like.  They needed to understand they were getting payed and if they did not perform, they would not play.

Mourinho's team was breaking at the seams. It was evident this season. His political problems might have facillitated the exit, but the trouble in the team was clear.

Is that what any of us want??

Roma however ARE a bunch of hungry players. They are a team of  virtual nobodies, with the exception of De Rossi and Totti. In fact they're Italy's Arsenal. I'll always respect Spalleti as a team builder, but for me Spaletti's flaws and Ancelotti's strengths were exposed by Man Utd last year. On Sunday we lost 1-0 to Roma. Not 7-0. Some of us like to forget that.

Carlo>spalletti No doubt about it.

You wanna sit back and say we want the Scudetto. Believe me I do too. But then you're sitting in that lofty perch that Milan has prepared for you. 3 finals in 4 years. Making it to the final four every bloody time.

The only way you'll get what Galliani means by CL being more important is when we constantly win the scudetto, but keep getting thumped by the likes of Madrid and Manchester. Trust me on this. Ask Inter if you like. They saw their hated rivals whom they 'beat' on both occasions in the League, take out a team (in their own fortress) after being universally considered down and out. I mean Munich.

A club of our standards need to be able to perform in both competitions.  Everyone else is doing it so why can't we?  Sure we shouldn't sacrifice the CL, however we should be able to still compete with inter for the league.

Even now when the 'pundits' talk about the strongest teams in Europe, for every Madrid and Chelsea, it's Milan from Italy they talk about in the same breath, not the scudetto winning Inter.

That is because of our history and kaka's achievements.  Kaka did miracles and that is why pundits mention our club in the same line as those are clubs.  If we had not won the CL, we would not be looked at as a threat.  Remeber 2 years ago we had reached semi's and when the new season began everyone laughed at us if we even mentioned a hint at being a competitor in the CL.


So imo, if the team isn't strong enough to compete on two fronts (I wholeheartedly accept this is a sh!tty situation), then they giving priority to the CL is fine by me. Do we need new players?? Yes please. But Milan don't just buy any multi million dollar, hyped player on the market thinking it'll work out. Any big transfer Milan has done has worked out. And believe me we were daredevils on the transfer market when it came to buying what we need. I think it was Rui...there were near riots when we got him from his previous, and Braida (or was it Fester) hid the contract in his trousers as he was leaving the club office. I'm not questioning their dedication.

Needing players is an understatement.  We are in desperate need of players.  If pirlo or rino or seedorf or kaka get hurt, our team falls apart like no other.

Why are we in such a sh!tty situation then? How could they overlook our obvious needs?

Ok here, I think the only mistake they made, was in assuming the fitness of R99 and Sergio. Yeah yeah, before you go on about how injury prone they are, and how stupid our mgmnt was...go back to the Ambrosini thread. We got comments talking about how Ambro was made of glass, and is always on the sidelines and so on and so forth. So what's up now??

It hurts when those players we are in need of get injured.  I personally have always thought that if ambro and rino weren't in our mid, we felt bare.  Judging from last season to this.

R99's was a freak injury is what I hear. The same with Sergio. Fact is if both of them were at full fitness, things would be different now. Sergio would have easily taken care of the deficit of Janku. And R99 well...

No disrespect to any of you here. But too many of us like to talk like pundits, saying we wouldn't be here if <insert erudite observations about strikers and the foolishness of Galliani here>, but let me tell you, hindsight for every one is twenty-twenty.
This view is influenced by the hindsight bias - the tendency to see outcomes as being obvious, but only after the fact.
Every single person who has anything to do with football, saw Chelsea buy Sheva. They'd seen Sheva play for us. Every single person was quick to say this is the big one. He's gonna do this and do that. And now what?? Everyone is talking about how it was a stupid purchase, since Mourinho didn't really want him and how he was never gonna fit into the 'system' and so on. Well that's B.S. Anytime you spend over 15 mill. euros on a player, you better have a system to accomodate him.

Ofcourse not.  That is why galliani and co are getting the big bucks so they dont do stupid mistakes.  Otherwise what good are they?

And what of Arsenal. How many strikers do they have?? RvP, Adebayor, Walcott, Bendtner?? And we said how stupid Wenger was to sell Henry. And how RvP was their only hope up front. The other three?? Go through the league thread to find out what we thought about them. What's going on now?? Now it's not just my good friend Locke Lamora...everyone is saying 'Arsene knows!'. Yes sure, Arsenal's style of play doesn't need top-notch strikers anymore..is another argument.

Henry was not what they were lacking last year it was fluid and togetherness of the team.  This year there team work is flawless and they work as a unit.  Defend and score.  They dont really have what i would call the single goal scorer.  It doesn't matter who scores that is their philosophy.  Here if gila or pippo doesn't score we get upset, because we are in need of the striker presence.

Well geez...you got two goal-scoring mids, playing off the best deep playmaker in the world, it ought to work too right?? It doesn't, and that sucks, so now we have the luxury of saying , 'you know what I knew it all along!'. And we can throw up ideas all we want, in fact anything that's different from what we're doing now. So, we'll bring in Gourcuff, we'll buy Drogba, we'll do this. But if we do and we flop, then what? Do we lose anything? Gourcuff lost us a match, I'm not saying he's crap because of that, but doesn't change things. Not bringing him in, might have won us thta match. So, does it prove anything? Maybe Gourcuff is not Zidane. He looks good, he's a good kid, and got talent. But he's got some way to go, before he can take Ambro out of the team. And when the time comes, Carlo WILL do it. Make NO mistake. He benched Rui for a barely 22 Kaka!!!

That was something i never understood as i wasn't in too much depth of football as i am now.

Yes, now Kaka is the best player in the world, but do you know what it meant then??!! When it came to number 10s, there was Zidane, and then there was Rui... imagine something like Pato(who'd never been seen in the  Club World Championship or the U-20s, u'll have to take out the media hype) benching Henry(of Arsenal), you'll have some idea.

And as for competition in Milan...how was Kaka able to bench the great Rui Costa. If the players play they will be noticed, and they will find the space on the first 11. Ambro even after injury didn't get a walk in. He played his heart out. Gourcuff from what little I've seen, hasn't impressed me enough to bench Pirlo or Seedorf at his best.

Its not the fact that his performances didn't help its that our club has little faith in him.  When you are in need of a goal and favalli goes on in the 75th minute, that is basically a slap in the face for an attacking player.  And that is clearly one man's fault.

I'm a Carlo fan...I admit it, and it pisses me off, when now that we're in a low point he's made a scapegoat. YES...for the millionth time, he's not the best tactician there is. But teams that play good football rarely have those.

Manchester Utd- SAF is a great coach, but not the best tactician. Even after 20 years in the game. Carlo owned him last year.

Barcelona- Rijkaard. I don't need to explain more. His team has always been about players.

Arsenal- Wenger. The best team builder I've ever seen after Sacchi. But tactics??

Ajax- Ten Cate(formerly). Believe me, I've seen the Dutch fans for Ajax. And I've even read reports. Those blokes boo back-passes. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) And Ten Cate invented the Barcelona football. But Ajax?? Look where they finished last year.

Tactics are something weaker teams use to get an advantage over stronger teams. When your players can't do the job, yes tactics are needed. But when they can do the job, you just let them do their thing. Football Management 101. And not the best tactics work out then. Last year's final. The only tactician who might be better than the great Jose still lost. After marking (supposedly) our hope and redemption-Kaka out of the game!! Kaka made the pass that won the game.

Rafa made a mistake by subbing out macherano as he went for the win.  Had he not taken macherano out, kaka would probably not have made that killer pass.  Tactics and good football are needed.  I who am coaching on a regular basis and come to understood that if a sort of rules or guidelines are not implemented then the team will not be as good as it can be.  Players at the proffesional level are tools,  They have mastered the basics and the manager is the programmer.  Who ever plays the proper tactics+luck wins the match.  That is why teams like porto can win the cl.

Yes, now our team looks weak (not on paper though), and perhaps we need tactics. Well then you have any fresh ideas, as to why things that used to work don't anymore?? Why is the great Nesta suddenly not man-marking like he used to? Why is the sublime Pirlo not finding players at will like he used to?? Why is the Dutch magician, Seedorf suddenly stuck?? Why is it that Rino's tenacity is no longer enough? To me these issues need to be fixed first, before we  throw in new formations or fit in new players.

Age and the ferocity to prove yourself on the pitch has disapeered in alot of these players.  That is why you don't see them giving a 110% every match like kaka or gila has been doing.  Especially gila i've really liked show of desire and hunger for victory  lately.  He is shaping into his potential.

Sure bench em all, till they find it again. That's right...we'll put the fear of failure into them!!! If I were any one of those players, I'd find it offensive for my commitment to be questioned. Seedorf was called Calamity Clarence by the merda. Every CL we won, he's played a part. He's given his best performances for Milan, and will never back down when he's called to do it. And so on for all of those players on the roster.
And we want to bench them?? Are we really so good observers of the game, that we can claim that they are no longer motivated!!! We said it last season too...and they found the motivation. Winners don't need motivation, it's in them.

Not always, they are getting paid good and have won every single cup they could.  Seedorf CL 4 times.  You could argue its within them, however desire to prove yourself is different.  Last year if they had this form, we would not be critizing them because its what we expected.  We had prayed for 4th place and underestimated our team's abilities and took them lightly.  Not just us, everyone did.  The players had the desire to prove everyone wrong.  Now this season we have expectations of them and they haven't played overall poorly just they have been very unlucky.

What we need is not a new coach, or a whole new roster of players. What we need to do, is exactly what those 'idiots' in our management tell us to do. Stay calm and assess the situation. Find out what's going wrong,and fix it.  Sure we all know what's going wrong. Each of us has different opinions. But then we have that luxury. Carletto and Galliani don't. Every step they take has repurcussions, on players, on human beings, on the team, on the finances. We're talking millions of dollars here if nothing else.

Coach yes, roster no.

If a player needs to be brought in to fix holes, they WILL do it. Not buying in a new striker, so that Pato can play is an excellent decision imo. Because with 3 main strikers, Pato will always find the space to develop, and Milan needs that. In fact he's been virtually assured first team status. And I'm sure that's why he came in.

Oli in for sheva?  They can do it good allright.  Pato its good for him to develop however it is not good for the team.  Imagine if we don't get 4th.  I bet half the fans will be heart-broken.

Gila has been called the future of Italian forwards. By Pippo and Carletto. And fan boy that I'am even if weren't I'm not gonna question them. Why?? Coz I'm not the second highest goal scorer in European competitions. Coz I haven't got legend status as a mid-field player for two top Italian teams, and then gone on to coach a team to the number 1 position in Europe. I'm humble enough to admit, I don't know enough as they do. I don't see Milan train. I don't see the things that they see. If they keep faith, I will too.

I still have some doubt.  However it is looking that way now.

In the end even if this a crappy season, we still won a trophy. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) And I'll accept that. Some of y'all should try supporting Newcastle as I did. Or Bochum even. Helps keep things in perspective. A crappy season will be forgotten. That's life, and our board is being smart. Sometimes a long term gain might be much better than a short term loss. Or to overlook a short term gain (get us a top striker) is better than running a long term loss (have Pato wasted as he doesn't find time to play. Have our 'top' striker grumble about playing time etc.)

Overall Great speech. Enjoyed reading your insight on it and you have a very distinct oppinion and i have the highest amount of respect for it. Thanks for taking the time to reflect your view (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/devilsmiley.gif) (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/devilsmiley.gif)

And finally FORZA MILAN AND WE WILL GET BACK FROM THIS MESS ONCE THE FAT ONE RETURNS (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/king.gif) (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/king.gif)

Ps: sorry avr, dont kill me (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[Zed.D]

First of all ...MONSTER POST ALERT!!!! I MEAN GODZILLA MUTATED MONSTER!!! But if you will..please find the time to read it. It will be my last defence of Galliani and Carletto. I'm not upto it anymore. It takes too much outta me and gives me back very little, and we're all rigid in our opinions. I'll have to accept that. R7's been telling me this for some time. This time I'll listen.
And you're confusing charisma with media savvy is what I'm saying.

And you talked about being ready to die to get a starting place. Well it doesn't work out all the itme. The players need to believe they are part of a team.

You don't need me to tell you what happened in Chelsea and Madrid. Chelsea with their persistent in-fighting. Remember Drogba and his traitors?? And Madrid under Capello? Remember Robinho, Diarra, Cassano??? You want to call it competition?? I call it team-breaking.

Capello's team would not have lasted much longer. The management knew it. They tried unloading a few troublemakers, and then finally decided they had to get rid of Capello himself, if the problem had to be stopped. The boring football was only part of the reason. Capello is not as boring as you might think. However he is a disciplinarian and like Mourinho considers himself the supreme boss.

Mourinho's team was breaking at the seams. It was evident this season. His political problems might have facillitated the exit, but the trouble in the team was clear.

Is that what any of us want??

Roma however ARE a bunch of hungry players. They are a team of  virtual nobodies, with the exception of De Rossi and Totti. In fact they're Italy's Arsenal. I'll always respect Spalleti as a team builder, but for me Spaletti's flaws and Ancelotti's strengths were exposed by Man Utd last year. On Sunday we lost 1-0 to Roma. Not 7-0. Some of us like to forget that.

You wanna sit back and say we want the Scudetto. Believe me I do too. But then you're sitting in that lofty perch that Milan has prepared for you. 3 finals in 4 years. Making it to the final four every bloody time.

The only way you'll get what Galliani means by CL being more important is when we constantly win the scudetto, but keep getting thumped by the likes of Madrid and Manchester. Trust me on this. Ask Inter if you like. They saw their hated rivals whom they 'beat' on both occasions in the League, take out a team (in their own fortress) after being universally considered down and out. I mean Munich.

Even now when the 'pundits' talk about the strongest teams in Europe, for every Madrid and Chelsea, it's Milan from Italy they talk about in the same breath, not the scudetto winning Inter.

So imo, if the team isn't strong enough to compete on two fronts (I wholeheartedly accept this is a sh!tty situation), then they giving priority to the CL is fine by me. Do we need new players?? Yes please. But Milan don't just buy any multi million dollar, hyped player on the market thinking it'll work out. Any big transfer Milan has done has worked out. And believe me we were daredevils on the transfer market when it came to buying what we need. I think it was Rui...there were near riots when we got him from his previous, and Braida (or was it Fester) hid the contract in his trousers as he was leaving the club office. I'm not questioning their dedication.

Why are we in such a sh!tty situation then? How could they overlook our obvious needs?

Ok here, I think the only mistake they made, was in assuming the fitness of R99 and Sergio. Yeah yeah, before you go on about how injury prone they are, and how stupid our mgmnt was...go back to the Ambrosini thread. We got comments talking about how Ambro was made of glass, and is always on the sidelines and so on and so forth. So what's up now??

R99's was a freak injury is what I hear. The same with Sergio. Fact is if both of them were at full fitness, things would be different now. Sergio would have easily taken care of the deficit of Janku. And R99 well...

No disrespect to any of you here. But too many of us like to talk like pundits, saying we wouldn't be here if <insert erudite observations about strikers and the foolishness of Galliani here>, but let me tell you, hindsight for every one is twenty-twenty.
This view is influenced by the hindsight bias - the tendency to see outcomes as being obvious, but only after the fact.
Every single person who has anything to do with football, saw Chelsea buy Sheva. They'd seen Sheva play for us. Every single person was quick to say this is the big one. He's gonna do this and do that. And now what?? Everyone is talking about how it was a stupid purchase, since Mourinho didn't really want him and how he was never gonna fit into the 'system' and so on. Well that's B.S. Anytime you spend over 15 mill. euros on a player, you better have a system to accomodate him.

And what of Arsenal. How many strikers do they have?? RvP, Adebayor, Walcott, Bendtner?? And we said how stupid Wenger was to sell Henry. And how RvP was their only hope up front. The other three?? Go through the league thread to find out what we thought about them. What's going on now?? Now it's not just my good friend Locke Lamora...everyone is saying 'Arsene knows!'. Yes sure, Arsenal's style of play doesn't need top-notch strikers anymore..is another argument.

Well geez...you got two goal-scoring mids, playing off the best deep playmaker in the world, it ought to work too right?? It doesn't, and that sucks, so now we have the luxury of saying , 'you know what I knew it all along!'. And we can throw up ideas all we want, in fact anything that's different from what we're doing now. So, we'll bring in Gourcuff, we'll buy Drogba, we'll do this. But if we do and we flop, then what? Do we lose anything? Gourcuff lost us a match, I'm not saying he's crap because of that, but doesn't change things. Not bringing him in, might have won us thta match. So, does it prove anything? Maybe Gourcuff is not Zidane. He looks good, he's a good kid, and got talent. But he's got some way to go, before he can take Ambro out of the team. And when the time comes, Carlo WILL do it. Make NO mistake. He benched Rui for a barely 22 Kaka!!!

Yes, now Kaka is the best player in the world, but do you know what it meant then??!! When it came to number 10s, there was Zidane, and then there was Rui... imagine something like Pato(who'd never been seen in the  Club World Championship or the U-20s, u'll have to take out the media hype) benching Henry(of Arsenal), you'll have some idea.

And as for competition in Milan...how was Kaka able to bench the great Rui Costa. If the players play they will be noticed, and they will find the space on the first 11. Ambro even after injury didn't get a walk in. He played his heart out. Gourcuff from what little I've seen, hasn't impressed me enough to bench Pirlo or Seedorf at his best.

I'm a Carlo fan...I admit it, and it pisses me off, when now that we're in a low point he's made a scapegoat. YES...for the millionth time, he's not the best tactician there is. But teams that play good football rarely have those.

Manchester Utd- SAF is a great coach, but not the best tactician. Even after 20 years in the game. Carlo owned him last year.

Barcelona- Rijkaard. I don't need to explain more. His team has always been about players.

Arsenal- Wenger. The best team builder I've ever seen after Sacchi. But tactics??

Ajax- Ten Cate(formerly). Believe me, I've seen the Dutch fans for Ajax. And I've even read reports. Those blokes boo back-passes. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) And Ten Cate invented the Barcelona football. But Ajax?? Look where they finished last year.

Tactics are something weaker teams use to get an advantage over stronger teams. When your players can't do the job, yes tactics are needed. But when they can do the job, you just let them do their thing. Football Management 101. And not the best tactics work out then. Last year's final. The only tactician who might be better than the great Jose still lost. After marking (supposedly) our hope and redemption-Kaka out of the game!! Kaka made the pass that won the game.

Yes, now our team looks weak (not on paper though), and perhaps we need tactics. Well then you have any fresh ideas, as to why things that used to work don't anymore?? Why is the great Nesta suddenly not man-marking like he used to? Why is the sublime Pirlo not finding players at will like he used to?? Why is the Dutch magician, Seedorf suddenly stuck?? Why is it that Rino's tenacity is no longer enough? To me these issues need to be fixed first, before we  throw in new formations or fit in new players.

Sure bench em all, till they find it again. That's right...we'll put the fear of failure into them!!! If I were any one of those players, I'd find it offensive for my commitment to be questioned. Seedorf was called Calamity Clarence by the merda. Every CL we won, he's played a part. He's given his best performances for Milan, and will never back down when he's called to do it. And so on for all of those players on the roster.
And we want to bench them?? Are we really so good observers of the game, that we can claim that they are no longer motivated!!! We said it last season too...and they found the motivation. Winners don't need motivation, it's in them.

What we need is not a new coach, or a whole new roster of players. What we need to do, is exactly what those 'idiots' in our management tell us to do. Stay calm and assess the situation. Find out what's going wrong,and fix it.  Sure we all know what's going wrong. Each of us has different opinions. But then we have that luxury. Carletto and Galliani don't. Every step they take has repurcussions, on players, on human beings, on the team, on the finances. We're talking millions of dollars here if nothing else.

If a player needs to be brought in to fix holes, they WILL do it. Not buying in a new striker, so that Pato can play is an excellent decision imo. Because with 3 main strikers, Pato will always find the space to develop, and Milan needs that. In fact he's been virtually assured first team status. And I'm sure that's why he came in.

Gila has been called the future of Italian forwards. By Pippo and Carletto. And fan boy that I'am even if weren't I'm not gonna question them. Why?? Coz I'm not the second highest goal scorer in European competitions. Coz I haven't got legend status as a mid-field player for two top Italian teams, and then gone on to coach a team to the number 1 position in Europe. I'm humble enough to admit, I don't know enough as they do. I don't see Milan train. I don't see the things that they see. If they keep faith, I will too.

In the end even if this a crappy season, we still won a trophy. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) And I'll accept that. Some of y'all should try supporting Newcastle as I did. Or Bochum even. Helps keep things in perspective. A crappy season will be forgotten. That's life, and our board is being smart. Sometimes a long term gain might be much better than a short term loss. Or to overlook a short term gain (get us a top striker) is better than running a long term loss (have Pato wasted as he doesn't find time to play. Have our 'top' striker grumble about playing time etc.)

WHAT A FUKING MONSTER IS THAT!!!! (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Well JS, it was a great post, there are a lot of topics I'd like to discuss but since you said this is you last post on this matter, I won't post anything right now. I agree with some of your points, but of course not all of them. I'm gonna save a copy of this post on my hard disk, then at the end of the season, when everything will be clearer and we'll be able to say if what our board did was right or wrong, I will surely post a reply to this, whether you're interested in that or not. but remember that everything we say right now is nothing but hypothesis, I'm not sure if my opinions will turn out to be true [I'm only a human being!], but this goes for you too. time well tell. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[MizNelson]

Great posts. Jack is the patron saint of Milanfan. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Jack Sparrow]

I'm your Huckleberry (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[I've always wanted to say that, thank you BMW for the opportunity!)

[Bluesummers]

Ronaldo should be back in a week or two. I hope this solves our issue of competing in all competitions.

[KillerMax]

Ronaldo should be back in a week or two.  I hope this solves our issue of competing in all competitions.

More like surviving in one and competing in others.

[Bluesummers]

More like surviving in one and competing in others.

Yeah you can say that again. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

This post has been edited by Bluesummers: Nov 2 2007, 12:34 AM

[agenth]

First of all ...MONSTER POST ALERT!!!! I MEAN GODZILLA MUTATED MONSTER!!! But if you will..please find the time to read it. It will be my last defence of Galliani and Carletto. I'm not upto it anymore. It takes too much outta me and gives me back very little, and we're all rigid in our opinions. I'll have to accept that. R7's been telling me this for some time. This time I'll listen.
And you're confusing charisma with media savvy is what I'm saying.

And you talked about being ready to die to get a starting place. Well it doesn't work out all the itme. The players need to believe they are part of a team.

You don't need me to tell you what happened in Chelsea and Madrid. Chelsea with their persistent in-fighting. Remember Drogba and his traitors?? And Madrid under Capello? Remember Robinho, Diarra, Cassano??? You want to call it competition?? I call it team-breaking.

Capello's team would not have lasted much longer. The management knew it. They tried unloading a few troublemakers, and then finally decided they had to get rid of Capello himself, if the problem had to be stopped. The boring football was only part of the reason. Capello is not as boring as you might think. However he is a disciplinarian and like Mourinho considers himself the supreme boss.

Mourinho's team was breaking at the seams. It was evident this season. His political problems might have facillitated the exit, but the trouble in the team was clear.

Is that what any of us want??

Roma however ARE a bunch of hungry players. They are a team of  virtual nobodies, with the exception of De Rossi and Totti. In fact they're Italy's Arsenal. I'll always respect Spalleti as a team builder, but for me Spaletti's flaws and Ancelotti's strengths were exposed by Man Utd last year. On Sunday we lost 1-0 to Roma. Not 7-0. Some of us like to forget that.

You wanna sit back and say we want the Scudetto. Believe me I do too. But then you're sitting in that lofty perch that Milan has prepared for you. 3 finals in 4 years. Making it to the final four every bloody time.

The only way you'll get what Galliani means by CL being more important is when we constantly win the scudetto, but keep getting thumped by the likes of Madrid and Manchester. Trust me on this. Ask Inter if you like. They saw their hated rivals whom they 'beat' on both occasions in the League, take out a team (in their own fortress) after being universally considered down and out. I mean Munich.

Even now when the 'pundits' talk about the strongest teams in Europe, for every Madrid and Chelsea, it's Milan from Italy they talk about in the same breath, not the scudetto winning Inter.

So imo, if the team isn't strong enough to compete on two fronts (I wholeheartedly accept this is a sh!tty situation), then they giving priority to the CL is fine by me. Do we need new players?? Yes please. But Milan don't just buy any multi million dollar, hyped player on the market thinking it'll work out. Any big transfer Milan has done has worked out. And believe me we were daredevils on the transfer market when it came to buying what we need. I think it was Rui...there were near riots when we got him from his previous, and Braida (or was it Fester) hid the contract in his trousers as he was leaving the club office. I'm not questioning their dedication.

Why are we in such a sh!tty situation then? How could they overlook our obvious needs?

Ok here, I think the only mistake they made, was in assuming the fitness of R99 and Sergio. Yeah yeah, before you go on about how injury prone they are, and how stupid our mgmnt was...go back to the Ambrosini thread. We got comments talking about how Ambro was made of glass, and is always on the sidelines and so on and so forth. So what's up now??

R99's was a freak injury is what I hear. The same with Sergio. Fact is if both of them were at full fitness, things would be different now. Sergio would have easily taken care of the deficit of Janku. And R99 well...

No disrespect to any of you here. But too many of us like to talk like pundits, saying we wouldn't be here if <insert erudite observations about strikers and the foolishness of Galliani here>, but let me tell you, hindsight for every one is twenty-twenty.
This view is influenced by the hindsight bias - the tendency to see outcomes as being obvious, but only after the fact.
Every single person who has anything to do with football, saw Chelsea buy Sheva. They'd seen Sheva play for us. Every single person was quick to say this is the big one. He's gonna do this and do that. And now what?? Everyone is talking about how it was a stupid purchase, since Mourinho didn't really want him and how he was never gonna fit into the 'system' and so on. Well that's B.S. Anytime you spend over 15 mill. euros on a player, you better have a system to accomodate him.

And what of Arsenal. How many strikers do they have?? RvP, Adebayor, Walcott, Bendtner?? And we said how stupid Wenger was to sell Henry. And how RvP was their only hope up front. The other three?? Go through the league thread to find out what we thought about them. What's going on now?? Now it's not just my good friend Locke Lamora...everyone is saying 'Arsene knows!'. Yes sure, Arsenal's style of play doesn't need top-notch strikers anymore..is another argument.

Well geez...you got two goal-scoring mids, playing off the best deep playmaker in the world, it ought to work too right?? It doesn't, and that sucks, so now we have the luxury of saying , 'you know what I knew it all along!'. And we can throw up ideas all we want, in fact anything that's different from what we're doing now. So, we'll bring in Gourcuff, we'll buy Drogba, we'll do this. But if we do and we flop, then what? Do we lose anything? Gourcuff lost us a match, I'm not saying he's crap because of that, but doesn't change things. Not bringing him in, might have won us thta match. So, does it prove anything? Maybe Gourcuff is not Zidane. He looks good, he's a good kid, and got talent. But he's got some way to go, before he can take Ambro out of the team. And when the time comes, Carlo WILL do it. Make NO mistake. He benched Rui for a barely 22 Kaka!!!

Yes, now Kaka is the best player in the world, but do you know what it meant then??!! When it came to number 10s, there was Zidane, and then there was Rui... imagine something like Pato(who'd never been seen in the  Club World Championship or the U-20s, u'll have to take out the media hype) benching Henry(of Arsenal), you'll have some idea.

And as for competition in Milan...how was Kaka able to bench the great Rui Costa. If the players play they will be noticed, and they will find the space on the first 11. Ambro even after injury didn't get a walk in. He played his heart out. Gourcuff from what little I've seen, hasn't impressed me enough to bench Pirlo or Seedorf at his best.

I'm a Carlo fan...I admit it, and it pisses me off, when now that we're in a low point he's made a scapegoat. YES...for the millionth time, he's not the best tactician there is. But teams that play good football rarely have those.

Manchester Utd- SAF is a great coach, but not the best tactician. Even after 20 years in the game. Carlo owned him last year.

Barcelona- Rijkaard. I don't need to explain more. His team has always been about players.

Arsenal- Wenger. The best team builder I've ever seen after Sacchi. But tactics??

Ajax- Ten Cate(formerly). Believe me, I've seen the Dutch fans for Ajax. And I've even read reports. Those blokes boo back-passes. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif) And Ten Cate invented the Barcelona football. But Ajax?? Look where they finished last year.

Tactics are something weaker teams use to get an advantage over stronger teams. When your players can't do the job, yes tactics are needed. But when they can do the job, you just let them do their thing. Football Management 101. And not the best tactics work out then. Last year's final. The only tactician who might be better than the great Jose still lost. After marking (supposedly) our hope and redemption-Kaka out of the game!! Kaka made the pass that won the game.

Yes, now our team looks weak (not on paper though), and perhaps we need tactics. Well then you have any fresh ideas, as to why things that used to work don't anymore?? Why is the great Nesta suddenly not man-marking like he used to? Why is the sublime Pirlo not finding players at will like he used to?? Why is the Dutch magician, Seedorf suddenly stuck?? Why is it that Rino's tenacity is no longer enough? To me these issues need to be fixed first, before we  throw in new formations or fit in new players.

Sure bench em all, till they find it again. That's right...we'll put the fear of failure into them!!! If I were any one of those players, I'd find it offensive for my commitment to be questioned. Seedorf was called Calamity Clarence by the merda. Every CL we won, he's played a part. He's given his best performances for Milan, and will never back down when he's called to do it. And so on for all of those players on the roster.
And we want to bench them?? Are we really so good observers of the game, that we can claim that they are no longer motivated!!! We said it last season too...and they found the motivation. Winners don't need motivation, it's in them.

What we need is not a new coach, or a whole new roster of players. What we need to do, is exactly what those 'idiots' in our management tell us to do. Stay calm and assess the situation. Find out what's going wrong,and fix it.  Sure we all know what's going wrong. Each of us has different opinions. But then we have that luxury. Carletto and Galliani don't. Every step they take has repurcussions, on players, on human beings, on the team, on the finances. We're talking millions of dollars here if nothing else.

If a player needs to be brought in to fix holes, they WILL do it. Not buying in a new striker, so that Pato can play is an excellent decision imo. Because with 3 main strikers, Pato will always find the space to develop, and Milan needs that. In fact he's been virtually assured first team status. And I'm sure that's why he came in.

Gila has been called the future of Italian forwards. By Pippo and Carletto. And fan boy that I'am even if weren't I'm not gonna question them. Why?? Coz I'm not the second highest goal scorer in European competitions. Coz I haven't got legend status as a mid-field player for two top Italian teams, and then gone on to coach a team to the number 1 position in Europe. I'm humble enough to admit, I don't know enough as they do. I don't see Milan train. I don't see the things that they see. If they keep faith, I will too.

In the end even if this a crappy season, we still won a trophy. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) And I'll accept that. Some of y'all should try supporting Newcastle as I did. Or Bochum even. Helps keep things in perspective. A crappy season will be forgotten. That's life, and our board is being smart. Sometimes a long term gain might be much better than a short term loss. Or to overlook a short term gain (get us a top striker) is better than running a long term loss (have Pato wasted as he doesn't find time to play. Have our 'top' striker grumble about playing time etc.)

Great post, Captain (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)
I agree on some points (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) , it's essential to keep faith in our boys, if we don't, we are not fans imho!
I might have said one or the other thing out of frustration though (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[MizNelson]

Here's a very interesting article from Datasport. It's in Italian, but I looked through it and thought, "Ain't that the truth!" I couldn't think of anywhere else to post it and thought the "crisis" thread would be appropriate enough.

Ottobre, il mese nero dei portieri ["October, a dark month for keepers"]

http://www.datasport.it/leggi.aspx?id=4677692

[Jack Sparrow]

^^^

Will have to wait for 10ster. Been giving her a lot of homework these days. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Who do they mean when they say dark month? Lehmann and Didinho?

[MizNelson]

^^^

Will have to wait for 10ster. Been giving her a lot of homework these days. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Who do they mean when they say dark month? Lehmann and Didinho?

Maybe we should hold her woobie for ransom. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Quite a few names are mentioned besides, of course, you-know-who: Muslera, Canizares, Mandrykin (he screwed up against Inter in the CL), Abbiati, Amelia (labeled "overweight" by Spinelli), and Schalke keeper Manuel Neuer. Lehmann was not included, but his problems with Arsenal this season go farther back than October.

The article mentioned that Dida and Muslera exchanged jerseys after the Lazio match. Here's a tiny picture from omegafotocronache.it, but it has a shirtless Dida and that's all that matters. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

(IMG:http://www.omegafotocronache.it/search/WebImages/t_mini_20071015_124038.jpg)

This post has been edited by BMWTaylor: Nov 3 2007, 06:16 PM

[Tennie]

(IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/mad.gif) Hey, no kidnapping of the woobie! Not even to hit dst with!

That said, BMW, you've got a good grasp on the article. It talks about how October was a bad, bad month for keepers all round the world and that it was what everyone was talking about. And how maybe, eventually, they'll start to save shots. Eventually.

[Bluesummers]

So what now, we score 5 goals away and can't score even in front of our own fans? I think fans will start traveling more (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif) . We shouldn't sell season tickets, we should massive bus transportation tickets.

[pacang]

agreed.. flights too..

haha.. demanded too much.. it's not what the team can do for me, it's what i can do for the team right?

This post has been edited by pacang: Nov 5 2007, 05:40 PM

[Rossoneri7]

I don’t think the team is going through a crisis … Maybe the team was off form in the beginning of the season. But ever since October the team has found it’s feet and is able to compete against any opponent. Maybe to some this is going over the edge, still this team has proven itself on more than one occasion; they called Milan old and incompetent, but they were silenced as Milan was crowned ahead of all with the most prestigious cup in Europe. Can the team get back in contention? Even in Serie A?

I believe the answer to both questions is an BIG emphatic yes. This is a club that can propel itself under the harshest of environments and situation. This very team has gone through the dark and come out without a scare on several occasions, why not now !! After all, Istanbul was not an easy thing to recover from; psychologically it demands a lot of strength.

During this season, the ref has made several bad calls towards the team (after reading Galliani state this, I decided to investigate several games):

Siena 1-1 Milan .. The goal that Milan conceded was offside. (refer to the highlights).

Palermo 2-1 Milan .. Amauri handled the ball to control it, before passing it to Miccoli. The second goal started from Miccoli’s free kick, where the ref called for a foul .. And it wasn’t even a foul!

Milan 1-1 Catania .. Inzaghi scored a goal but was cancelled because Kakha handled the ball, there was no attempt to handle the ball! Then when Milan get a fully deserved penalty to score the equalizer, the ref should have given (forget name of defender, I think Adiosi or something..) him a second yellow card. Then Inzaghi scores another goal, but just as the previous was called off on a mistake from Favalli that wasn’t even there !!

Lazio 1-5 Milan .. A penalty was cancelled for Milan, when it was actually a penalty without a doubt! As the Gkeeper fouled Gilardino on a one-on-one situation.

Milan 0-1 Empoli .. Inzaghi was clearly fouled in the box, as he was pushed from behind, but the ref doesn’t even consider it!

Milan 0-0 Torino .. Ambro attempted a header and went through the 18-yard box, was pushed by a defender and the ref doesn’t even consider it!


Parma and Roma were the two games that were balanced and were played in all fairness as Parma deserved the draw and Roma deserved the 3 points.

With that said, I cant predict the future and cant say that the team was on top of it’s game up until now. But I can take comfort in the team’s cohesion and understanding. A mere 7 point off of 4th place isn’t that hard to absorb the distance and neither is the 11 points that separates us from 1st place. Time will tell in what way the team will react to all the criticism that it has faced.

Sure the squad isn’t the youngest around and isn’t as big as inter’s squad.. But you know what they say, quality is more important than quantity. The team that forms our roster is a very well experienced team and one of the most feared around Europe. The strength of this team cannot be measured by a couple of coughs in the league, only by it’s achievements over the span of 5 years under the guidance of Carlo Ancelotti. Milan has earned the respect of many rivals, as the team dominated the European and local championships; never being left out and always in contention of both Serie A and CL. Something this very team has been dominating ever since Zaccheroni stepped down for Carlo.

Still, maybe some would like to call time for Carlo, but that isn’t going to guarantee anything, as there would be a HUGE risk in doing so. We all saw Sacchi and Capello fail on their second attempt to get the team back on track. Though I would love nothing more than any of those two to take Carlo’s place when he finally retires the Milan bench, mainly because they know exactly how things are run in Milan, i.e. less risk than someone else.

But still, I don’t see how Carlo would step down, as Silvio Berlusconi is very impressed with his accomplishments so far, the last being in Athena. I too am impressed with how Carlo saved the season and gave dignity back to Milan.

Am I so ignorant to what the team lack in depth? Can this team really save the season all over again?

Overall, the team was compact and showed at times why it was crowned in Europe. But at other times, something was missing.. Something from the attack was clearly missing! Ronaldo is a key player for us. I don’t think he can save our season, but with him on the pitch, Milan would have another dimension in cracking open those tight defenses. And with him, Milan can haul in the results that we so hunger for.




Maybe at times I have acted too harshly on some of the members of this forum, but you all have my deepest respect. I am not here to have spats with anyone; I choose to be here for the reason of supporting my team. And maybe I am too patriotic in that sense, as some of you have felt when issues arise from religion to Milan .. But in the end, we are all brothers and sisters of one community.

Forza Milan.

[Jack Sparrow]

^^^
(IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Oh so now everrrryyyybody wants to be like Jack. (IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

@R7...I wouldn't want Capello coz of the R99 issues in the past. Unless it was all a conspiracy between Silvio and Capello to get him over here.

[Rossoneri7]

(IMG:http://cyrus.medialayer.net/~m1ke/milanfan.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

R u pulling my leg with the conspiracy theory again ... I read somewhere that Capello heaped praise on Ronaldo, saying he was the strongest player he ever coached .. Can't seem to find it now ..

There is no foundation about who will come in after Carlo steps down .. But if there ever were candidates, Capello should be in the running ..

[Jack Sparrow]

Maybe Don Fabio said that, but R99 has made his feelings about Fabio pretty clear.

[Rossoneri7]

True ... Anyways, I don't think Carlo will be replaced in the distant future. Maybe in two years time or so, there might be a change, but as things stand, both the players and management are content with him.

p.s. During the past three years, we have seen several top coaches leave their posts; but Carlo remains. So I doubt this would change.