[Danny]

I'm sure even the most ardent Pato fans (I consider myself one) will concede he's been out of sorts for a very long time. The great goal at the Camp Nou aside, he's only shown his talent fleetingly and has been injured far too much, halting any chance of a prolonged run in the team.

We now, of course, have a unique, and possibly unprecedented situation with our star striker (behind Ibra) not only dating a club director (and daughter of Silvio, the owner) but having apparently fertilised her too.

With that bid from PSG having been rejected (with conflicting reports as to who actually rejected it), is there a possibility that Pato's off-pitch shenanigans could cause some problems in the club?

With him being the reported father of Barbara's soon-to-arrive baby, it puts him in a very strange position where the owner is unlikely to sell him at any price and he may curry favour with the manager as a result - who is also employed by the owner.

It's a very messy situation, and I for one wish Pato hadn't let his genitals do the talking. Yes, she's very hot, but it's created possibly a bit of a paradox of a scenario, and one Milan as a whole could do without.

[KillerMax]

It's not just a handful of fans han and it's not even a shortsighted assessment. Everyone loved Pato from the beginning. Was it because he had potential? Yes, but it was also because of the kid's passion for the game. Back when he played with a smile on his face and displayed little asymmetrical hearts to the fans after scoring. He was not asked to carry the team, it was just the way it went. We had no star striker and he happened to be a rising star, so pressure followed. He handled it well at first with a sense of innocence and a childlike sweetness. He was too green for the kind of lifestyle he found himself in though as it was soon apparent. People go on and on about Balotelli and his antics, but all because he has a tough "street" character. Pato has been messing around too, yes we have to accept. Failed mariage, genital flaunting cybersex style, the eye-gesture Asian-style, however unintentionally. But he mostly got away with these things again because the kid looks rather naive and unaware in comparison. But still, what do you do? You learn and grow right? Right. All good. But in the process he has lost something. His performance has hindered, his passion has been converted to some sort of introvert hatred of... something. He seems too intense in the head and plays a much more physical game now, swaying away from his organic style of free flowing, quick play. It does seem like such players suffer under Allegri and I won't deny such claim. But Pato has had many chances to go beyond this and adapt his game. He certainly couldn't have done worst if he tried a couple new things. Yes, his goal-scoring record is good. But he is no Inzaghi, in that scoring goals is not his only job. He has been misplacing too many passes this season and his communication with his team-mates is hitting an all-time low. Sometimes it looks as though he hates everybody and everybody resents him back (Binho and Silva being exceptions). He definitely isn't smiling anymore...

His progress has been on the downslide and Balotelli has been improving and I can only agree that right now Balotelli seems like a better fit for us than he. Balo's tough "street" character is nothing but the side-effect of a black kid growing up in Italy as an Italian in what must be one of the most racist countries I've known. If people haven't been in his shoes, they'd do better not saying anything and letting the kid grow from his own experience. I've never really thought of him as this "**** up" of a MONSTER I hear from people. Where Pato looks lost in space, Balo seems to be finding his place in this World. So I don't see it as a problem that people want to let Pato go and I bet that most wish that he finds success (hopefully abroad) and become a great. It's just not working out here for him and he doesn't seem happy here either no matter what is being said in the media.

In closing I want to point out to an interesting episode here in my own house. So my girlfriend decided to watch a Milan game with me sometime ago. Pato happened to be playing. 30 minutes into the game, she turns to me: "What this guys's problem?". I asked who she pointed out Pato. "What do you mean?" I replied. She went on to say the kid's got an attitude problem and it's obvious to her. Funny thing? It was her first Milan game so she had no pre-conceived opinion of him and other players. Fun fact? Her favorit players are Abbiati, Boateng and Ibra. (She did admit Ibra has an attitude problem too but was won over by his fighting spirit for the team and leadership skills in that particular game) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

This post has been edited by KillerMax: Jan 28 2012, 04:47 AM