[d'Arc.LP]

Fassone is continuing his meetings with the current administrators of Milan. In the coming days he will meet with Barbara Berlusconi. They will discuss about commercial area, in order to avoid critical issues. He will also have to deal with the famous question concerning the lack of official uniforms. #GdS

Former Inter scout Antonio D'Ottavio could also arrive in Milan with Mirabelli. #GdS

The new management will soon meet with Niang and Bonaventura to discuss about contract renewal. #Calciomercato

[Fillipo Simone]

Football is business. The Chinese are spending nearly a billion euro in this project, and they don't want that their investment goes to waste. These guys are not stupid, they've done their homework. And they've pin-pointed in Fassone the adequate person to re-design the organizational chart of the club from scratch.

You can say whatever you want about Fassone, but he is a well respected figure with lots of experience. Yet yours and many others' argument is that he is an ex-interista, who's bringing more interistas inside the club (even though Fassone and Mirabelli can hardly be considered that given their very brief period at Inter). Such line of thinking is childish.

Very simplified. Certainly, to the CEO's and all the people investing in football it is business. But I'm a fan, not an executive, and for me it's much more then business.

You can say I'm childish as much as you like. But I chose Milan for a reason. I like for what the club stands for and how the club was operated for most part of the time, bar these last 4-5 years. There was always a clear line that separated Milan and Inter. Even at the moment of Inter's biggest success, when they started piling up scudetto's and got a breakthrough in Europe, I never for a second thought this is how we should work or be.

I am well aware that two men (or is it three by now??) don't make that much of a difference. But I see Billy and Demetrio being bitter about it and that makes me angry because a priori i respect them much more then any Fassone guy. It makes me question the ambitions and careful planning of the Chinese for Milan because hiring Inter rejects is the easiest, most convenient solution. When Barcelona hired Braida it was a carefully designed move; on the other hand, Milan is bound to collect "professionals" and "business people" along with one trophy (a Milan legend for the fans), which makes me unconfortable because I don't wanna lose what Milan represented in comparison to Inter and Juventus.

[X-Offender]

Very simplified. Certainly, to the CEO's and all the people investing in football it is business. But I'm a fan, not an executive, and for me it's much more then business.

You can say I'm childish as much as you like. But I chose Milan for a reason. I like for what the club stands for and how the club was operated for most part of the time, bar these last 4-5 years. There was always a clear line that separated Milan and Inter. Even at the moment of Inter's biggest success, when they started piling up scudetto's and got a breakthrough in Europe, I never for a second thought this is how we should work or be.

I am well aware that two men (or is it three by now??) don't make that much of a difference. But I see Billy and Demetrio being bitter about it and that makes me angry because a priori i respect them much more then any Fassone guy. It makes me question the ambitions and careful planning of the Chinese for Milan because hiring Inter rejects is the easiest, most convenient solution. When Barcelona hired Braida it was a carefully designed move; on the other hand, Milan is bound to collect "professionals" and "business people" along with one trophy (a Milan legend for the fans), which makes me unconfortable because I don't wanna lose what Milan represented in comparison to Inter and Juventus.

Thinking with our hearts and not our brains is what drove us to the ground; by renewing the contracts of all the senators in 2007, by holding onto Galliani, by keeping our faith in good ol' Silvio. It was our demise. We stopped working as a business a long time ago, and we desperately need to get back on track in that respect.

I understand where you're coming from, but to me that issue is of secondary nature. What I want is a competent management that can make us great again. I have nothing against Fassone or any other "Inter rejects". These guys are professionals who do their jobs, they are not bound by petty notions of fandom.

Besides, nothing has been set in stone yet. Tomorrow we could very well bring on board the ex-milanistas you want. Albertini and Costacurta can whine all they want. Don't forget that in this world everyone seeks their personal interests, and these guys are no different.

[d'Arc.LP]

Universo Online - UOL (Brasilian website): Talks to extend Thiago Silva's contract with PSG stalled and that Milan want to sign him. They might try to do so in the next mercato.

[kurtsimonw]

What makes him an Inter "reject" exactly? He's spent the last 2 decades in roles with 3 of the biggest clubs in Italy. That's experience I'm fine with.

[Forza Milan!]

What makes him an Inter "reject" exactly? He's spent the last 2 decades in roles with 3 of the biggest clubs in Italy. That's experience I'm fine with.

Exactly. And I am not sure why we are jumping to the conclusion that the new owners "lack ambition"

[d'Arc.LP]

Savicevic: "Milan of today? I think everything started when Milan had to sell Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva. I cannot judge from 2000 kilometers, but they could've sold Pato, Robinho and Cassano instead of these two."

[Fillipo Simone]

Thinking with our hearts and not our brains is what drove us to the ground; by renewing the contracts of all the senators in 2007, by holding onto Galliani, by keeping our faith in good ol' Silvio. It was our demise. We stopped working as a business a long time ago, and we desperately need to get back on track in that respect.

Honestly, I don't think keeping the senators in 2007 was the main mistake. The main problem was that Milan could afford to keep up with the greats. The second mistake was that we rejected any attempt of rejuvenating our squad and instead signed more old players or questionable rejects.

I think the reasons behind our demise have far more to do with muscle (financial) then brains or hearts as you suggest.

I understand where you're coming from, but to me that issue is of secondary nature. What I want is a competent management that can make us great again. I have nothing against Fassone or any other "Inter rejects". These guys are professionals who do their jobs, they are not bound by petty notions of fandom.

Petty notions of fandom? I think you underestimate sentiment. Professionalism? Are Fassone and Mirabelli and the third guy the only professionals available?

Again, I think our club needs reshaping. Milan needs to reinvent itself with the help of the old family feeling and the inner strength. Just recall what Ibrahimović, who played at Juve, Inter, Barca, Ajax, etc said - Manchester and Milan are the greatest clubs he ever played for because of that special feeling. Now you can argue that Ibra was bitter and mean in regards to Barca or Inter, but the comment (IMO) goes beyond just that. It shows you how a great club drives on atmosphere and ambient. It's not by accident that Barcelona snatched Braida as well.

All I'm saying is that it's crucial to try and regain our old Milan. And that can be done with people from within, rather then with cold professionals who are used to move from one big city to another. And this doesn't mean people like Fassone shouldn't be included. On the contrary, I understand that such professionals are a necessity. But if too many faces like him turn up in the leading positions of our club, I don't expect much to be honest.

Again, you all failed to explain why you put faith in Fassone and Mirabelli. Just because they were at Juventus or Inter at some point doesn't mean much to me. And the list of Mirabelli players isn't that impressive either.

Besides, nothing has been set in stone yet. Tomorrow we could very well bring on board the ex-milanistas you want. Albertini and Costacurta can whine all they want. Don't forget that in this world everyone seeks their personal interests, and these guys are no different.

Agreed. But I have love and respect for both, so I choose to be on their side.

What makes him an Inter "reject" exactly? He's spent the last 2 decades in roles with 3 of the biggest clubs in Italy. That's experience I'm fine with.

Yeah. But that's about it. Juventus, Napoli, Inter. What about his concrete achievements?

Exactly. And I am not sure why we are jumping to the conclusion that the new owners "lack ambition"

Never did I meant this to be a judgment. I said it could mean lack of plan or ambition, just picking the obvious and convenient decisions.

[Forza Milan!]

I think a lot of people are jumping to conclusions based on very, very little information. I don't know how good the new owners really are, and I don't know how good the management team they selected really is. However, I think they all deserve a chance to prove themselves. Judging people without real evidence just feels wrong to me, and that's what I see happening here. And, as a reminder, Milan is still being managed by B&G, and that will not change until the sale is final (December, I believe).

Also, what we all should have learned from the last decade is that in this day and age a team cannot be successful in the long run unless there is a solid business backing it. So IMHO step number one for the new management should be to fix the business (which is badly broken), not to build a dream team. With a solid business, we are more likely to get a competitive team in a few years. Without a solid foundation, best we can hope for is to get lucky for one year or maybe two. As far as I can tell, fixing the business is the number one priority for the new owners + management. That gives me some level of confidence. As for players, we are not RM, so we are not going to be able to buy all the talent we need at today's market price (at least not right away). Hence the need to have a solid scouting organization, and that appears to be happening as well. Bottom line, AFAIAC these are all good signs. Only time will tell if these "signs" will translate in something concrete, or if this will be yet another disappointment.

[X-Offender]

What irks me here is that people are complaining about two people, Fassone and Mirabelli, labelling them as interistas, when in reality they are not. Fassone was with Inter only for three years (2012-2015). He was previously with Napoli for two years (2010-2012) after his experience with Juve started in 2003. The moment we hired him the guy was jobless. How the hell does that make him an ex-interista???

Likewise, Mirabelli was hired from Inter only in 2014.

I think all the turmoil here is a result of Albertini and Costacurta's whining. They didn't get offered a position within the new management, so now they're butthurt and want to create unrest out of their discontent. So much for their love for the rossoneri colors...

Latest rumors were that Fassone will offer Maldini a managerial role (but he won't accept as he's stated several times in the past). Ambrosini is also being considered, and I read Massaro said he'd come for free if he was called.

Just chill and relax, guys. I am certain the new ownership knows what they're doing, otherwise they wouldn't have spent so much money on this project. Especially when you consider their financial backing.

This post has been edited by X-Offender: Sep 15 2016, 10:30 PM

[Forza Milan!]

What irks me here is that people are complaining about two people, Fassone and Mirabelli, labelling them as interistas, when in reality they are not. Fassone was with Inter only for three years (2012-2015). He was previously with Napoli for two years (2010-2012) after his experience with Juve started in 2003. The moment we hired him the guy was jobless. How the hell does that make him an ex-interista???

Likewise, Mirabelli was hired from Inter only in 2014.

I think all the turmoil here is a result of Albertini and Costacurta's whining. They didn't get offered a position within the new management, so now they're butthurt and want to create unrest out of their discontent. So much for their love for the rossoneri colors...

Latest rumors were that Fassone will offer Maldini a managerial role (but he won't accept as he's stated several times in the past). Ambrosini is also being considered, and I read Massaro said he'd come for free if he was called.

Just chill and relax, guys. I am certain the new ownership knows what they're doing, otherwise they wouldn't have spent so much money on this project. Especially when you consider their financial backing.

Agreed. Last point in particular is worth noting. The new ownership is sinking close to 1B in Milan, and I read somewhere that they believe that the value of the club will climb to 3B. I know lots of people don't care about this stuff and perhaps believe in an ideal world where money does not matter in sports. That may have been true a century ago (I can still picture my grandmother lamenting the good ol' days of Pro Vercelli). Unfortunately, reality is quite different. FWIW, I believe that Milan's success in the last few decades was based on sound business decisions made by Berlu in the early days. Yes, there are intangibles that matter as well, and those went a long way to make Milan a success and (perhaps more important) have been a huge part of what attracted fans to to club. It would be a pity to lose that, but AFAIAC that already happened in the last few years (there is nothing attractive about the spectacle we have been subjected to). Rather than lamenting what is lost, we need to build new traditions, but that can only happen if we are successful.

[Forza Milan!]

May be worth noting what is happening with Inter right now, despite big money spent in the market. Two (somewhat contradictory) ways to look at it: (1) business-minded Chinese ownership does not guarantee success, and (2) having left the current Inter management (one way or another) does not necessarily reflect badly on anyone. I'd like to hope that what is happening may serve as a lesson to our new owners + management.

[Jack Sparrow]

I don't care about Fassone at all. I care that the positions being talked about are all ex-Inter personnel.

People who if they were successful in their previous roles wouldn't be looking for a new job. Milan even in our dull years have been streets ahead of Inter in every department except spending power. Our marketing was better, our scouting was better, even our transfers. Inter has Icardi? Anyone else? Jovetic is a flop, Rannochia is a flop, they couldn't get Romagnoli etc etc.

I know Fassone tried to get Juve's director who refused.


But Filippo's and my point I'm guessing is that the first step to do is to bring back that lost culture of the early 2000s decade. And for that, we need people who've lived through that era or at least had a part to bring it about. It's all well to say history is the dead past, but that's a short sighted move.

Carlo Ancelotti brought his learning and culture from the days of Sacchi. Guardiola from the days of Cryuff.

Our culture is rooted in Sacchi, the way Barca's is rooted in Cryuffist philosophy. Let's play to our strengths.

Bring back Maldini or Costacurta or Albertini. Bring back whoever, but empower them to execute steps to bring back that culture. Bringing back old legends as a people pleasing movie is useless. They'll tire of being a showpiece item and walk out bringing the roof down.

[kurtsimonw]

Yeah. But that's about it. Juventus, Napoli, Inter. What about his concrete achievements?

I don't speak Italian, but his Italian wiki suggests he was involved in the Juventus Stadium. Which is arguably the single biggest reason for their dominance being the way it is.

If there are no former Milan guys with the right experience, then putting one of them in a position to fail makes no sense to me.

[han2503]

From what I can understand, certain legends who have been offered positions turned them down because they were expecting bigger roles. I think it would be a mistake to simply appoint someone into a high position because they were once world class players and have legendary status at the club because of being players. You have to work your way up from somewhere, and just like it was a mistake to appoint Seedorf, Pippo and Brocchi as coaches simply because they were past players, this would be too.

Also, I don't get why you guys would already come down so harshly on people who have done nothing so far with us. At this point, anyone is better than Galliani and his underhanded/shady deals. These new people could be masterstrokes or they could be failures, we'll know in time, but already branding them as not good enough simply because they worked at Inter in the past imo is a very cheap argument.