FOR close on 16 months, Zeljko Kalac, by his own admission, was nothing more than a glorified cheerleader for Italian giant AC Milan.

While delighted to be at the famous Serie A club, the towering goalkeeper was resigned to the fact that the imposing presence of Brazilian star Dida would relegate him to picking up the occasional bit-part roles in minor competitions such as the Copa Italia.

All he could rely on, at best, was a game here or there in the Serie A whenever Dida was injured or was rested because of a heavy club and international workload.

It certainly proved that way in the first 15 months, with the Australian reduced to just four matches, two in the Serie A in the 2005-2006 season and two in the Copa Italia this season.

A lesser player would have been tempted to chuck it in and seek shelter at a smaller club and thus at least guarantee himself regular match appearances, especially given he was involved in a fierce tussle with Mark Schwarzer for the Australia goalkeeping spot leading up to the World Cup.

Kalac, though, never thought of giving up. He looked on being at AC Milan as a "privilege and an honour".

"Players around the world dream about being at a club like Milan," he said in an interview four months ago. "I can't be unhappy being here. No way. It is exciting to be part of such a famous outfit."

Kalac's patience and determination has paid off, for the cheerleader has now become the cheered.

A serious knee injury to Dida that will sideline him for at least two months has thrust Kalac into the spotlight and he is determined to stay there.

Having sat on the bench for so long, he is now in the early stages of playing eight matches in the space of four weeks.

It started with a 1-0 win over Messina in the Serie A on November 25, followed by a Copa Italia 2-1 win over Brescia, a 2-2 draw in the Serie A with Cagliari last Sunday and a Champions League match against French club Lille on Wednesday.

"The famine has turned in to a feast," Kalac said this week as he prepared for the game against Lille, which the six-time European champion subsequently lost 2-0. It had already qualified as group winner for the next stage.

"That's what happens in football. One minute you are wondering if you'll ever get to play again, then next thing you are wondering how you are going to cope with the workload.

"Still, I know what position I'd rather be in."

Kalac admitted that the long stretch "twiddling my thumbs" had played with his mind a little.

"The doubts do creep in," he said. "It's only natural. You start wondering whether you'd still cut it on the field when you get the chance. It can be tough.

"You train and train and train, but you know, no matter how well you do, there is going to be nothing to show for it because you will still be on the bench."

The hardest part for Kalac has been adapting from the small field games at training to the big picture of a serious match.

"Strange as it may sound, it takes a bit of getting used to when you finally get to a play game because you have been so conditioned to training in tight situations in small-sided games," he said.

But it did not take the 33-year-old Kalac, who has been something of a lucky charm for Milan whenever he has played, long to adjust.

He was man of the match by making a string of spectacular saves in the draw with Cagliari last week.

"I got the highest marks (seven out of 10) of all the players in all the newspaper ratings, so I was happy with that," Kalac said. "My form has been pretty good and I think the goalkeeping coaches and the boss are happy with me."

Kalac, who has another year of his contract to go, says the return to playing has done wonders for him.

"I'm a rejuvenated man," he said. "I'm excited and happy. I have this renewed energy and I feel like I'm starting my career all over again. It's a weird feeling, but one I am enjoying."

Despite now playing regularly, Kalac says he is not thinking about overturning his decision to retire from international duty. He played his last game for the Socceroos in a friendly against Paraguay in Brisbane on October 7.

"No, that was it for me. I've had my time at that level," he said. "I enjoyed being part of the Socceroos and I don't have too many regrets. I played at the World Cup finals and that was a highlight for me."

Dida's contract expires at the end of the season and Kalac is unsure what plans the club or Dida has. As for himself, he would like to stay but said there is interest from at least two clubs.

"The question is: do I want to go to a lesser club that struggles, but where I play regularly or do I stay here, fight for the No.1 spot and still have the satisfaction of being part of a famous club? I guess we will just have to wait and see what develops," Kalac said.

link

I like what he said, but it still doesn't change my mind about him.

He's just not a good keeper

Kalac: I'm Not Stealing Dida's Place

The Australian goalkeeper was impeccable in goal for Milan on Wednesday evening as he made some important saves for the Rossoneri in their 4-1 win against Shakhtar Donetsk.


Zeljko Kalac replaced the suspended Dida with flying colours as the veteran goalkeeper made sure that the Ukranian champions would not score more than one goal against the Rossoneri at San Siro last night.

He proved decisive in a couple of occasions when the result was still 2-1 and in the end he proved fundamental for Milan's win.

"When Milan loses, someone must take the blame: it's easier to give them to the goalkeepers, but we don't see it this way," declared Kalac to defend Dida from the recent criticism.

"We continue to do our job, all three of us goalkeepers at Milan are good. Then situations pass and even the criticism."

Kakac has no intention of taking the Brazilian's number one spot at the club.

"I'm calm, I'm the second goalkeeper and Dida is the number one," explained the Australian goalkeeper. "Between us there is no problem, but if they tell me to play, I will play."



Thank You so much

this guy has a gd heart and could be very gd

Thanks arivanjj

Happy birthday to Zeljko Kalac!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday Giant!!

It's his birthday too, Happy B-day big guy

Double celebration Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday!

He's not a good goalkeeper but I like his spirit!

Bravo Kalac

So basically he doesn't have the mentality to play for Milan and can't take the pressure. Bye-bye Dida.

bye bye dida? more like GTFO AND HURRY IT UP. PAY HIM THE RELEASE CLAUSE AND GET IT OVER WITH.

lol have you been playing to much FM , i sure have

I don't think it's as black-and-white as that.


Why?

so what ur saying is dida cant cope with he pressure so what are we supposed to cater to dida now?

HEY EVERYBODY!!! welcome to milan cricket and country club, where you can be cured for whatever ye ails from. whether it be for being a kaladze, unable to cope with pressure, or simply being washed out. come one come all!

hey why dont we invite simone inzaghi, he could be our future forward. oh and zambrotta??? he isnt shite enough to come, wait till he's forty. dida? he just entering his prime! kaladze? it's ok , as long as you apologize everything will be alright, just like mommy and daddy taught you. favalli? what a great signing, and we dint have to spend a dime! i mean why would we even dream of buying a young talent and devlop him?

hey do you actually enjoy what ur seing? or are you more a fan of dida than milan?

I mean, he gets it

Yeah, because any club "built to win" would have the likes of Favalli, Ba and Digao on the roster.

Aren't those reserve players ?



Anyways, you can assume whatever you want, Milan is built to win.

Milan aren't built to win. That's why we struggle to do anything when teams defend with alot of players again us. Other big clubs don't have the same problem.

Aha .. You know what, you're right. This is a crappy team. Not worth your time really.

They can't win because they struggle when facing anti-football teams.
They can't win because they have old players.
They can't win because they don't have depth.
They can't win because their tactics are too predictable.
They can't win because they are an unmotivated bunch.

AND they can't win because they have the worst coach in the past decade.



Unbelievable how much time you waste on this forum

I think you're the one wasting your time.

Apparently we have one of the best keepers in the World. We have players on the bench that would walk into any other team on the planet, we have the best coach in the World. And we're currently the best team in the World. Yet we're not top of the league, or even close.

Considering our league position, I'd say my view is much more accurate than yours. All I said is we can't break teams down when they defend in numbers. I think you'll find that's been the case on more than one occassion this season, open your eyes.

Oh my eyes are open. And I have witnessed Milan win more than loose



But you know what, I think I am wasting my time .. Trying to make you understand that this team is built on winning, when all you can clearly see is Istanbul and today! Take a stroll through memory lane, you'll see that there is NO TEAM that can matched Milan's achievements in the past five years!

Not in the EPL, not in Spain, not in Germany, and not on the world stage. This right here is a team built to win !

Maybe there are a little hiccups down the road (which by the way is part of the game ) .. Yet the team continues to win !



EDIT: Yes, this is my view. And as you can see, I am not wasting my time, as I am spending it being a 'milanfan'

But I repeat, why are you wasting your time in a forum of a team which you clearly are discounting ?


I mean, it ain't rocket science, EVERBODY can see Dida's howlers, and everybody can see Gila not scoring consistently. and everybody can see Milan under performing in the league. Your not saying much, this is common knowledge. STILL, everybody knows this team reached 3 CL finals in 5 years. This team is ranked #1 in UEFA. And today #1 in the world. If a winning team didn't achieve this, I don't know what did !

Isn't today the only thing that matters right now..

As for discounting the team, why would I come on a forum if I wanted to bash a team for fun? Wouldn't I go on a United forum or something?

It's an unnecessary thing for you to say, but again, if somebody doesn't agree with you, you say they aren't a Milan fan. Just because they have a different opinion to you.

No, don't put words into my mouth !! You want to disagree, just say that you disagree with me. And I would shut up !


But don't talk smart to me about the team not being 'built to win' .. because of the damn obvious .. Which anyone from the planet Mars can see damn clearly !




And about today ... Yes, today matters ! Ok, let's talk about today. The team are the reigning CL holders (and one of the favorites to win it again), Euro super champions and World champions.

Today, is a date in history where AC Milan are ranked #1. A mission Silvio Berlusconi embarked on in 86' to drive Milan from a anonymous club to receiving world wide recognition.

Today, Milan are a team that EVERY player would dream of playing for !

Is there something I am missing ? ... What ? The team are under achieving in the league ? So what !! Milan are Euro heavy weights !! The man who owns this team and made it what it is today, prioritizes Europe ahead of the local league ! Things are not gonna change from that perspective !
And for sometime now, I have learned to accept, Juventus for Serie A and AC Milan for Champions League.

Bottom line is ... Milan are built to win, because .. A team with Maldini, Nesta, Pirlo, Gattuso. Seedorf, Kaka', Ronaldo, and Carlo Ancelotti .... No team currently running can match this class ! No team can match their achievements !

you start off your post by saying if he disagrees with you, he'll just shut up. Then you carry on the rest of your post saying his opinion is wrong..

Then you are saying not fighting for the league and finishing 4th is enough just because Juventus have won more scudetti?

I can't believe I'm hearing this from someone who has seen Sacchi's and Capello's team...

well, that is the way I see things. Of course from time to time Milan will win a Scudetto, but Europe is far more important to the Via Turati

another good performance from Kalac , keep it up m8

Hmm at this rate kalac could be our number 1 LMFAO.

Kalac dosent deserve to be dropped, he is playing much better and is much more stable than the "black panther"

Well he's beginning to re-earn my trust,not sure if this has been talked about but there's a certain australia vs croatia game in the world cup which he nearly lost for us lol...

But he sure has more confidence now.

This will last very very short...I'm counting,..Fiorentina is 1. I suppose there won't be any need to count past that,..

AC MILAN, Kalac Is Number One Now
Nelson Dida now finds himself behind Zeljko Kalac as Milan’s number one goalkeeper, according to the Corriere dello Sport.
31.01.2008 15.12 by Redazione TMW read 127
Source: Goal.com - www.goal.com (Roberto Rossi)
Dida has not played for the Rossoneri since the clash with Napoli on January 13, due to injury.

Australian-giant Zeljko Kalac filled in during the Serie A matches with Udinese, Atalanta, Genoa, and Reggina.

According to the Corriere, Dida was actually fit enough to return to the first team during the 1-0 win at the Stadio Granillo, however Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti opted to keep faith with Kalac.

During this time the 35-year-old ex-Perugia man has been relatively impressive, keeping three clean sheets, and pulling off a string of outstanding stops during the win at Udinese.

With this in mind it now seems that Kalac will continue to stay in goal, thus leaving Dida on the bench.

The Brazilian has had a nightmare of a campaign, making a number of high profile blunders.

Kalac had also not crowned himself in glory earlier this season, when he made a mistake in a 2-1 defeat at Palermo, but he now has been given a chance for an extended run in the team.

It remains to be seen just how long Kalac will remain ahead of Dida, especially with the crucial Champions League clash with Arsenal just a few weeks away.

From

http://www.transfermarketweb.com/index.php...ead&idsel=10498

If there's one game we don't want to see any goalkeeper blunders is the one we play on Sunday. So I hope you are wrong Fillip. Kalac has been excellent and he should not be changed now anyway.

Imagine Carlo gives Dida another chance but he makes a mistake and costs us three points on Sunday no, thanks. I prefer Kalac over Dida for now...

Agreed.

Well, I know this man very well. He blows up every important match. Kalac practically gifted Croatia a chance to eliminate Australia at the WC group stage.

If someone has to make errors, he's the one. Oh, and Kaladze as allways.

I'd trust Dida over this guy even if his arm was amputated...

im going to reserve my judgement hes playing pretty consistantly right now , but Dida should be called up for the Champions League fixture against Arsenal hes got more experience on that level

Kalac is good, very good for a sub. But Dida, if he's mental;y prepared and charged up, Buffon who ?!

That seems to be the problem with Dida over the past two/three seasons!!

He's a top top Gkeeper. He has the experience of playing at the highest of levels in all competitions.

Sure his blunders might have cost Milan games, to some extent (it wasn't all down to him) .. But he has helped Milan more than damaged it over the span of time that he spent here.


p.s. That final in Manchester never fades away when I think Nelson Dida !!

If Kalac puts in a good performance against Fiorentina he deserves to carry on playing for the forseeable future

No chance,..guys I warn you, this guy cannot be trusted. He's a real danger...

And Dida is what? We know the situation. Milan have failed to sign a proper goalkeeper and we have to pay the price with uncertainty.

well if he does it EVERY important match, when were the other times he did this?

what has he done in the past 3 years to be described as top? why cuz you decided so?

he has experience in blunders, thats what he has.

And Dida can be trusted? Come on... it's not like he has any other problem it's uncertainty that made fans put him up for sale on ebay... even the easiest of crosses I fear he will somehow screw it and let the ball drop like he's done 5 or 6 times over the past 2 and a half seasons.