So, David Beckham will be coming to Milan for 3 months.

What do you think of it?

Very appropriate idea for a poll, Tennie. Since I haven't got my thinking cap on, I can't think of anything creative right now. But I personally can't help and notice that the deal is good for both parties. No one will lose anything from it, and if done right both Milan and Beckham 'may' walk away benefiting from each other. It isn't costing us anything to begin with.

That said, even if Becks helps in getting a couple of extra points in our quest for Scudetto, I'm sure all will be forgotten. He still probably is the best football who's maximized his limited talents. Meaning a well all-round prospect, plus he's a humble guy so should fit right in.

Never been a fan of the guy, but I'd rather have him wearing the red and black, than not. Even if only for 6 months.

Marketing wise, its a darn good deal.
We'll see jersey that's for sure!!
This kind of player will catapult us to instant stardom but tactical wise, I reckon it's a poor move..

I can't say we've sold our souls, it's not like we signed the Devil (which considering who we are would be ideal I guess but anyway) but I don't like this move.

I hope Beckham will offer something on the field.

Don't dream. The real devil's already got enough on his plate to attend to in the world.


A little more faith please, I'm sure he will be a good addition in our bid for the Scudetto. Besides, he'll be here only for a little while (months at most), and that too free, how bad can it be?

there are two ways to look at this .. off the field and on the field ..

off the field he is an asset, which will give a huge boost in sales and whatnot

on the field he is an experienced midfielder and so far most of his ex-teammates have praised the move and are convinced he would be yet another ammo in the Milan arsenal.

Did anyone tell you this R7, that you're my new hero? One of these days I'm really gonna sign you up as my optimism coach! For all I know it could be exactly the opposite, we don't sell too many shirts, but Beckham plays a vital and memorable role in taking us to 1st position.

Anything can happen in football. We'll never know what kind of an impact he makes until the end of the season. Good, bad, or ugly, let's wait and see. It's not like we signed Fabio Barthez or some other average player, it's Becks for Pete's sake. Fingers crossed, it will come out good.

Normally I'm an optimistic sort, but I think that while the club will doubtless make money out of the deal, it has also sold its soul in the process. When I read the news of the transfer, I got physically ill. I really think it's a bad idea.

No, no ... I'm really pessimistic when you come and talk to me about the credit crunch in the world right now, I'd be pessimistic about buying shares in Citigroup or Merrill lynch ... Also, I'd be pessimistic if I was a United fan and considering their debt ratio is about 25:1 ... There are reasons to be pessimistic about

But Milan is not something I could be pessimistic about, why ? Because it has been run by the same management for over 20 years now with the same goal and ambition, the financial position of the club is one to be admired considering the number of stars within its ranks, the merits of both the players and the coach are of the highest standard and for the many MANY joys that this club gave me while growing up I have nothing to be pessimistic about.

You have valid points, Tennie. Beckham of today isn't the type of player we in any way need. Plus all the press hoopla of these sorts of media magnets isn't normally the Milan way. Luckily it's just a free and quick loan, hopefully it turns out beneficial for both parties, now that it's official.


Well, in that case I may not sign you up to coach me optimism.

Joking aside, you're right on all counts, Milan is truly a unique club in the way it's run, managed, right down to the coaches, stars and players. None other like it. On a very bad day in the office, I may get slightly ticked off with some of the players, but it all clears up in the next match. And oh like you said, too much of a good thing is bad; one has to experience and be pessimistic in some matters to appreciate optimism. It's called the spice of life. And before you ask, yes that's another one of my motto!

I feel absolutely and positively indifferent about this "move". I can't be bothered by it.

For me - Its all about the MONEY!
I'm not really a fan of the guy, but I don't really have anything against him either.
My initial thoughts when I first heard of his possible move to Milan was - "ohh No!" - one step backwards for Milan, signing washed up has beens from the MLS, but in reality I thought about it and he hasn't gotten that bad, has he?!
I mean, if he had better service upfront to deliver too he may have made a better impact (obviously not the one those 'Foolish Americans' (no offence Warchant) were hoping for but, enough to be considered somewhat effective and a success)
After all Becks' move from Madrid to LA was a bit premature, regarding his footballing career. But we all know his decision was based on the lifestyle and the salary.

Anyway,

...I've said it before and I'll say it again, if he helps out on the filed...'Great', if not, we still made some MONEY!

You come across as my long-lost brother! I too am pretty okay with most players in world football, because what they do and how they choose to live is entirely their personal matter. Only hate (or a better term) dislike a select few. And Beckham is not one of them.

+1

I still think it has a lot to do with Capello too...

Great marketing! We'll sell jerseys and buy new defender))

Great Marketing, and it means Emerson is less likely to play!

Wanna bet?

Brilliant! We need him in our team!

Always doubted, always criticised, but he is still one hell of a player.

Most definitely. Imo Bentley isn't fit to tie David's shoelaces. He needs to learn a few things. Great player, unfortunately he was a bigger celebrity. The anti-thesis of Zidane. But just as famous.

No, we don't.

I feel that since he's been in our side we have played a lot better. I'd sooner have him than R80.

Sadly i agree with u completely

Don Cesare said in the prematch studio that Ronaldinho is no where near the fitness of Seedorf or Kaka', hence he sits on the bench.

And on Flamini/Beckham .. He stressed that Beckham is very dynamic and is tactically very intelligent, something the Frenchman lacks a lot of.


Oh well, I hope Ronaldinho picks things up soon ... I was very hopeful when he first came in

Ronaldinho needs at least 1 year to undue the damage he did in 4 months of not playing. Hes getting his speed back but its far far from what he was 2 years ago. Next season he will dominate.

I hope so. He will also need to make a lot of tactical adjustment. In La Liga where technique rules, he was king, here it's not the same.

+100,000 points to Beckham. Whoever thought he was just about the free kicks, probably just watches only the highlights reel and reads the game report on paper.

I may have to eat my words. Beckham has been far better for Milan than he ever was for LA. Different player really, and I have been favorably impressed with what I've seen him do.

tsk..tsk tennie biased and prejudice once again....... LOL

Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. R80 has done more than he was required to for a longer stretch of time (both in the league as well as the UEFA Cup). If it were not for him, we'd be double digits behind, at least. And who knows might not have qualified for the next round. Beckahm, though, has fit in well with the proceedings, and we've played good with him in the XI, than not.

Nice way to complement the Brazilian, though, by bringing him for the last 10 or so minutes. That too in the place of our lone striker. Lol. I never thought Carlo could beat his previous records but he did. What good is a R80, when there is no striker to pass to, no one to accept and score?!


See above. I love both players to death, but as far as Becks is concerned, it's too soon to tell.


Haha, I agree. Beside, I think it has got a lot to do with the club too. LA Galaxy will always be different from Milan, the atmosphere, the tactics, the history, the competition. Point is, it's got more to do with the club than the player. Playing in a giant like AC Milan brought out the best in him.

Acid, with regards R80, how many games has he actually dominated and changed? Even Clarence is capable of doing that yet the great R80 isn't. IMO R80 has not really added anything to our gameplay apart from a couple of freekicks, considering he was classed as one of the worlds best he hasn't impressed me at all. On the other hand Beckham is not the most technical of players but makes up for it by having an extremely high work rate. Also ever since we tried playing both Ricky and R80 we don't get to see the best out of Ricky - same thing happened with Brazil. If I had my way I would sell R80 to the highest bidder.

I agree on that he hasn't dominated games, and frankly that'll be too much to expect from someone who's career had nosedived, and had the belly of a mountain goat. We absolutely have to give him some time (and playing space). All he did, the 7, 8 goals Ronaldinho scored, a good reason for them was his awesome talent and sheer class. Which is a country mile ahead of someone like Beckham (who himself is no slouch, but he is for me, the best example of an average player who made the most of limited talents and maximized them). Then again, Beckham is not near his peak yet the one he displayed for Madrid and Manchester - he too will improve with time. As far as I'm concerned, Ronaldinho has won us more points in crunch encounters, while Beckham has made us look (and play) good. What this tells us is that it's got more to do with the class, technique or talent. What if Beckham didn't fit in our style of play? Then all of it could have been an entirely different outcome.

In terms of who has been more effective between the two currently, well for that to happen Becks will first need to play as much as Ronaldinho and also come on from the bench like the Brazilian does now. Only then can a true comparison be made. As for both Kaka and R80 not working together, it's just a myth. Why? Because in the Brazil NT, Kaka's role was overly different that the one he has in Milan. The Selaco played a different game, with more attackers upfront. Here, it's more technical, slow, controlled and to an extent boring brand of football (it's Serie A, after all). The worked pretty well in the inter derby match. Still think that overall team formation we take into every match can be radically different, if the coach wanted. Bottom line, until Beckham and Ronaldinho both get to their previous peak, or near it, we can't tell for sure who's made the most impact. On paper it's R80, and the flavor of the month is Beckham, but if both stay and get good playing time to showcase their talents till the end of the season, we can then gauge them better. I like to live by a little quote, "The Best Is Yet To Come". And truer words have not been said, as far as both Beckham and Ronaldinho are concerned.

If I were you, I'd actually sell Seedorf - to the lowest bidder.

Dont say i didnt foretell of this event. Becks has been worth it just for that

What pisses me off is the fact that we're always late to do some things. we should have signed him after his Madrid contract expired. the same for Zambrotta, when he left Juve. perhaps Ronaldo and Ronaldinho too. even Emerson! in 2006 he was far better, and who knows, had he not wasted a year in Madrid and signed for Milan right away, he would have been more useful now...

But you do realize Milan and Zabrotta were closer then ever, but Juventus forced the Barcelona sell, do you?

And Barca was forcing Dinho to join Manchester City...

Sometimes we land to late. I concurr. But I see it as normal, because we pick our targets usually with care, and when we eventually find what we search for, we don't give up. We're not the kind of club that launches 10 offers all at once and waits which one will land on good ground. That's also why we're pretty bad in fast-leak-stop transfer. That section should be covered better.

But the Senderos job...hmh, I smell something. Wouldn't be surprise if a certain CF joins Milan, not now, but...
Anyway, up till now, Senderos has been terrible and his purchase was miserable.

I agree that's how we work right now. only I miss the Milan that used to buy stars at their prime...

Me too. But the general setting of the market changed a lot, that's the problem.

I wouldnt say so Fillipo. Our transfer guys cannot really make competent choices anymore. Why for example was the defense strengthened with sub par players, or past their peak players. We also cannot negotiate proper prices any more

I think the defensive issue caught us off-guard.

We had all known for a while that our defense was becoming increasing leaky. Compare goals conceded in 2002/2003 to now (even progressively) and you will see that we have been opening the floodgates

Under normal condition it would be:
1. Maldini
2. Nesta
3. Bonera
4. Kaladze
5. Senderos

Now it is:
1. Maldini (1)
# Nesta (2)
# Bonera (3)
# Kaladze (4)
2. Senderos (!)
3. Favalli (#)

P.S.
I'd like to see Manchester without Ferdinand, Vidic and Neville, or any team with 3 CB injured. So Senderos being signed as a 5th or 4th decision wasn't that bad.

P.S. II
I never thought the sale of Dario Simic would be such a loss. Now I wonder...he should have stayed.

P.S. III
We're just not the team some would like us to see. We're not the kind of team that writes someone off and starts rebuilding in process. Nesta maybe looks like a player with one foot in the grave, but we don't give up on him. And when we have a fit defense, it is Nesta-Maldini or Nesta-Bonera which is mostly excellent.

In all fairness we did try to sign Becks but he wanted America(I think he thought his career was over and wanted a big pay day), but with Don Fabio offering him the chance to carry on with England he still needs to play at the highest level in Europe.

Exactly that was a disaster! Personal vendetta, nothing else. A Croatian legend with 100 caps for his NT, an excellent defender, a humble guy, and look where we ended him up with. I've always been very vocal here (not so other members in Milanfan) about the treatment we (or in this case Carlo) gave to Dario. He was only 32, and in his last couple of years, barely made an appearance. At best one or two important ones in those two seasons. He should have given us a good 3-4 seasons at least, and to think he's a regular at Monaco this season. At the very least, he'd have saved us from the Sanderos transfer, and covered in while Nesta was injured. And to think he had the potential to play at every defensive position from sweeper to central to full back.

Sorry Simic, and thanks for the memories.

C'mon..nobody raised a voice when Simic was leaving. The fact was he was too good a player to occupy what was then thought of as the Favalli position. The third/fourth choice. Everyone figured it was the best thing to do. To let him go, and it was an amicable split.

And like it or not, Simic wasn't as good as Kaladze on his good days. The option would have been to not play Bonera. But then we'd have complained about not giving 'youth' a chance.

Filip and I did.

That's coz you guys were erm... in the throes of passion.