Looks like something might be really moving on the selling the club front. Repubblica reports a secret encounter between Berlusconi and Taechaubol (Mr. Bee, from Thailand) last Thursday. They talked about a 25% sale of shares for €250 million, which will eventually lead to a full ownership deal in 4-5 years. The roles of Berlusconi as president, of Barbara and Galliani will not be touched.

Apparently both parties went as far as reaching a "memorandum of understanding", a document which describes the details of the operation without any legal obligations as of yet (kind of like a verbal agreement, so to speak). The deal should be sealed in the summer, and most of the freshly injected funds will be used to build a competitive team.

Unlike in other occasions, this time Fininvest only said that they've made their stance known in the past and do not wish to comment any further. So, not really a denial, but more like a "no comment".

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It really does seem like something might happen this time around. Fingers crossed.

Let's all hope

If this is really ture, I really do wish that Galliani's choice of coach is better than Montella.

Montella is good in our current state, but if we have serious ambitions, we need someone better and with more experiance

Berlusconi has issued a statement denying this.












(He will...you know he will...)

They can deny all they want. The rumors have never been so consistent before. Something is going to happen, I am certain of it. Call it wishful thinking, or just desperate, but we simply cannot go on like this, and this so-called management knows it well.

It's desperation I entirely agree with.

Now Gazzetta also reports the Mr. Bee story, going as far as saying that if by the end of May, Silvio doesn't sell 30% of the shares then he has to pay a penalty of €25 million. Mr. Bee is not the only person behind this deal. He represents other tycoons from Asia who want to do business in Italy, and not only in the world of football. Apparently it was Berlusconi himself who pushed for the deal.

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How much is this Bee worth? I really don't want us to end up with the same situation as Inter

Gazzetta continues to insist on the whole Mr. Bee story. As mentioned previously, the parties have reached an agreement for 30% of the shares of the club for €250 million, and the next stop in the future will be a majority purchase of 51%. Silvio has until May to decide whether to go with this solution, otherwise he will have to pay a penalty of €25 million. Maldini should get a relevant position with the new ownership.

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Sounds good.

Yeah, but I wonder, can Maldini and Galliani co-exist? Unless the latter will be on his way out...

I think at this point Galliani should be on his way out no matter what. He's more at fault than any of our previous coaches combined.

We all know Silvio would never fire him, but for any new owner to come in and still let him do as he wishes like he's currently doing would already be a truly bad omen for what's to come.

Any current management, especially when Silvio is no longer the majority owner need to be moved from their respective positions, at best they should be board members and nothing more

I'd only offer a position to Barbara if she really wants it since she's the only one who seems inclined to make good and forward thinking decisions (even if they are motivated by personal gain)

I think you're going to far into assumptions but in fact we don't know squat about such deals.

Anyway, seeing Galliani out would be a relief. But isn't there a clause in his contract?

There seems like big changes are coming, Galliani will most likely either retire or be given more resources to serve a year or more years for stability and succession thereafter. His reputation vis the fans is not at a toleratable level, that is understood. But sentiment is one thing, and a man with X years of experience is another. Our Braida is a fine example of that. Men like Capello, Ancelotti, you give them resources to compete with the best and they will beat the best. The backbone to this club, the personnel are of high calibre. It's just they can not make CL football, when they spend like mid table/relegation stricken teams.

I'm skeptical a little about this new 'mystery' owner or part owner. I think Silvio wants to sell, just like Moratti, Sensi, Parma owners, and more to follow, who will just dump the club and walk away. What can this new owner bring to the table other than paying that one-time fee of 30% and covering 30% of losses thereafter? Will Silvio just dump the shares on to the highest bidder or will he look for a strategic alliance with a vision to lay the foundations of a new era while Silvio exits gradually? It's a matter of perspective, as unlike a game console you can't turn it off & on to start over again. It would be better IMHO if your b&g mix remained for a little longer. For stability. And I'd welcome the resources while skeptical of the new owners commitment/ambition.

In reality what we're doing is all assumption based on rumours.

I think it's important that if there is a new majority stake owner that the management is cleaned up from the very people who contributed in us ending up in the position we're in. And imo, no one is more liable than Galliani himself

Yes, but we do know a thing or two about football.

This is business. Who knows what the potential buyers want, what the negotiations will bring and what their projection for the future is. I'm also not able to asses Galliani's position. Sure, he's the main culprit. But does he have a future at Milan? Will the potential buyers and new management have a place for him? Can we make any use of him on a different position? I really don't know.

It's easy to type "no" and make such statements. But in reality, it means a whole lot of things we cannot fully take into consideration or follow up.

Okay, let's think of this as a business. If you're buying a company that has been struggling for a while, would you let the previous decision makers who contributed to the state of it (no matter how at fault they are) still occupy their previous positions?

For me it's an obvious no. You'd bring in your own people. People who you trust and deem competent to do the job.

But obviously Galliani has decades of experience in football, but the problem is that he is still living in the past decade and not in this current new era of how things are done in football

So, apparently Empoli's coach Sarri is our objective for next season.

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...

Good God.

....


Instead of looking at names who can actually improve us and make good use of the squad we have they're looking at barely decent coached who's only experience is at bottom level clubs

That's why I said the management is the main problem. Sack Pippo and try the next exact thing.

The next Allegri...

The management is the problem, never denied that. But our on pitch problems are all down to Pippo.

In the grand scheme of things, yes, you can blame it all on the management because they were the ones who appointed him in the first place.

But I at least expect a coach, even one with very limited experience, to not make the type of decisions/mistakes Pippo is making on a consistent basis.

Will the management be at fault as well when they'll sign the inevitable cheap option for our next coach? Of course. But the manner in which we play has to be blamed on the coach, no matter who that is

What do they see in Sarri anyway? He's your typical low-table Italian coach. Jeez... And it's not like Empoli are breaking records this season. They're barely 9 points from relegation zone.

Hopefully just another meaningless rumor.

Curva Sud have formally announced a boycott of all Milan matches.

Basically they wish to punish Silvio, and encourage all who have already bought for tomorrow night to remain silent at all times and not raise flags.

I don't disagree with this one. Milan is profitable, financially it's in no peril, but the only way to send a message to the man whose failure to invest put us here is via his pocket.

The only thing this will do is make our matches even more of a scene of desperation than they already are. I don't think this will do much of anything at this point

Our season ticket sales have been dropping consistently over the last decade and still Galliani and Silvio continue to bury their heads in the sand

Finally some form of protest.

So, apparently today we played Reggiana in a friendly and won 3-0. Suso twice and Menez on the score sheet.

EDIT: Highlights

Yeah saw it being hawked on Twitter but decided to watch the borefest of Scotland Northern Ireland.

Suso's goals were a statement. He deserves a chance.

Just be aware that this is a Lega Pro team.

Even if it is a Lega Pro team, those kinds of goals still show that he is a skilful player who has talent.

He's basically being wasted. Would it really matter much if Pippo used him on the wing instead of Honda?

Honda is awful on that right wing, and Suso is actually a winger. So giving him a chance could actually be beneficial.

It's not like we have anything to lose at this point

I think money/shirt sales/commerce is playing as much a role in Honda's selection as anything tactical.

I doubt it. Honda is the kind of player Pippo loves.

Didn't mean Pippo.

Hmh?

What?



What?

I don't see Honda as a Pippo fixation.

B&G. Ensuring he gets picked more often than not in order to promote millions in revenue from the Far East.

I personally do.



Nah, I don't buy that, sorry.

Pun intended?

Not really.

I apologize for bringing back bitter memories, but how on earth Sheva didn't score this one will always haunt me for life. No matter how many times I try to forget it, it always comes back to me. It's like God himself didn't want us to win that night.

PS: It was the 120th minute.

Well, firstly, don't apologize. It's one of the common places of all Rossonero fans in recent history, even wider. Collective memory the call it.

Secondly, the damn image sticks with me as well. And that Dudek guy, he really held and held like never before. I also think that this is where Sheva's career took a wrong turn.

But finally, I always look at it as a tragic first chapter of a longer story that finally ended in Athens. Yes, this Istanbul match was traumatic, and yes, Maldini scored and we played terrific, but - Athens helps always to ease the pain.

That was one of those moments where you're already screaming your head off in celebration but then you deflate, not to mention the moment and game it was in, one of those unforgettable moments.

After that miss I remember giving up on it, I knew we were going to f@ck up the shoot out after that

That night is the biggest reason I hate Liverpool, and that Milan team.

For us to act at half time like we'd won the thing and take our eye off the ball for the second half was...unforgiveable.

We cost ourselves as badly as Liverpool punished us.

But...Pippo's right. Athens was absolutely beautiful. Watching Pippo's strike roll over the line in slow motion, as time stopped and seemed to want to say 'this is your night, Milan'.

I don't think we were acting as if we had already won. We started strongly in the second half, and I remember we nearly scored the 4th one (or was it wrongly disallowed?) in the first minutes.

It was just those cursed 6 minutes! You tend to black out. After the first goal Liverpool took heart and we suffered their pressing. The second goal completely cut our legs. We were scared, it showed. The players were dazed. Perhaps the memories of La Coruña started to inflict themselves.

Then again, we were so unlucky that night that even Dida's saved penalty had to rebound on frigging Alonso again. Like I said, it's as if God didn't want us to win.

Athens surely was a sweet, sweet revenge, but even to this day the nightmares of Istanbul won't leave. Even if we win another final against them that game will always haunt me for life.

You've not heard the HT stories about Istanbul?

Yep, there are stories of them celebrating during HT...

Pure BS. If you really believe them then you're not my friend anymore.

That's ok. I'll just adopt Han as my new BFF.