Summer mercato 2009

What do you mean everyone? All the clubs?
I don't think they did.

And I don't know if Ryo meant in that way. Did you, Ryo?

Kaka cannot be replaced you can't replace the best , but when we signed Kaka in 03 he was not the best player in the World in 03 Ronaldinho or Zidane or Henry would not of signed for Milan so nothing has changed there we couldnt sin the best and biggest in the world 6 years ago and we cannot sign them now.

What we can do is sign good team players (a bit of pace would be nice) and quality young players that can be nurtured the Milan way .

Remember Van Basten was not the best player in the world when he signed neither was Gullit or Sheva or Kaka Or Pirlo but they did have talent and bags of potential , Milan have always been a club that signed up and coming players and mixed them with the established stars that would of came 3 or 4 years previously.

Milan never sign the best players at a particular time since Berlu took over we didnt Sign Maradona , Careca , Vialli , Romario , Stoichkov , Zidane , Rivaldo (in his prime not 31 yr old Rivaldo ) Ronaldinho , Beckham.
Point Im making is we are not going to sign CR7 , Messi , Torres , Iniesta , Ibra or anyone that is considered the best but we will Sign people that have talent that are higly regarded thats how its been since 1899 that how it should be.

Gabriel, (I won't call you Gabby, haha) I admitted that when Kaka is playing well and winning, I love him. In fact, if a player who slapped me in the face, and then ran onto the pitch to score a game-winning goal were to play for Milan, I'd love that player too.

I am more than over Kaka. I more mad that transfers that would make me feel that we're going in the right direction, have not happened yet. Cissoko and Dzeko, had they been on Milan's roster right now, would make me feel much better about how Galliani and Berlu are handling things. Plus Abate and Di Gennaro's return, plus these youth players, would make me think "Wow, finally they are coming to their senses."

However, I stand very much by the fact that Milan the last 2-3 years have been built upon supporting Kaka's style of play, which hurts Milan mostly because of his inconsistent form and injuries (the last two years). Can we sustain a system that is based on the brilliance of one player? If so, for how long? Obviously not very, if the last two years are anything to go by.

If you have doubts about Dzeko's character if he forces his way to Milan, then we should doubt Beckham, and even more importantly, the character of Flamini, who has left TWO clubs for free in rather controversial ways.

When it comes to the 02-03 vs. 06-07, do you really think that Kaka in 02-03 would be able to overcome our Milan of 02-03? I don't. The teams were not the same, they were designed differently. Perhaps many players were the same, but there are significant differences in tactics and team shape. Milan played a 4-3-1-2 in 02-03 and a 4-3-2-1 in 06-07, there was a huge shift in tactics and it turned into "let's hope Kaka can pull us out of this." In fact, our CL exit to Arsenal was the perfect example of Kaka-dependent Milan. We were at 0-0, and we were just hoping that Kaka would do something, just go on that run and just do something. You could feel it in the stadium, I was there, I had to watch that game in person. We couldn't give Gourcuff a chance, not just because he lacked confidence, but because he couldn't compensate for Kaka's play. Seedorf does, that's why Seedorf plays, he might not be the best, but tactically he is an incredible player.

Kaka might have stolen the lime-light for 06-07, but that is to deny the team element in this game. Keeping Cristiano Ronaldo at bay during our semi-final, or how we went to Munich to beat Bayern 2-0, those were team efforts. Even in the Final, Kaka might've given a great ball to Inzaghi for the second goal, but for large parts of the game, he was absent. He still did come up big with that pass, but it was Milan's midfield and defense that weathered Liverpool's possession. The reality is that football is not a game where one player can really drag a team, and the only players to really ever do that were Maradonna and Zidane (Pele always had a great team around him).

The only reason people are looking at Milan like you say, is because Sheva was sold. Kaka being sold for a world-record fee? That is good business, but it was because Kaka's sale plus Sheva's sale within a few years of each other, simply gave a new thing for football "journalists" to talk about. We still have our power, we still are respected, and other players have said ridiculous things about us and our players, but we always prove them wrong. Beckham was supposed to flop, Pato a waste of money, and we'd miss Sheva and never return to our levels.

Let's not pretend that the sky wasn't falling when Sheva was sold. Let's not pretend anyone knew that Kaka would do what he did in 06-07. Because, if we're honest with each other, we'll know that each time, the club was making the worst mistake of its life, apparently. It is obvious that our club is pinning its hopes on Ronaldinho and Pato. That is quite obvious.

When it comes to overcoming an ex-girlfriend, the best answer is NOT to try and get a better replacement. Why? Because, that first person you get to, will always be a rebound, and is destined for failure. It's just like when you are looking for something you lost, the harder you look for it, the more you find everything except what you're looking for. We need to be calm during this period, otherwise, we'll destroy ourselves.

Originally Posted by El Fre

What do you mean everyone? All the clubs?
I don't think they did.

And I don't know if Ryo meant in that way. Did you, Ryo?

I am definitely not saying that because everyone did it, we could too.

I'm making that statement based on all the facts that came to light in our case, no more, no less.

Given the facts in the case that we had tapes indicating that we had contact with one of the underhanded agents, but nothing incriminating that came to light for us other than that association, I would highly doubt even a true jury would implicate us in other courts. Yes, we don't know all the facts, and there could have been incriminating evidence behind the scenes, but none of that was shown to anyone outside of the people in the clubs.

If I remember correctly, Galliani had other evidence, tapes of our own, recording evidence that we had nothing to do with the scandal at all, evidence that was not allowed during proceedings. The management also maintained their protestations up till the final verdict, and chose not to appeal simply because by that time, there was nothing worth appealing for. Management just sucked it up and soldiered on (imo, firstly because the head of investigations just happened to be an Inter fan, and secondly, our so-called punishment was already better than the alternative, which Juve received and which we might have also had we lost an appeal).

You remember, after initial proceedings and the appeal, we were punished, but only to an extent that allowed us to remain in Serie A. Also, when we finally received our final punishment, we managed to slip into the Champions League positions. I question you this, if we really were truly guilty of what we were accused of, do you think Merda wouldn't have jumped at the chance to send us down with Juve that season? Or even not allow us the chance to participate in the one meaningful competition that would make us overshadow them in terms of achievement, come end of the season? I highly doubt it, and to this day, I still say justice was done in that we did exactly that to them for that season.


Because of all the facts that were laid out, and I maintain only those that were brought to light, I cannot see any reason why I should not believe otherwise that we weren't victims in an underhanded ploy to put Inter back on top of the footballing world, by hook or by crook.

We can speculate all we want from what happened behind the scenes, but we'll never know. So for that, I maintain my "naive" statement. I believe we were innocent, or at least as innocent as Merda were in the entire situation.

Originally Posted by Ryo

Dear, dear Ricky, lets look at all those arguments now shall we?



You're talking about a time when we had already won nearly everything there was to win on the continent for a club.
We'd been winning the Scudetto two years prior, and had already had a competitive team in place to compete with the other clubs. We had the likes of Baresi, Costacurta, Tassotti and Maldini all in their prime as a back four. Players like Zvonomir Boban, Albertini, Dessailly and Donadoni to make up the midfield, and Lentini and Savicevic up front.
The team had a winning mentality that was already instilled into them, and quality to back it up so that with the loss of three players, we could still cope with it.

Compared to now? We've not won the league in so many years, the closest we've been to contending the league at all was in 2004-2005 when we were runners up in both League and CL. I would seriously consider us as being 4 years uncompetitive (I don't care if we had one season of docked points, we simply didn't win enough that season to be competitive, and had we started on equal footing, Fiorentina would have took our CL spot that season as well).
The main point I'm trying to point out here is, we lack the quality in our current squad and mentality to actually repeat history. That is the first of our problems.



Ricky, I think the main point here is that from recent history, and I speak from since the summer Sheva left, we haven't actually bought any great players to Milan bar one Pato. It's not the fact that the fans are impatient, it has more to do with Galliani's recent track of over the past few mercatos where he promises changes and players of quality, and we either get players that end up not being played at all, decent players who don't fit the Milan system, or players that are overpriced and well below Milan's quality. It's not about when the dealings are finalized, but rather the fact that when the player comes, no one actually wants them.

Yes, we have quality in the ranks, but most of that quality happens to be on the wrong side of 30, and they're not getting any younger. What the fans want are signs we'll be turning over the old guard with younger, quality players. I think the main theme of many complaints on the boards revolves around the fact that we're not even being linked with said younger, quality players, whilst all of our closest rivals are.




Need I remind you that the season Sheva was sold to Chelski, we were suffering from the stupid Calciopoli, and though I've always believed we were innocent, there have been many people saying we shouldn't have even been in the 2006-2007 CL at all. Yes, we won that year, but just remember who the heck grabbed us by the scruff of the neck and dragged us through the likes of Celtic and Manchester United all by himself? The very man we just let walk out to Madrid.

Point is, we lost Sheva, but we had quality like Kaka as well as a resurgent Pippo to fill in for him. Currently, Pippo, as well as the rest of our squad, is 3 years older than that time. Although I rate Pato highly enough to replace Kaka, he's not yet the finished product that Kaka was when Sheva left.

2006-2007:
CL Winners (we could have missed it completely)
Serie A 4th (would have been 5th had Fiore not been deducted more points than us)
2007-2008:
CL Quarters (We had a lucky Group and were kicked out by Arsenal's youth)
Serie A 5th (Need I say anymore?)
2008-2009
UEFA (We played crap, just admit it: Draw with Pompey, last-gasp winner against Braga, I could go on and on...)
Serie A 3rd (We improved against the smaller teams, and yet against all the powerhouses, we wilted away. If we hadn't brought in Beckham, who knows what the heck would have happened)

Yes, Manchester lost Tevez and Ronaldo, but they also have a team that caters the likes of Rooney, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Van Der Saar, Carrick, Fletcher, Hargareves, JS Park and others currently in place. They have youngsters like Raphael, Macheda, Anderson, Welbeck, Evans, Fabio that are developing with the squad, who can all come in and do the job as their respective counterparts. I would actually rate Man Utd currently similar to Milan of 1993-1994, quality in the ranks to replace any loss in quality from sale of class players (C. Ronaldo Can't believe I wrote that...). Their team is also ages younger than ours, but their youngsters know the team inside out, can replace their veterans when necessary and still make up for lack of experience with youth and pace. Can you really say the same for us?


Ricky, I know I'm being negative, but if past history was to be relied on, I'd rely on Recent past history rather than something that happened nearly 2 decades ago. I think that is the MAIN PROBLEM that we are facing as fans, our recent history is really nothing to brag about.



Random quotes from Gabby's last post, I just had to put them up because I feel the same way. They fill out the things my arguement lacked. Props to you Gabby, and total agreement. I don't want another panic buy from management, because we were waiting on other deals that didn't materialize.

You make some good points and, as I said, it's very unlikely that this year's Milan squad can match the accomplishments of the 93-94 team. But Milan does still have some great players left on the squad -- Pato, Pirlo, Gattuso, Nesta, Zambrotta, Ronaldinho. Why is it impossible for Milan to compete for trophies by adding a few good, young players to that group? And why is it impossible for Milan -- under a new coach -- to launch a rebuilding effort that could revitalize the entire squad over the next few seasons? Just because Milan didn't add a lot over the past couple of summers to a lineup that was already pretty much set? That's an assumption that makes no sense to me.

It's true Milan had some great players in those days. But remember that Baresi and Tassotti were the same age then that Nesta and Seedorf are now. Boban had only joined the previous summer, as had Savicevic, Gianluigi Lentini and Stefano Eranio. Desailly was bought from Marseille the very summer that the Dutch trio left. Christian Panucci was acquired that summer as well. So Milan was also in a transition period in 1993.

Things are different now, of course. Milan doesn't seem to have the resources they did in those days and the market is crazy with clubs from England and Spain spending as though money is going out of style. But this is not exclusively a problem for Milan. This is a problem for Serie A. What other Serie A clubs are now spending big money to bring in players like Ronaldo and Kaka? None, of course. In 1993, Serie A was arguably the best league in the world. Certainly it was head and shoulders above the English league. But right now Serie A is going through a period very similar to what England was experiencing 20 years ago. Serie A clubs are playing in crumbling stadiums, fan violence is a problem, crowds are dwindlng, scandal is a fairly fresh memory, money is tight all around. The teams in Serie A, as a group, simply aren't as good as they were in those days because big money has been luring the best players to England and Spain. Milan can't change that all by themselves. It's a problem all the clubs will have to address together. And it will take time.

And I'm glad to hear that you and Gabriel don't want any panic buys. That has actually been one of my biggest points. There's no need to panic. Everyone wants Milan's players to be signed yesterday so everything is tied up in a neat little bundle. But it just doesn't work that way these days. Even Real Madrid seems to be missing on a couple of their targets! The summer has just begun. We have two months left to add players. There's no need to panic.

By the way, I saw an article where Cissokho was quoted as saying he wants very much to be at Milan and that his agent is still working on it along with the clubs.

So De Silversti has been transfer listed and the only interested club so far is Genoa. I wonder what Lazio will ask for him.

source: tuttomercatoweb

Originally Posted by Jay Crisp

Kaka cannot be replaced you can't replace the best , but when we signed Kaka in 03 he was not the best player in the World in 03 Ronaldinho or Zidane or Henry would not of signed for Milan so nothing has changed there we couldnt sin the best and biggest in the world 6 years ago and we cannot sign them now.

What we can do is sign good team players (a bit of pace would be nice) and quality young players that can be nurtured the Milan way .

Remember Van Basten was not the best player in the world when he signed neither was Gullit or Sheva or Kaka Or Pirlo but they did have talent and bags of potential , Milan have always been a club that signed up and coming players and mixed them with the established stars that would of came 3 or 4 years previously.

Milan never sign the best players at a particular time since Berlu took over we didnt Sign Maradona , Careca , Vialli , Romario , Stoichkov , Zidane , Rivaldo (in his prime not 31 yr old Rivaldo ) Ronaldinho , Beckham.
Point Im making is we are not going to sign CR7 , Messi , Torres , Iniesta , Ibra or anyone that is considered the best but we will Sign people that have talent that are higly regarded thats how its been since 1899 that how it should be.

Well, maybe Milan did not sign players like Maradona, Careca and Vialli instead getting the Dutch Trio, but didn't they broke the world records fee for Guilit and MVB? IT shows that they were up there and are already established stars. Then there are the Papin who was supposed to be the man for France after Platini. Then Baggio, Weah.... Those are no jokes.
When Milan signed Sheva, he was probably the best striker at CL for two years in a row. Also, they signed RUi COsta and Pippo for pretty high fees too.

YEs, maybe Kaka was not the best player at that time when signed him, but he sure is one of the few that people think will be the best. I mean, he did got selected in the the Brazil squad for WC02 at 17, and to me thats a pretty clear indication of greatness.

Another thing, Berlu always want to sign the best player, hence, thats why he used to play the huge fees for players even breaking the record of Guilit and MVB, but remember that teams in the late 80s and 90s were the ones in power as there was no BOSMAN ruling back then. Thus if the clubs do not want to sell, the player and the other club really could not do anything about it. Put it this way, as long as the club refuse to sell the player, the player cannot sign with any team even if their contract is expire. Thats the power teams once had.

And in 03, Juve will never sell ZZ to Milan. While Berlu got Rivaldo for free with Rui Costa playing in Milan, there was no need for someone like Dinho or even Beckham. Also Inter will never sell Ronaldo to any club in Italy.
BTW, Nesta was and probably still is the best CB in the world when Milan got him. Stam a few years ago was one the best CB at the time Milan signed him. Janku was one of the best left side player in Italy when Milan signed him. When Gila came, he was one of the most promising young striker in Italy if not the world.

Yes maybe, Kaka, Pirlo, Gattuso and Pato became the players they are today b/c Milan developed them, but to say that Milan never sign or go after top players is just wrong. As Stam, Nesta, Janku(yes even him), Gila, Pippo, Rui Costa were all brought in when they are at top of the game.

Let's be patient?

Fool me once..... shame on...????? you???.......fool me twice....ahhhmmmmm ahhhmmm..... you get fooled, you can't get fooled again.

Fabregas, Eto'o, Vidic, Maicon, Xabi Alonso, Gerrard, Iniesta........these are some names Milan should be linked to (I know some of them are not likely or impossible but just are used as an example to get the picture).

Cissokho's, Dzeko's..that's all fine but these are normal signings and not something to feel like we hit the jackpot.

Let's be patient, WE sold star players before and end up winning some titles, C'mon....

Originally Posted by Rick

You make some good points and, as I said, it's very unlikely that this year's Milan squad can match the accomplishments of the 93-94 team. But Milan does still have some great players left on the squad -- Pato, Pirlo, Gattuso, Nesta, Zambrotta, Ronaldinho. Why is it impossible for Milan to compete for trophies by adding a few good, young players to that group? And why is it impossible for Milan -- under a new coach -- to launch a rebuilding effort that could revitalize the entire squad over the next few seasons? Just because Milan didn't add a lot over the past couple of summers to a lineup that was already pretty much set? That's an assumption that makes no sense to me.

It's true Milan had some great players in those days. But remember that Baresi and Tassotti were the same age then that Nesta and Seedorf are now. Boban had only joined the previous summer, as had Savicevic, Gianluigi Lentini and Stefano Eranio. Desailly was bought from Marseille the very summer that the Dutch trio left. Christian Panucci was acquired that summer as well. So Milan was also in a transition period in 1993.

Things are different now, of course. Milan doesn't seem to have the resources they did in those days and the market is crazy with clubs from England and Spain spending as though money is going out of style. But this is not exclusively a problem for Milan. This is a problem for Serie A. What other Serie A clubs are now spending big money to bring in players like Ronaldo and Kaka? None, of course. In 1993, Serie A was arguably the best league in the world. Certainly it was head and shoulders above the English league. But right now Serie A is going through a period very similar to what England was experiencing 20 years ago. Serie A clubs are playing in crumbling stadiums, fan violence is a problem, crowds are dwindlng, scandal is a fairly fresh memory, money is tight all around. The teams in Serie A, as a group, simply aren't as good as they were in those days because big money has been luring the best players to England and Spain. Milan can't change that all by themselves. It's a problem all the clubs will have to address together. And it will take time.

And I'm glad to hear that you and Gabriel don't want any panic buys. That has actually been one of my biggest points. There's no need to panic. Everyone wants Milan's players to be signed yesterday so everything is tied up in a neat little bundle. But it just doesn't work that way these days. Even Real Madrid seems to be missing on a couple of their targets! The summer has just begun. We have two months left to add players. There's no need to panic.

Rick, we're on the same page.

The fact of the matter, I think, is laid out in the bold paragraph. We lost three world-class players, but we brought in 4 quality replacements the season before, and two during that transition period. Remember, Panucci and Desailly played for their respective countries, as did Boban and Savicevic.

The fact that Milan did not add much in our past few mercatos has been, imho, the main reason why we've been in a decline, instead of maintaining a certain level of quality.

You say that the problem should be with the League as a whole, but you don't see Juve or Inter in the same kind of slump we're in. Are they not in the same league? I don't have to remind you that Juve lost over half of their squad when they went down. They went down for a season and came back up in one shot, added a few signings and came second in the league when they did (whereas we dropped to 5th staying in the same league). Fiore and Napoli don't seem to have problems keeping their players, or adding to their squad for that matter. Yet why are we the ones in the league that can't manage to sign the players we want, for less than the crazy amounts that the selling clubs request?

I like the idea of bringing back our youngsters to play, mind you. I'm all for youthful innovation, unpredictability, stamina and pace, but so far the only thing we've brought back is youth, with unproven quality. Its the unknown "X" factor that I'm worried about right now, as well as the fact that we don't even know what Leonardo's plans are (much as I love this guy, GODDAMNIT TELL US WHAT YOU WANT TO DO WITH THE TEAM!). What the team needs most is unpredictability and pace to do well to unlock teams that are going to park a bus in front of the goal against us, as well as quality and stamina to go up against the best teams in the world and still match them blow for blow. We have one currently, but not the other.

This is what I feel is necessary from signings we should be making this mercato . Quality, and if possible proven quality, that would willingly play for a team of our stature. I cannot say that the players we sign will fit those requirements, but I'll give it 2 months. Thats why I've been speculating and judging players like the rest of you all on this forum.

I'm not saying we can't rebuild to the level that we used to be during this mercato, but you yourself have already pointed out the main problem of doing so. We can't compete with Spanish and English clubs like we used to. Before, it used to be Milan, Barcelona and maybe Madrid. Nowadays, players get to choose from a host of other clubs, we're not as high on the list of desired headings like we used to be.

Yes, we have time. But time runs out eventually, and when you see everyone around us already buying their replacements, I really don't see why we should be on a different time-scale as them.

A small update as well: Manchester have just brought in Valencia to replace Ronaldo. They've made a move. We still haven't.

get 2 cb's or 2 wb's a striker or no and please please get cesc whose more important then adebayor or any striker if your back 4 or strikers are average a key midfield will win you a ton of a games and cutt down the goals scored on your back 4

Originally Posted by Samaldinho

Gabriel, (I won't call you Gabby, haha) I admitted that when Kaka is playing well and winning, I love him. In fact, if a player who slapped me in the face, and then ran onto the pitch to score a game-winning goal were to play for Milan, I'd love that player too.

I am more than over Kaka. I more mad that transfers that would make me feel that we're going in the right direction, have not happened yet. Cissoko and Dzeko, had they been on Milan's roster right now, would make me feel much better about how Galliani and Berlu are handling things. Plus Abate and Di Gennaro's return, plus these youth players, would make me think "Wow, finally they are coming to their senses."

However, I stand very much by the fact that Milan the last 2-3 years have been built upon supporting Kaka's style of play, which hurts Milan mostly because of his inconsistent form and injuries (the last two years). Can we sustain a system that is based on the brilliance of one player? If so, for how long? Obviously not very, if the last two years are anything to go by.

If you have doubts about Dzeko's character if he forces his way to Milan, then we should doubt Beckham, and even more importantly, the character of Flamini, who has left TWO clubs for free in rather controversial ways.

When it comes to the 02-03 vs. 06-07, do you really think that Kaka in 02-03 would be able to overcome our Milan of 02-03? I don't. The teams were not the same, they were designed differently. Perhaps many players were the same, but there are significant differences in tactics and team shape. Milan played a 4-3-1-2 in 02-03 and a 4-3-2-1 in 06-07, there was a huge shift in tactics and it turned into "let's hope Kaka can pull us out of this." In fact, our CL exit to Arsenal was the perfect example of Kaka-dependent Milan. We were at 0-0, and we were just hoping that Kaka would do something, just go on that run and just do something. You could feel it in the stadium, I was there, I had to watch that game in person. We couldn't give Gourcuff a chance, not just because he lacked confidence, but because he couldn't compensate for Kaka's play. Seedorf does, that's why Seedorf plays, he might not be the best, but tactically he is an incredible player.

Kaka might have stolen the lime-light for 06-07, but that is to deny the team element in this game. Keeping Cristiano Ronaldo at bay during our semi-final, or how we went to Munich to beat Bayern 2-0, those were team efforts. Even in the Final, Kaka might've given a great ball to Inzaghi for the second goal, but for large parts of the game, he was absent. He still did come up big with that pass, but it was Milan's midfield and defense that weathered Liverpool's possession. The reality is that football is not a game where one player can really drag a team, and the only players to really ever do that were Maradonna and Zidane (Pele always had a great team around him).

The only reason people are looking at Milan like you say, is because Sheva was sold. Kaka being sold for a world-record fee? That is good business, but it was because Kaka's sale plus Sheva's sale within a few years of each other, simply gave a new thing for football "journalists" to talk about. We still have our power, we still are respected, and other players have said ridiculous things about us and our players, but we always prove them wrong. Beckham was supposed to flop, Pato a waste of money, and we'd miss Sheva and never return to our levels.

Let's not pretend that the sky wasn't falling when Sheva was sold. Let's not pretend anyone knew that Kaka would do what he did in 06-07. Because, if we're honest with each other, we'll know that each time, the club was making the worst mistake of its life, apparently. It is obvious that our club is pinning its hopes on Ronaldinho and Pato. That is quite obvious.

When it comes to overcoming an ex-girlfriend, the best answer is NOT to try and get a better replacement. Why? Because, that first person you get to, will always be a rebound, and is destined for failure. It's just like when you are looking for something you lost, the harder you look for it, the more you find everything except what you're looking for. We need to be calm during this period, otherwise, we'll destroy ourselves.

Agree with what you said about if Milan already signed players like Dzeko and Cissohko things will be much more positive. But what I had been saying all along is that, we as fans are too vulnerable to the games that Berlu and Galli play. I mean those players are good players but that not enough for Milan to compete with the likes of Inter, Man U, Juve and Barcelona. Yes, it is a change in direction and its great to see that, but with the way Berlu and Galli act in recent times, I really doubt those two or similar players will come to Milan as they will always look for the cheapest route. Thats not how BIG CLUBS behave.

On Dzeko, my point is that, if he comes to Milan, it will be b/c Berlu agree to pay 30MIL instead of trying to lower it to 20 or 25. Since thats the case, why don't he just give the 30mil now to get Dzeko instead of giving it out in July or August? As of now, Wolfs hold all the cards, same goes for Porto. The players might want to play for Milan, but they are still Wolfs and Porto's players right now, and the clubs can ask for whatever amount they feel just.

On the 02-03 team Vs 06-07 team. My point about the same players was meant to say guys like Seedorf, Maldini, Nesta, Pirlo were younger and had more drive in them than they were in 06-07. I still remember in one game how Pirlo were trapped by two opposing players near the sideline and still managed to move pass them, or how Gattuso kept running in the extra time against Juve in the CL final while every body else were waiting for PK, or how Nesta made a bicycle kick save at the goal line.... I just did not see that from them at all in 06-07. Yes, you might think that the team was build around Kaka, but I would say that the team was relying on Kaka b/c they know they can only do so much. You said that in 07, the whole San Siro was waiting for Kaka to win the game for Milan....but didn't we also do that in 03 with Sheva? I think all Milan fans were hoping Sheva to score the winning goal in 03 but it ended with a PK shootout. Kaka might had taken the glory from the team but he deserved it. Also, was it Kaka's thought that the MGT made a bad gamble on Gila, R99 got one of the worst injury, or not getting players that could break into the starting 11 of Milan. Yes, Kaka was the focal point of Milan and all players relied on him, but thats only b/c the rest of the team lost quality due to age, passion, form or whatever. TO think that they will all of a sudden began playing like a unit and be at the level they were is just unreal.

NOt going to comment on the g/f thing as you and I have different ideas about that.

Lastly, it is very wrong to compare the selling of Sheva to Kaka, as the state of the team is completely different. When Milan sold Sheva, they still have Gila, Pippo, and signed RO later. Not to mention the coming of age of Kaka, and Janku being the LB(at that time he was one of the best) with a solid defense and midfield. BUt when you look at Milan now, Maldini(best defender retired), Nesta(coming out of a one year long laid off), Borreillo(coming back from a 8 months injury), Dinho(hoping to regain form) and a teenager who still asks a manager from an interested club for advices. The state of the team is very different.

Originally Posted by Ryo

We can speculate all we want from what happened behind the scenes, but we'll never know. So for that, I maintain my "naive" statement. I believe we were innocent, or at least as innocent as Merda were in the entire situation.

Now you're talking.

I think they we're in it with us. But that's another discussion.

At present we are in the Market looking for bargains... old over ripe fruits and vegetables or very young market rejects... i am more than convinced that we will end up with some more Emersons and Sheva... other teams that mean business and want to compete with the best are very busy in the transfer market making "keystone" signings to strengthen their already very strong squads... with all the crying about taxes and other crap this mercato will be drawn out and we have no new player to start preseason... then we talk crap that they have not yet settled into the system... then 3 rounds into the season we surrender the title to inter and set revised targets for third and fourth place...
Our team for next season looks like this...
..................Dida.................
Zambro.....Bonera.....Nesta.....Janku
..........Gatuso.......Flamini..........
.......Pirlo.....................Dinho
..........Pato.....Pippo.........

Sept 1, 09 press conf.

Reporters: " Fans are not happy with what happened these past few months, what do you think?"

Galli: "Fans always want the best, but we need to balance our books.......(more on financial stuff)....
The thing is T. Silva is a new signing b/c he never played any official game with Milan.
We welcomed back M Oddo as he is a World Champion and had a great run in Germany and now he is back with us like a new signings.
WE welcomed back Abate and Di Gennaro, thats two new signings.
RVN is the target man that we had been looking for a long time and according to Milan lab, he can play till 40s.
Then Nesta, Kaladze and Borreillo all were injured a long time and they are healthy now, so they are like new signings.
Lastly, Pannuci will do wonders for us b/c he is finally at home.
We rule the transfer Market.

Lastly, fans should be happy that we managed to keep our top stars in Seedorf and R80, as it was truly sad that we had to sell Kaka, Pato and Pirlo to balance our books."

I hope it won't happen but I am sure something like that will.