Summer mercato 2009

Originally Posted by Dutchie-Milan

Rick i agree with most of your comments on our current issues,but i just want to say to you that Milan is being laughed at in other countries,like here in Holland,boys from my school now i am for Milan but they are terrorising me and laughing at me for being a Milan fan,not because we are old or something,just because Galliani is making stupid comments in media and then they appear in Holland,for example everybody thinks now that Milan is very broke and has nothing no money nada nothing they cant buy anyone nomore.

They think Milan wont buy anyone etc.etc.But not only on my school,also on ducht soccer forums everybody has a bad image of Milan because of the past two years(and the Bremen game last year added more fire),thank god they are supporting Ajax so i also can make fun of them!

And i also think its not only in Holland but also in the rest of Europa and the world.

So yes people have a bad image of Milan and Milan are the laughing stock,no you can say that they dont know better and they only read some reports and they dont know what the REAL situation is at Milan(like us having talents they dont know like Albertazzi,Abate etc.),BUT STILL,THE BAD IMAGE IS A FACT!!!!!!

Well, they are foolish to act like that. Pay no attention. Funny, though, that reading your comments got me to thinking about Liverpool fans. Let me say straight off that I hate Liverpool fans with a passion (figuratively speaking, of course, as I'm sure most of them are nice people). But they have this annoying habit of living decades in the past and thinking they are special beyond all others because they won a lot of things in the 1970s and 1980s. Yet, aside from The Match That Shall Not Be Mentioned, they've won nothing in a long, long time. They've never even won the Premier League!

Milan fans seem to be exactly the opposite of Liverpool fans. Collectively, we can't even take pride in something that was accomplished just two years ago by primarily the same group of players we have now unless we did the same thing in the past season. Liverpool fans don't care if people laugh at them. They don't let people laugh at them. They just stick up their middle finger and say "Yeah, well come back and talk to us when you've won the league 18 times and Europe five times!" Liverpool fans always know they're going to win (even though they don't) because by damn they're Liverpool! Yet we sit here as Milan fans -- supporting a club that has won 17 Scudetti and seven European titles -- and we worry that people are laughing because Milan doesn't win every single year? It makes no sense.

Somebody should do a study contrasting the psychology of the Liverpool fan and the Milan fan. It would be fascinating.

Galliani has found a new soul-mate: Russian and blonde.


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Andrey Arshavin Commits Future To Arsenal Despite Tax Frustrations
Arsenal are not about to lose one of their best players, but he is not happy with his earnings...
10 Jul 2009 14:27:14
EPL: Andrey Arshavin, Liverpool - Arsenal (PA)


Andrey Arshavin is not pushing for a move to Barcelona and is preparing for the new season with Arsenal, but he is still concerned by the tax situation in the United Kingdom.

The Russian international was linked with a move to the Camp Nou once again this week, only a year after posing in a Barca shirt while still a Zenit St. Petersburg player.

After joining Arsenal in January, Arshavin looked happy until the tax level in England changed and saw him lose 50 per cent of his wages and he made his feelings known.

But the player's discontent has not meant that he is desperate to leave and he has explained that the stories linking him with Barcelona are mere speculation.

"That is nothing more than a rumour," he told Sport Express.

"I'm an Arsenal player and the only thing I am thinking about is preparing for the new season.

"If they do not solve the tax issues in England, it's possible that they will see an exodus of stars.

"But, in my view, the Premier League is still the best.

"However, we will find out when we see what happens in the Champions League, of course."

goal.com

Originally Posted by Dutchie-Milan

Rick i agree with most of your comments on our current issues,but i just want to say to you that Milan is being laughed at in other countries,like here in Holland,boys from my school now i am for Milan but they are terrorising me and laughing at me for being a Milan fan,not because we are old or something,just because Galliani is making stupid comments in media and then they appear in Holland,for example everybody thinks now that Milan is very broke and has nothing no money nada nothing they cant buy anyone nomore.

They think Milan wont buy anyone etc.etc.But not only on my school,also on ducht soccer forums everybody has a bad image of Milan because of the past two years(and the Bremen game last year added more fire),thank god they are supporting Ajax so i also can make fun of them!

And i also think its not only in Holland but also in the rest of Europa and the world.

So yes people have a bad image of Milan and Milan are the laughing stock,no you can say that they dont know better and they only read some reports and they dont know what the REAL situation is at Milan(like us having talents they dont know like Albertazzi,Abate etc.),BUT STILL,THE BAD IMAGE IS A FACT!!!!!!

But you take an example to make a general "law" ...

Milan is still viewed as one of the best clubs in the world (despite our last two seasons that showed we weren't at top) in France.

But I have also friends who laugh at me, not because of what can say Galliani (tell me Dutchie, your friends are well aware about what happens in Milan, wouldn't they be fans too ? Because I have no idea about what can say the presidents of other clubs except when it is linked to Milan), but just because I support them. Even in 2007, when we won the CL, some people were laughing at me ... I never understood (probably jealousy as they told me we were cheaters lol etc).

So this bad image isn't a fact, it's just your feeling with people around you who are very aware about football. The footix (it's how the people who support the best teams when they win are called, there are a lot in France, for example, when MU won, you were seeing people with the MU shirt, and now, you can see the Barcelona shirt) don't know and don't care about what can happen from the end of May until the start of September ...

Ah, and also, my feeling too, I never saw as many people as nowadays wearing a Milan shirt in streets, and on the last 2 months, I lived in two cities that are separated by 1000 kilometers ... I noticed the same thing in both. Probably a Ronaldinho effect ...

True very true,like i said in my previous posts,people should have more faith in the players we have here,almost all or our players,for example Ambrosini,are underestimated,to bad.

Originally Posted by GeoTav

But you take an example to make a general "law" ...

Milan is still viewed as one of the best clubs in the world (despite our last two seasons that showed we weren't at top) in France.

But I have also friends who laugh at me, not because of what can say Galliani (tell me Dutchie, your friends are well aware about what happens in Milan, wouldn't they be fans too ? Because I have no idea about what can say the presidents of other clubs except when it is linked to Milan), but just because I support them. Even in 2007, when we won the CL, some people were laughing at me ... I never understood (probably jealousy as they told me we were cheaters lol etc).

So this bad image isn't a fact, it's just your feeling with people around you who are very aware about football. The footix (it's how the people who support the best teams when they win are called, there are a lot in France, for example, when MU won, you were seeing people with the MU shirt, and now, you can see the Barcelona shirt) don't know and don't care about what can happen from the end of May until the start of September ...

Ah, and also, my feeling too, I never saw as many people as nowadays wearing a Milan shirt in streets, and on the last 2 months, I lived in two cities that are separate by 1000 kilometers ... I noticed the same thing in both. Probably a Ronaldinho effect ...

They arent much aware of Milan,its just when Galliani makes comments or Laporta or Perez it will of course get on the dutch soccer websites and most children from my school are going to those websites once in a while to check news from the clubs they support in Holland(PSV/Ajax/Feyenoord),and then they see i comment like: Milan has to balance books or Milan has no money to buy Dzeko etc. etc. and then they think we are pathetic....

Originally Posted by Fret

Rick, my friend.....
it seems that certain "clans" have emerged recently: Optimists and Pessimists


The thing is, I would like to ask you: Are you satisfied with the last 2 seasons with Milan ?

If not, it's not enough to say "Oh I have faith"........because Napoli fans have faith as do all the other fans as well

I just thought I'd point out another excellent team who's fans have remained steadfast and kept the faith: Leeds United

That said, I highly doubt we're going to go into that sort of a crisis (I will give it about the first 10 games of the season though, before I add to that statement).

Originally Posted by Rick

Once again, you are misunderstanding. Nobody has said Milan is likely to win the Champions League this year. We are merely trying to point out that everyone thought the sky was falling when Shevchenko was sold and that Milan could not compete, but that didn't happen. I don't expect Milan to win the Champions League this year. I wouldn't have expected Milan to win the Champions League this year if Kaka was still here. It would be nice, but it's not necessary. Milan has a good enough squad right now -- with no more additions -- to stay in the top four and in the Champions League. That is enough for me as we go through this transition period. Anything beyond that is gravy. If Milan brings in, say, Fabiano and another player or two this summer, that will strengthen an already good squad. If they then bring in more players next summer (Dzeko, for instance, and maybe a creative midfielder or whatever) that will continue to build the team. Unless you want Milan to be half a billion euros in debt like Real Madrid (without Madrid's built in ability to carry debt without the creditors beating down their doors), you can't expect an entire new team in one summer. The proper way to rebuild is to add a few new pieces at a time and allow the veteran players to help the new ones. This isn't fantasy football.

Rick, you say it like this is the first season we've been playing like crap in either Europe or at home, but its not. Keep the faith sounds good and all, but fans can't live off of "keeping the faith" after 2 or 3 years of transitions. They expect to see results, and with each passing year, they get ever so more impatient. The main problem I feel, is the fact that we happen to be sharing our stadium with the team that's been consistent enough to win the league 4 years straight, regardless of whether they've been playing pretty or $hitty football, and some of the fans are beginning to tire of seeing us not doing the same, and doing not enough to change that.

Surprisingly, I've calmed down a bit since Jeff came back.
But I still maintain my rational skepticism. I'm not being downright pessimistic here, I just look at things rationally and factually.

The proper way IS to add pieces several at a time, yet do you not see that apart from Flamini and Borriello, the past two years we've been doing nothing but buying quick-fix old chess pieces from other teams at a premium. Were we not trying to transition 3 years back? Also, when you add pieces, you normally tend to keep the pieces you value to last for most of the game, and let go of the dead-weights.

Yes, we have a decent squad who can outmatch any team on its day, yet half of those players are already over 30 and not exactly playing like youngsters anymore. Outmatching can only go so far, specially if you fail to outLAST the opposition. On average, our starting teams normally lasted about 70 Minutes for most games in the past two to three seasons. I started feeling a cold sweat every time we were winning by a small margin or tied when the clock hit the big 70, simply because past precedent indicated that we'd mess up somehow, and in the past three seasons, my fears have been soundly justified in more games than I would like. Keeping the faith only goes so far, until our fabulous team draw or lose a game too many for the umpteenth time, thats when you draw the line.

You're starting to preach like Galliani, and I think thats why some posters are bashing you for it. Eternal Optimism can only take you so far, you should try being skeptical sometimes. We have a decent squad, I won't deny that, but is it enough for a top 4 challenge? With the Italian teams placed 5th to 8th all developing into such strong contenders, I highly suspect not. Remember, we weren't even able to wrap up 3rd place until the last match of the season. If results hadn't gone our way, we could have possibly slipped down to 5th. Now before you start saying "but we didn't and thats all that matters", I bring up this point solely to point out that the teams directly below us aren't as big of push-overs as you guys would hope they were. They're getting stronger, and developing at a much faster pace than us. Just because we're sitting comfortably in third this season doesn't mean we'll be able to do it next season, especially with so many unproven players (for our team at least) in the squad.

Plus, with the new format of the competition, Top 4 doesn't cut it anymore. It has to be top 3, or we risk facing teams like Arsenal or Werder Bremen in the third round CL qualifications. That said, we could possibly be out of the competition even if we got into 4th place next season, simply based on that. You can thank Platini for that

The repercussions for not meeting or exceeding expectations could possibly lead to a continuous downward spiral. Of course, given that our owner just happens to be rich and all that, our fans were hoping for a somewhat "quicker fix" so that something like that never happens. I personally don't see why that would be considered wrong.

Originally Posted by Rick

How can a mercato be deemed pathetic when there are still 7 1/2 weeks left before it closes? This statement makes no sense to me.

Well, we have sold our best player (For less than we could actually have got)

Favalli has been given a contract extension.

The way Galliani & Berlusconi have gone about this campaign has shown other clubs we will probably accept a half decent offer for any of our players.

We havent been linked with a single player that could potentially make a huge difference. Where is the successor to Maldini? Where is the creativity in midfield? Why are we completely unlikely to go and sign someone with the talent of Aguero to name one example.

The only way this mercato and in fact this club can be saved from sheer and utter mediocrity is if we sign players we havent even been linked with:

A world class or up and coming young goalkeeper
Santacrocce or Zapatta
Someone with creativity like Hernanes, Fabregas, ironically Gourcuff

If the above three signings are made then and only then would a player like Dzeko, Fabiano or Huntelaar help us win something next year.

Milannews.it reporting that Milan are chasing Carlos Eduardo

http://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/?action=read&id=160436

I know this was reported earlier, but it's front page on Milannews. Very good player who can get the ball around quite a bit

Sorry for the double post, but Ryo finally some truth. Rather than the polite denial that has existed in this forum for the past few years.

Inter are light years ahead
We should have kept our best players and lost the dead weight
Instead we sold our best players and have kept the dead weight
We have repeatedly signed older players as wuick solutions and now we are an old age home
We havent trusted any of our youth streams (Be it primavera or scouts) and for this reason we only have one player who can offer guarantees still under 25 (Pato) in our starting lineup.
If we had any semblance of a plan we wouldnt be linked to 28 year old strikers, we would be linked to the next Pato/ Kaka from Brazil, one young goalkeeper, one young, up and coming midefielder, a young fullback and a proven/ young centre back.

Instead we have sold Kaka and signed some unknown 28 year old American from the Belgian league (whatever that is called) and a 28 year old striker who is pretty good (Admitedley).

In the past we had a team of world class old players, pretty soon we will have an old team and nothing else.

It will be so scary if people are on this forum next summer defending the management for selling Pato and trying to convince us that he will be replaced

Originally Posted by K77SH C

It will be so scary if people are on this forum next summer defending the management for selling Pato and trying to convince us that he will be replaced

Prepare yourself man, that is only about 365 days away... Maybe they wote for Berlusconi or something, they parents ask them to be puppys, I dont know.

Originally Posted by MiamiMilanista

Milannews.it reporting that Milan are chasing Carlos Eduardo

http://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/?action=read&id=160436

I know this was reported earlier, but it's front page on Milannews. Very good player who can get the ball around quite a bit

Sorry for the triple post, this is what happens when you read from bottom to top

This guy is potentially one hell of a striker and still young I think.

I have watched him adn if he gets half a chance, the guy has the ball straight in the back of the net. He is one of the best finishers I have seen. If he has fully recovered from that immense injury he had, I rate him much higher than Adebayor or Van Persie.

Originally Posted by mrki

Prepare yourself man, that is only about 365 days away... Maybe they wote for Berlusconi or something, they parents ask them to be puppys, I dont know.

I can see it now:

We cant tolerate our players constantly flirting with other clubs.
He isnt as good as everyone thinks.
He has a secret injury that Milanlab found.
We will get Essien in return.
We will be able to spend the money on other players
He is the tooth fairy
blah blah blah

Originally Posted by drucurl

Simple...we have not kept pace with the big clubs. The longer we take the less we integrate any new signing into our squad. We have lost THREE of our biggest contributers with no replacement and we are considering selling a fourth. Unlike manu who have already been making moves to replace ONE star in a team FULL of stars and talented youngsters. We are looking on the third shelf in terms of talent for a player that we lost four years ago. Speaking of four years it's been that long since we had a decent left back. Because this third level seems too expensive we are now contemplating lowering our standards further. So he's RIGHT our mercato is pathetic.

Many great Milan players of the past were acquired in late July or August. Nesta was acquired on Aug. 31 after a month of negotiation and an announced end to the negotiations a few weeks before he moved to Milan. Players aren't better just because they sign in June. And when you worry about "integrating" the new signings into the squad, that tells me you're more worried about a few games at the start of the season than you are about the next three or four years.

As for your assertion about Manchester United, yes, they have made moves to replace Ronaldo and Tevez. They bought a winger from Wigan who has scored seven goals and had eight assists in the past three seasons to replace Ronaldo. And they brought in a striker who played the past four seasons at relegated Newcastle, who will turn 30 in December and has a history of being injury-prone, and who hasn't scored more than 12 goals in a season since the 2004-05 season. If Milan had made the same moves this summer to replace lost players that Manchester United has, you'd be howling. Would you really rather have Michael Owen fast and free than to negotiate for a reasonable price on Fabiano?

Milan are not behaving like a top club. A top club doesn't talk about frugality every damn day. That is the truth. I have always said over and over again (for about 2 years) that if we sell Kaka' we will send a message out to the football world saying that we are not a big club, but one that sells its top players. The implications are grave.

So, as we are not behaving like a top club anymore, let's at least behave like a 2nd or 3rd tier club. That is, let's buy good players for positions we really need.
Currently, the management has not spent a penny, but again I will withhold judgement until August 31st.

We need three players.

Also, Pato will leave in about 4-5 years. Today Arshavin said that England's tax problems could lead to an exodus. If it is bad in England, then think how bad it will be in Italy. The two clubs in Spain will boast the best talents in the world. Galliani is not always wrong with regards to this, but he almost uses it as an excuse to do very little on the market.

Originally Posted by Rick

Many great Milan players of the past were acquired in late July or August. Nesta was acquired on Aug. 31 after a month of negotiation and an announced end to the negotiations a few weeks before he moved to Milan. Players aren't better just because they sign in June. And when you worry about "integrating" the new signings into the squad, that tells me you're more worried about a few games at the start of the season than you are about the next three or four years.

As for your assertion about Manchester United, yes, they have made moves to replace Ronaldo and Tevez. They bought a winger from Wigan who has scored seven goals and had eight assists in the past three seasons to replace Ronaldo. And they brought in a striker who played the past four seasons at relegated Newcastle, who will turn 30 in December and has a history of being injury-prone, and who hasn't scored more than 12 goals in a season since the 2004-05 season. If Milan had made the same moves this summer to replace lost players that Manchester United has, you'd be howling. Would you really rather have Michael Owen fast and free than to negotiate for a reasonable price on Fabiano?

Again Rick, I really don't like being mean, but you keep mentioning the single example of a signing that really made a huge difference for us in the past 8 years that was brought in during the SUMMER. Even then, he cost us 40+ Million Euros. Come on man, I wouldn't be so pissed if you had another example, or can you not think of one?

And once again I have to stress the fact that Lazio of then was in a crisis when they sold him to us. A crisis doesn't come to clubs every Summer Mercato, mate, be reasonable. Being patient in the current market situation does nothing for us that wouldn't have been done for us if we actually had more bargaining power.