Banter 2009/2010

Forgive me i know we should post sources but i really can't remember where i have read it and have been trying to find the article again. There was an article saying that a price tag of £3m had been set for Kasper Schmeicel of Notts County. From what i have seen of him he has the potential to be a very good if not outstanding goalkeeper. For £3m i would personally take that gamble. With his salary i'm sure we would not spend more the then the £4m we are currently paying on Dida's contract.

jay i hope we get godin, he will be really useful knowing that nesta wont last a season long and still 24 still much room for improvement and anderson is a really dream signing, he is the natural replacement for seedorf, i would really spend a non-eu spot and 15 mil on anderson instead on spending it on adiyiah, maldonando .... etc he is really young, very capable Am, man utd messed his game up, he is no where the player used to be at porto, but still with little positioning adjustment he will be great again. but i dont think milan will spend in this area big though its the most imporant area to rebuild.

Reading Dev, Gabriel, Milano posts and thinking about our near past, I become even more confused about our mgt.

Gabriel wrote about our lack of scouting in Brazil, but at the same time, I remember one of(if not the first) young player that I hype here, Alex. At that time(2003, if I'm not wrong), It wasn't wise to scout(buy) and hype a Brazilian CB, since the R. Junior fiasco was fresh.

But even with that huge mistake, Milan was the first big European team to show interest in Alex. After some scouting, Milan sent Braida here to watch the guy in person in some games. We did all right, but jump out of the purchase because Chelsea and Real Madrid enter in the bid war, and that was against our politics. Just to clarify, I saw on TV Alex saying that the only clubs that really talk to him, were Milan and Real. Funny Chelsea was the last, but the one to finish the purchase...

My point is: that shows that at least someone in Milan is aware of Brazilian prospects and market. If I'm not wrong, Leo was still playing in Brazil at that time. So, who was the guy to have the courage(and eyes) to look to Brazil and try to purchase a CB at that time? It wasn't a good time for that, but the guy forgot the prejudice and look only for talent...

Now, if it was Braida, how in the earth is he coming here to buy the Grimmi's and Cardaccio's of S.A nowadays?? Adyah's?!?!?

Look, every managements commits mistakes, It would be naive to look only for the flaws, but at the same time, we are shooting our feet more than the normal... and that leads me to Gabriel's points again.

Said that, I will concentrate only on Brazilians players, and do not throw the names Leo asked(Luis Fabiano, Hernanes, T. Silva, Pato), because he proved he has the eye for scout.

How we were linked with Jucilei some months ago? It was on Milan news... as someone said here, maybe they read our forum and throw a name, who knows?!? I'm asking this, because outside of Corinthians fans, no ones hype Jucilei as I(and now, bayern) in Brazil to justify our link. So, how we were the first linked again? Ok, maybe I'm a optimist and it was Leo or a agent...

I'm start to believe there's a HUGE gap between Leo, Braida, Galiani and Silvio... more than what we think.

Btw, don't be fooled by Leo choir boy face. He will not pull a Carlo in Milan for next year. He already cause a earthquake in Flamengo, with his opinions about how he would put the team in the right direction in a national TV show. The guy has a STRONG personality, and will not accept another ONLY NO market like last season(L. Fabiano, Hernanes, Sissoko)...

Very interesting article i wanted to share with you guys

The Question: Why is pressing so crucial in the modern game?
Barcelona and Bayern Munich both demonstrated the value of pressing the opposition to regain possession quickly last week


Cesc Fabregas is tackled by Sergio Busquets: Barcelona's pressing game caused problems for Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

After Valeriy Lobanovskyi's Dynamo Kyiv had beaten Zenit Leningrad 3-0 in October 1981 to seal their 10th Soviet title, the report in Sportyvna Hazeta lamented that Viktor Maslov was not alive to see his conception of the game taken to such heights. It's a shame both weren't still with us to have seen those ideas taken to another level again by Barcelona against Arsenal last Wednesday.

As many have noted over the past week, Barcelona's rapid interchange of passes, the relentless attacking and the marauding full-backs perhaps recall one of the great Brazil sides, but the underlying process by which they play comes through the line of Maslov, Rinus Michels and Lobanovskyi.

"Without the ball," Pep Guardiola said after last season's Champions League final, "we are a disastrous team, a horrible team, so we need the ball." It is a sentence that could equally be used of Arsenal: of course they are much better in possession than out of it. The difference is that Barcelona are much better at regaining possession than Arsenal.

After 20 minutes last Wednesday, Barcelona had had 72% of the possession, a barely fathomable figure against anybody, never mind against a side so noted for their passing ability as Arsenal. Their domination in that area came not so much because they are better technically – although they probably are – but because they are better at pressing. In that opening spell, Barça snapped into tackles, swirled around Arsenal, pressured them even deep in their own half. It was a remorseless, bewildering assault; there was no respite anywhere on the pitch, not even when the ball was rolled by the goalkeeper to a full-back just outside the box.

Arsenal buckled. Again and again, even players for whom composure in possession is usually a default gave the ball away. It's hard to believe Cesc Fábregas, who was admittedly possibly hampered by injury, has ever passed the ball as poorly as he did in the first half. Andrey Arshavin was so discombobulated he did a mini-Gazza and crocked his knee lunging at Sergio Busquets.

The psychological factor

This is the unspoken strength of Barcelona: they aren't just majestic in possession themselves; they also make other sides tentative in possession. Think not just of Arsenal, but of Michael Carrick and Anderson haplessly misplacing passes in Rome last May. Partly that is because Barça are so quick to close space; but it is also psychological. Barça are so good in possession, so unlikely to give the ball back, that every moment when their opponents have the ball becomes unbearably precious; even simple passes become loaded with pressure because the consequences of misplacing them are so great.

Although less spectacular in possession, Dunga's Brazil do something similar, aided, as Rob Smyth noted, by having conned the world into believing they still play in a way that they haven't since 1982. That's why so many pundits seem baffled by Brazil's recent successes in the Confederations Cup and the Copa America. John Terry, having watched from the stands as they beat England 1-0 in Doha last year, was still talking about them having "individuals who can frighten anyone one-on-on" while insisting "I don't think Brazil are anything really to worry about".

Their individuals probably aren't, but individuality is no longer their strength; their strength is their cohesion, and the discipline of their pressing which, allied to their technique when in possession, means their opponents almost never have the ball, something Wayne Rooney pointed out in a post-match interview in which his bright red face paid eloquent testament to just how much fruitless chasing he had done.

Notably, Brazil's worst recent performance came in their 1-1 draw in World Cup qualifying away to Ecuador, when only a string of saves from Julio Cesar preserved them from heavy defeat; in Quito, of course, the altitude makes the physical effort required for hard pressing far more difficult.

Shock and awe

Even in the context of their own excellence, though, Barça were exceptional in that opening 20 minutes. Which raises the question of why then, why not every game, and why not in the final 70 minutes. Perhaps an element of complacency crept in, perhaps Arsenal slowly shook themselves out of their daze and began to play, perhaps the replacement of Arshavin with Emmanuel Eboué gave them a greater defensive presence on the right; certainly those seemed to be the commonest explanations.

It is, anyway, a historical truth that when sides strike a period when everything clicks perfectly as it did for Barça in that early period, it rarely lasts more than a few minutes, even in performances held up as the greatest of all time. West Germany, for instance, only really played brilliantly for the first 35 minutes of their 3-1 win over England at Wembley in 1972. Even Hungary, in their 6-3 demolition of England in 1953, were done after 65 minutes, and had dipped towards the end of the first half. Transcendence is, by definition, very difficult to achieve and even harder to maintain.

But it may also be that Barcelona's early surge was part of a calculated plan, and that is why the comparison with Lobanovskyi seems apt, even though the more direct line of influence is through Michels and Johan Cruyff. Pressing with the intensity Barcelona achieved on Wednesday is exhausting, and cannot be kept up for long periods.

In The Methodological Basis of the Development of Training Models, the book he co-wrote with Anatoliy Zelentsov, Lobanovskyi lays out three different kinds of pressing. There is full-pressing, when opponents are hounded deep in their own half; half-pressing, when opponents are closed down only as they cross halfway; and there is false pressing, when a team pretends to press, but doesn't – that is, one player would close down the man in possession, while the others would sit off.

Particularly against technically gifted opponents, Lobanovskyi would have his sides perform the full-press early to rattle them, after which false pressing would often be enough to induce a mistake – and often, of course, his side would be comfortably ahead after the period of full-pressing.

Whether Guardiola has quite such a structured theory is unlikely, but it does seem probable that there was a conscious effort from Barcelona to impose themselves early. The only problem was that, mainly through excellent goalkeeping, and partly through ill luck and poor finishing, Barça were not ahead after 20 minutes, and Arsenal, this season, as their catalogue of decisive late goals suggests, are rather more resilient than they used to be.

Pressing back

Arsenal's attempts to respond with pressing of their own were, frankly, dismal. Allowance should be made for how shaken they were in the early minutes, but the gulf between the sides was still obvious. For pressing to be effective the team must remain compact, which is why Rafael Benítez is so often to be seen on the touchline pushing his hands towards each other as though he were playing an invisible accordion. Arrigo Sacchi said the preferred distance from centre-forward to centre-back when out of possession was 25m, but the liberalisation of the offside trap (of which more next week) has made the calculation rather more complicated.

Again and again, Arsenal's forwards would press, and a huge gap would open up between that line and the line of the midfield. Or the midfield would press, and a gap would open in front of the back four. What that means is that the player in possession can simply step round the challenger into space, or play a simple pass to a player moving into the space; the purpose of the pressing is negated. Or, if you prefer, it was as though Arsenal were false-pressing, without having achieved the first stage of the hustle which is to persuade the opposition you are good at pressing.

Even worse followed after Arsène Wenger apparently attempted to address the issue at half-time, and encouraged his back four to push up. The problem, though, is that if the timing and organisation of the step-up are amiss, a side becomes vulnerable to simple balls over the top such as led to the first goal, or through-balls such as led to the second. This has been a recurring problem for Arsenal over the past couple of years, Gabriel Agbonlahor's goal for Aston Villa at the Emirates last season being a classic example.

The Walcott protocol

What turned the game towards Arsenal – although even in the final 25 minutes when they scored twice, it would be a stretch to say they took control – was the introduction of Theo Walcott. When England beat Croatia 4-1 in Zagreb 18 months ago, he was a key player not just because he scored a hat-trick, but because his pace hit at Croatia's attacking system on their left. At Euro 2008, they had got used to Ivan Rakitic cutting in on to his right foot, with the full-back Danijel Pranjic overlapping, but Pranjic, aware of the danger of allowing Walcott to get behind him, became inhibited. He was neutralised as an attacking threat, while Rakitic became predictable, always turning infield without anybody outside him to draw the full-back – which is the downside of the inside-out winger.

By the nature of how they play, Barcelona, similarly, are vulnerable in the full-back areas. Dani Alves, in particular, is a sham of a defender – which is why Dunga prefers Maicon – but so long as Barcelona control possession it doesn't matter because his job is to be an extra man in midfield and to overlap for Messi (it may have been fear he would not be able to get forward as usual that led Guardiola to use Messi not on the right but as a false nine).

That is one of the reasons Barça's pressing is so awesome; with the full-backs pushed on, their system often appears as, effectively, a 2-5-3. To press with so many so high is a gamble, but one that has tended to be effective. Florent Malouda's performance against Alves in the second leg of the semi-final last year is an indication of what happens when the gamble fails and Barça do not control possession.

The arrival of Walcott disrupted Barça's pressing because Maxwell, like Pranjic, suddenly began looking over his shoulder (in a similar way, Charlie Davies's diagonal runs behind the full-back were a key to USA's victory over Spain at the Confederations Cup because they prevented Sergio Ramos pushing forward and so made Spain very narrow in midfield).

Samir Nasri had earlier had some success against Alves – almost all Arsenal's attacks in the first hour came through him, or through space he had created – and once Arsenal had weathered Barça's initial surge and begun to have some possession, it may be that Arshavin could have done something similar against Maxwell. Real pace, though, adds another dimension, because it means the full-back knows that as soon as the wide-man has got behind him, he has no chance of catching up. Perhaps that is an argument for Walcott starting, but then again, without Eboué last week, maybe they wouldn't have got any grip on possession.

And that, really, is the dilemma for Arsenal: attack Barcelona where they are vulnerable, by playing two out and out attacking wide-men, and the danger is you never have enough possession to make the most of that potential advantage. Concentrate on winning possession by playing more cautiously, and you may have no damaging way in which to use it.

The bigger problem, though, is the issue of pressing. Even if all else is equal, the fact remains that Barça are far, far more adept at winning the ball back than Arsenal, and that makes it all but certain they will dominate possession, and thus the game. Maslov and Lobanovskyi would have approved.

That was interesting and something we find hard as we don't have the legs for it , I think Pirlo has gotten very sloppy in possesion this and last season . We need maybe 4 players and a couple of free ones and get rid of the deadwood , we have a good spine almost Silva , Flamini , new creative mid and Pato with Nesta or maybe Godin , Dinho Pirlo two more good players the rest just have to be athletic and not god damned awful you don't need 11 world class players only 3 or 4 and the rest good ....IDK if that made sense but we are close please mgt don't let us get further away.

That gap between Leo - Braida - Galliani - Silvio does exsist, as it is clear to see in the way Milan is functioning lately. Why? Of course we cant tell precisely, but its clear that all the people in Milan do not work for the good of the club. Or at least, not for the best possible of the club. Personal interests always destroy companies etc., club is no exception. The way Galliani is "listening to our scouts" is strange, to say the least. And about buying players like Grimi, Adiyiah, Cardaccio... I explained it already year or so back but people accused me for some things so I will not repeat it. Just to say, people like C. Maldini, Braida, Leonardo are not idiots, they can see Cardaccio, Grimi, Viudez. etc are not players for Milan and never will be. They didnt say " lets buy Grimi!! He is great!" Im 1000% sure.

And I will support Leo if he leaves in the summer ( if he leaves becouse he doesn't want to he a man who is running a team that cannot do what it is asked to do ) coz he is not a puppy and will not let other make a fool out of him. As a scout he's brilliant, and if we loose that then "we" are idiots.

Originally Posted by mrki

That gap between Leo - Braida - Galliani - Silvio does exsist, as it is clear to see in the way Milan is functioning lately. Why? Of course we cant tell precisely, but its clear that all the people in Milan do not work for the good of the club. Or at least, not for the best possible of the club. Personal interests always destroy companies etc., club is no exception. The way Galliani is "listening to our scouts" is strange, to say the least. And about buying players like Grimi, Adiyiah, Cardaccio... I explained it already year or so back but people accused me for some things so I will not repeat it. Just to say, people like C. Maldini, Braida, Leonardo are not idiots, they can see Cardaccio, Grimi, Viudez. etc are not players for Milan and never will be. They didnt say " lets buy Grimi!! He is great!" Im 1000% sure.

And I will support Leo if he leaves in the summer ( if he leaves becouse he doesn't want to he a man who is running a team that cannot do what it is asked to do ) coz he is not a puppy and will not let other make a fool out of him. As a scout he's brilliant, and if we loose that then "we" are idiots.

Well let's see what happens in the summer. In many ways I think that wether Leo will stay or go will say alot about the ambitions of Galliani especially. I don't think the '5 demands', that Leo has rumoured to have made are unreasonable at all. Even without transfer funds alot of the things he wanted are simply about giving more power to the coach, which I think is a good thing, and clearly the best for the club, at least with Leo as a coach.

I just hope that he'll stay around, and I think that even without a big transfer kitty he'll be able to build a good squad for next season.

Regardless, I think that we might see some investments in 2011, since this is when alot of our players' contracts run out I believe. I remember reading rumours last summer that they would not invest substantially in the next two years. It does make sense somehow since we still are stuck with all these huge player contracts.

Originally Posted by Brasileiro

Reading Dev, Gabriel, Milano posts and thinking about our near past, I become even more confused about our mgt.

Gabriel wrote about our lack of scouting in Brazil, but at the same time, I remember one of(if not the first) young player that I hype here, Alex. At that time(2003, if I'm not wrong), It wasn't wise to scout(buy) and hype a Brazilian CB, since the R. Junior fiasco was fresh.

But even with that huge mistake, Milan was the first big European team to show interest in Alex. After some scouting, Milan sent Braida here to watch the guy in person in some games. We did all right, but jump out of the purchase because Chelsea and Real Madrid enter in the bid war, and that was against our politics. Just to clarify, I saw on TV Alex saying that the only clubs that really talk to him, were Milan and Real. Funny Chelsea was the last, but the one to finish the purchase...

My point is: that shows that at least someone in Milan is aware of Brazilian prospects and market. If I'm not wrong, Leo was still playing in Brazil at that time. So, who was the guy to have the courage(and eyes) to look to Brazil and try to purchase a CB at that time? It wasn't a good time for that, but the guy forgot the prejudice and look only for talent...

Now, if it was Braida, how in the earth is he coming here to buy the Grimmi's and Cardaccio's of S.A nowadays?? Adyah's?!?!?

Look, every managements commits mistakes, It would be naive to look only for the flaws, but at the same time, we are shooting our feet more than the normal... and that leads me to Gabriel's points again.

Said that, I will concentrate only on Brazilians players, and do not throw the names Leo asked(Luis Fabiano, Hernanes, T. Silva, Pato), because he proved he has the eye for scout.

How we were linked with Jucilei some months ago? It was on Milan news... as someone said here, maybe they read our forum and throw a name, who knows?!? I'm asking this, because outside of Corinthians fans, no ones hype Jucilei as I(and now, bayern) in Brazil to justify our link. So, how we were the first linked again? Ok, maybe I'm a optimist and it was Leo or a agent...

I'm start to believe there's a HUGE gap between Leo, Braida, Galiani and Silvio... more than what we think.

Btw, don't be fooled by Leo choir boy face. He will not pull a Carlo in Milan for next year. He already cause a earthquake in Flamengo, with his opinions about how he would put the team in the right direction in a national TV show. The guy has a STRONG personality, and will not accept another ONLY NO market like last season(L. Fabiano, Hernanes, Sissoko)...

We both failed to mention our suppose next Cafu-Mattioni.

I think Mattioni is a very very strange case. They got him on loan for 6 months and yet did not play him at all. Now he could be a complete bust and the scouting was wrong....but I really doubt that the person who recommended Mattioni was also the person who got us T.Silva. On top of that, for the last 6 months of last season, our FB was even worse then now. It really makes you wonder what was the reason for the loan of Mattioni

Godin is of course a very good player, who can be our 3rd CB, but he is not free, even expensive.

About pressing, Sacchi was the inventor and Milan became Grande Milan thanks to that. Nowadays? I think no need to say more

Originally Posted by Gabriel489

Don't think Milan needed anything prior to Sheva's departure and the Scandal.
I think it was pretty much in after winning the CL in 07 that Carlo did not get what he wanted. But then again, beside Toni and Ribery, Carlo really did not make it known that who did he wanted.

I don't disagree with any part of your post. However, my reason for bringing Carlo up is exactly what you say. He seemed to accept every purchase made and support the management even when it was obvious they were making mistakes. I also think Carlo did have a preference to have experienced players, hence we mostly got "experienced" players as opposed to youngsters.

At any club, a manager's input in transfers is invaluable. This is because it's up to the manager to actually build the team and without that communication the club will lack direction (in many ways it seems much like us in recent years). It's obvious that despite Leo not getting what he wanted, Galliani and co did attempt to get him the players he wanted.

I also remember someone (Cesare Maldini I believe) saying that during his time at Milan, Carlo did have a big say on the transfers soon after he left. For me all this leaves us with the question as to exactly who is responsible for transfers and how much? I bet the answer is rather blurry.

Originally Posted by Milano84

Disagree. They spend millions and millions on flops and OLD EXPENSIVE PLAYERS while neglecting cheap talent.

Huntelaar, oliviera, zambrotta, emerson and on and on and on

While none seem huge, every dollar adds up. Would you prefer huntelaar or pastore + nene for example cause those 2 were bought for less than combine sum of huntelaar.

Oliviera was purchased when we could have goten a 25 year old berbatov for less money (and he is a perfect fit at milan and in italy). The list goes on
and on

and on

and on

Any moron can build a squad with 50 mil a summer. It takes real scouting, management and skill to build one on a bit of a budget

I don't disagree they made mistakes, I've said this from my first post. However, as I said to Gabriel, I think there are many factors here we need to consider. Carlo during his time at Milan showed a clear preference for more experienced players, and very few younger players shone during his time at Milan (in fact, the only two success stories that come to mind for me are Kaka and Pato, who are both phenomenal). The other players who were successful under Carlo were either already established players or players who were on the cusp of maturing into established stars (and many of them were bought prior to him joining Milan). I think our transfer policies during this time generally reflected his ideas as a coach.

As soon as Leo came in our transfer policy had a distinct change. We aimed for younger talents who had the ability to take a step up to the next level. Yes we failed in the transfer market (due to lack of funds), but that doesn't negate the fact we aim for a different type of player now than we did during Carlo's time.

For this reason I think lines are blurred when it comes to who is responsible for our problems and whilst Galliani and co make mistakes, I doubt it's just them and there are clearly other factors which are preventing them now from getting the players we need.

Hey guys, check out the transcripts of the wiretapped phone involving the referee designator, Moratti, Spaletti, ... and Galliani. I'm using my cellphone now and I can't paste the link here but you can read it on goal.com.

Moggi had a similar conversation and Juve ended up being relegated. Reading through the scripts, there's a chance that Inter (and us) could face the same punishment. What do you think guys?

Dev, I think what others are saying is that Galli and Brida are not completely innocent in making Milan a sinking ship.

The thing is that, if you are anyone, looking at the finances of Milan, you would assume that the team should be pretty much a top team in the world when taking a look at the payroll. However, once you look closely that is not the case. I think Berlu might actually want some major changes. Saying goodbye to Carlo is the first step, second step could very well be Galli and Brida....

Like you said Dev, Carlo was probably at fault too, and thats why he is gone. Won't be surprise to see Galli and Brida too.

Just like the old saying, YOUR BOSS IS ALWAYS RIGHT.

Here they are from goal.com


Calciopoli Phone Calls Between Referees, Inter, Milan & Others Published

Phone calls involving the Milan giants and referee designators dating back to 2005 have been published by the Italian press for the first time...
By Salvatore Landolina
Apr 10, 2010 1:00:00 PM

Transcripts of phone calls involving Inter, Milan and a number of other clubs in relation to the 2006 Calciopoli trial have been published by Italian media after new evidence came to light at the current trial in Naples.

At the trial, former Juventus director Luciano Moggi is trying to defend his position by claiming that he was not the only one to call referees, and accused both Inter and Milan of doing the same.

His legal team have been sifting through the evidence and found thousands of transcripts from calls.

Some of these have now been published across the Italian media, and they show Inter president Massimo Moratti, the late Giachinto Facchetti, Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani, and the then Udinese coach Luciano Spalletti all having conversations with Paolo Bergamo who at the time was referee designator. There are also calls involving Pierluigi Pairetto, a former referee and designator.

In one call dated February 11 2005, Pairetto spoke with Facchetti, the then Inter president regarding referees for Coppa Italia matches.

According to Sportmediaset.it, here is an extract from that call.

Pairetto: Speak to you soon, and remember yeah, you know these things are private yeah, no-one knows about these things...

Fachetti: Yes, Yes, I agree.

Pairetto: It's something between us.

In another call dated January 10th 2005, Bergamo is speaking to Moratti, telling him he has sent a good team of officials for the game between Inter and Bologna in the Coppa Italia. Inter went on to win it 3-1. The call was published by Il Secolo XIX.

Bergamo, speaking to Moratti: "Seeing that there is no draw (for referees), but they will be designated, I have sent you Gabriele. And he will be with his two assistants who are very good..."

The conversation continues, and Bergamo explains the decision to send Gabriele.

Bergamo: I spoke to Facchetti, president, to confirm this climate of cordiality that is, naturally, something that only you and I know. The group appreciated the work in terms of Gabriele and Palanca (referees) and so I have decided to get them back for the Coppa Italia. One of them will ref Inter and one Milan.

Moratti: Ok...

Bergamo: We wanted to send out a good picture...

Moratti: Yes, Yes...

Bergamo: Facchetti said 'yes, yes we agree'...

Moratti: Ok, on Wednesday I will go and see him before the game.

Bergamo: He will be happy with this.

Moratti: I will go to say hello.

Bergamo: He will be happy if you say hello.

Moratti: Thanks. I will be there on Wednesday, and if need be I will go to see him before the game.

In another call published by Il Corriere dello Sport Bergamo discusses Inter's 1-1 draw with Chievo Verona with Facchetti and Christian Vieri's disallowed goal that was chalked off by linesman Ricci. The designator then promises things will be different at the next game when he sends a different referee.

Bergamo: Hi Giancinto (Facchetti).

Facchetti: Hi Paolo I wanted to say hi, and then seeing what happened on Sunday, I didn't know Moratti had come out with this ref story.

Bergamo: No, but don't worry, the president just wanted to speak, and does when he feels neccessary.

Facchetti: Yes, but it was Ricci who made the mistake. And Paparesta (the ref) made a decision on this.

Bergamo: But, when the president moans he is right, but just don't give the players an alibi.

Facchetti: Yes, right, in fact.

Bergamo: Understand? What could Paparesta do? Ricci made the mistake... in fact Paparesta had a good game. He had prepared the game really well, but unfortunately.

Facchetti: Nothing, we have Palanca tonight.

Bergamo: You'll see he will have a good game, wait and see, it will be a good one.

Milan president Adriano Galliani was also in contact with Bergamo. In one call they are speaking about the 1-0 defeat to Juventus on May 8th. The game was a Scudetto decider and Juventus went on to win the title that season.

Galliani was annoyed that the game didn't go to plan.

The call is dated May 17th 2005, and was published by Calciomercato.com.

Bergamo: Hello?

Galliani: It's Galliani, hello.

Bergamo: Hello, how are you?

Galliani: I was looking for you last night, but you were busy.

Bergamo: I still haven't recovered from the Milan-Juventus match. This caused a trauma in the family and it left a sign. We thought everything but...

Galliani: Us too, us too.

Bergamo: We thought everything apart from that, if it went bad, bad, bad, the game could have been a draw... anyway.

Galliani: Had we drawn we would have gone on to win at Lecce (the game ended 2-2) because we wouldn't have given up. Had we drawn with Juve we would have been top of the league and we would have certainly beat Lecce because it was an easy game.

Further evidence emerging at the trial of Naples sees the then Udinese coach Luciano Spalletti speaking with Bergamo before the 1-1 draw with Sampdoria on May 12th 2005.

Bergamo: It's important that you are fully charged up.

Spalletti: No, I am not fully motivated, naturally like you said with the, lets say, supervision of transparency, try to send us... like you know, like you have always done.

Bergamo: Look, I can tell you that after a last minute thought, I have already decided the assistants. Therefore you will get Pisacreta who is one of the best and Griselli from Livorno who has been number one. Therefore you are well protected, and as for the draw, we will see who you will get from the internationals (referees) that we have already put in."

Spalletti: Good.

Bergamo: I wish you good luck. We will do it. Good luck.

Adriano Galliani denied to comment on Friday when asked what he made of the new evidence.

But, on Saturday, Il Corriere Dello Sport reports Moratti will take action and defend himself from the new allegations in Naples when the court regathers for another hearing on April 13th.

The report claims Moratti will try to explain the calls. The FIGC (Italian FA) also confirmed they would be looking at the new evidence to decide whether or not to re-open the 2006 sporting trial.
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Looks like it's all going to blow now. The phone calls with Inter are the most incriminating, but in truth, it just looked like everyone called Bergamo. I can't imagine that Juve could let this go though, they would be right to require justice in this as well. At the very least I can't imagine that Inter can keep their 2006 Scudetto.

Sorry for double post, but just saw this:

"Mandanda will go to Milan," a word of his "substitute"

Interviewed by the daily Le Buteur, goalkeeper of Setif and Algerian national, Faouzi Chaochi, said: "I am confident that Marseille is still following me. Also because I understand that I may be planning to replace Mandanda that will go to Milan." A real bomb, one launched from the far defender Africa, which, if confirmed, would open unexpected scenarios in the market.

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Only watched him a bit, so not really gonna judge him. But I guess anyone that can start in front of Frey and Lloris for the national team is a good keeper, even though we all know the coach is strange.

When it comes to who is at fault for our bad transfers, I'm not sure if its fair to say that Galliani was the cause of all our bad ones and that Leo was the source of all the good. It's not fair, and doesn't seem to reflect the reality of how these choices are made.

Even if Galli was behind Oliveira and Gila, he still was the one that brought in Pirlo, Seedorf, Cafu, and not to mention the guy who found Gorky, and we were the ones who went after Cissoko, I seriously doubt that Galliani was the one who pulled the "teeth problems," because Galliani was the one who went after him. So, I think Galliani has an eye for talent and has the ability to grab talent.

Like ACM1983 said, Carlo obviously had his input on transfers, just like Leo has had (with much more limited funds, of course) and it is reflected in the policies that we pursued. Mancini wouldn't have come if Leonardo wasn't here, that clearly was a Leonardo request, and you can obviously tell that by Berlu's reaction to the transfer.

I really think the issue is Berlu. All teams makes transfer mistakes, you don't even need to look at Real, but even United, look at Berbatov, or Kleberson, Djemba-Djemba, and so on and so forth. All teams make mistakes, just like human beings.

With regard to Mandana, I do watch him a bit, because I really like Marseille. Mandana is pretty good, but, he doesn't some strange things sometimes. He's like Barthez, a good keeper, fantastic reactions, but then sometimes, he pulls some odd stuff. Not in the same crazy style of Barthez, but, more to the positioning sense.