Future planning

Let me add, what you talked about as for Leonardo/Cafu is more or less advertising.

Originally Posted by kris

Let me add, what you talked about as for Leonardo/Cafu is more or less advertising.

Well if you think Leo and Cafu as billboards, that is your perrogative. I'm talking about behind the scenes influence. The kind where an upcoming whelp from Brazil getsa phone call not by Galliani or Braida to join our organization but a call from Cafu and/ Leo to join our organization. I'm talking literal on hands negotiating the whole spiel. That kind of relationship and influence gives us the edge rather than Milan just being Milan.
If a call came from Galliani that Milan is interested in a players signing... that does carry weight. However if my childhood legend on behalf of Lyon came calling with the interest of my services, that then carries extra consideration to even signing with Milan doesnt it? The edge comes by eliminating any chance of hesistation coming from the player given the scenario I stated above. Again if you think it as a billboard, yeah it is a big billboard by what I'm saying.

Originally Posted by Kris

I believe number one complaint the summer was about our defense, which clearly is fine even if we need some new blood there. But this is not as big problem as we have many on our books.

Now clearly everyone seems to have been on the "we need a new right fulback", it was the most glaring obvious thing in our squad. Together with finding a suitable replacement to Sheva, not exactly rocket science here.

Those two areas were obviously the most talked about, but alot of the other views mentioned in this thread were also talked about heavily in the summer, not by as many people, but they were discussed and at times in depth.

So i just think it's right to give those people some credit for this rather than think everything in this thread is a brand new discovery. Also, how come they are complaints when people in the summer talked about them but now these views are seen in a more positive light?

You are right about the fact that a lot of our players has good values and could be kept around if nobody better arrives. You didn't, however, realize the importance of changes to this team from a mentality stand point.

Think back a couple of years ago, we were one of the to pteams in the entire world. In a mere couple of years, we went from one of the best to a mid level Serie A team that has no shot at competing for the title. The foundation is pretty much the same and the aging problems isn't really that bad. So, what's the problem here? All the success and aging of those players destroyed their passion for glory and the team. Same thing for the coach, he has been a good coach, but the players are sick and tired of him and he has nothing left in his bag for this team. Look at Hitzfeld in Bayern Munich, they were the perfect match and yet after 6 seasons, he still had to go. That is why we need some major changes in our team. We need a few start with brand new players, coach and possibly hopefully a new management.

Players like Dida, Inzaghi, Maldini, Costacurta, Serginho and Cafu are too old and already given up on trying, so I say we should let them go. Oliveira has to go because I don't think the fans are going to tolerate his play any longer. Nesta, Kaladze and Ambrosini had always been and will always be injury prone and therefore, we need to find some backup for those guys in case they are injured.

This team now needs a new identity. We need to sign a couple of new world class players to boost our fading star power as well as a few young players who can be used as backups for now and will be ready to step in in a year or two. We have some good pieces to build around with, but at least 5 or 6 signings are required if we want to be competitive in both Serie A and the Champions League at the same time again.

Originally Posted by slifersd

Think back a couple of years ago, we were one of the to pteams in the entire world. In a mere couple of years, we went from one of the best to a mid level Serie A team that has no shot at competing for the title.

Thats not true. Only for this season can we say something like that. We where far before Inter just last year.

Originally Posted by slifersd

The foundation is pretty much the same and the aging problems isn't really that bad. So, what's the problem here? All the success and aging of those players destroyed their passion for glory and the team. Same thing for the coach, he has been a good coach, but the players are sick and tired of him and he has nothing left in his bag for this team. Look at Hitzfeld in Bayern Munich,

World ain't that black and white. Look at Alex Ferguson instead and players like Scholes and Giggs which still have been great for ManU. In the good old days teams hardly changed at all and that didn't exactly stop some teams from dominating. Nor did constant changes in Inter make them win.

For a team you have to look at every part and see what is wrong. That is why I made this topic to begin with.

All the success and aging of those players destroyed their passion for glory and the team.

Why do some teams keep on winning?

There are so many reasons we can talk about. Both for why one team wins and another don't.

Originally Posted by slifersd

Players like Dida, Inzaghi, Maldini, Costacurta, Serginho and Cafu are too old and already given up on trying, so I say we should let them go.

What do you mean by that?

Slifersd, If Milan continues to struggle next year then you can say that the older players have given up.
Like kris said, Milan finished 2nd last year and was in the final four of the CL. I don't see how can for example Maldini give up that quickly. He has been going at it since the 80s untill last year, and all of a sudden this year he just gives up? Again, that might be so, but to say that he is giving up we must wait at least untill next year because Milan has only played "bad" football for 5 months of this season.
And keep in mind that these 5 months are only comming after a difficult and unusual summer.

As for the other you mentioned, Dida has certainly not given up and I don't know why people say that he has aged. He is a keeper and if you need an example just look at Kahn and VD Saar. Inzaghi has certainly not given up because just a couple of weeks ago he stormed out of the stadium because he wasn't allowed to play more. That showes that he has the urge to play. How can you even say that Serginho has given up on trying when he was one of the big reasons for that 2nd place and the semi final last year. He had a good season and has been injured. We haven't even seen him play this year to even make an assumption that he has given up on trying. Costacurta said that this will be his last year and it will probably be Cafu's as well, so there is no need to comment there.

I agree with you however that the squad needs some changes and signins will be inevitable this summer. Milan is not a midtable team as we are still one of the best teams in Italy together with Roma and Inter. However if signings don't come this summer we might very well become a midtable team.
I don't see that happening however as the board has already started working on the "new" team.
Oddo has come and in my eyes he is the best RB in Italy. People complain that he is 30 but he will give at least another 3 great seasons for us. So think about it this way, we will have a great RB untill 2010, and that is plenty of time.