AC Milan general spiel

[p_maldini_3]

[marco]

i think gianfranco may be able to highlight the sole reason for that in a pretty concise and insightful response. i dont want to make any bold predictions here but i bet if you ask him, he may respond with, "milan is flailing because of dinho".

rob - you laid down the hammer pretty good over at the offside. good stuff.

[The MAN]

I think this team is on a mission to string the longest losing streak of alltime

[p_maldini_3]

[vtec]

[RomaShield27]

And the award for worst transfer rumour of the season goes to.........


Milan To Announce Signing Of Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas On Monday – Report
Andrea Pirlo will then move on to Chelsea…
www.Goal.com – 15 Aug 2009 13:30:56

Sections of the Italian media are speculating that Milan president Silvio Berlusconi will announce a big-money signing for the club on Monday night before the Trofeo Berlusconi, and according to UnoNotizie.it this player will be Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas. The €30-35 million required to complete this capture will be recovered in part by the sale of Andrea Pirlo to Chelsea.

Milan have had a truly disastrous pre-season, winning just one game. They had already suffered a string of defeats to Club America, Chelsea, Inter, Bayern Munich, Boca Juniors and Benfica, and last night lost two more in the Trofeo TIM to Inter again and Juventus.

This Monday night, Milan will host the annual Trofeo Luigi Berlusconi against Juventus, and there are expected to be huge demonstrations against Berlusconi after a disastrous transfer summer where the club have made just one notable signing in Real Madrid’s Klaas Jan Huntelaar, despite selling star man Kaka to the Blancos for €67m.

Partly in a bid to quell the protests, as well as to strengthen a Milan team in desperate need of new players, the Italian media are speculating that Berlusconi will use the special occasion at San Siro on Monday night to announce a big-money signing that will excite supporters.

UnoNotizie.it are claiming that this player will be Cesc Fabregas, who they say wants to leave Arsenal after becoming disillusioned with the direction the club is going following the high-profile summer sales of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure which has been countered only by the arrival of Belgian international centre back Thomas Vermaelen from Ajax. Milan will shell out €30-35m for Fabregas, and will recover part of this sum by selling Pirlo to Chelsea.

Cynics will point to the fact that Berlusconi announced only last week that Pirlo would stay at San Siro for the rest of his career, while Milan's economic problems may make it difficult for them to fund the Fabregas transfer. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger also declared only yesterday that there was no chance of Fabregas leaving the club, amid interest from Barcelona. Milan supporters will be waiting eagerly for Monday night to see if Berlusconi does indeed announce a major coup prior to the clash with Juventus, and were it to be Fabregas it would send shockwaves through Milan and North London.

[vtec]

if the transfer market were open during april fool's, it would be a pretty good joke then

[p_maldini_3]

[San Paolo]

Heartbreaking to see him in those fuckers training shirt, he treated us like Kings and Berlusca and Puppet knifed him in the back like a stray dog

[vtec]

is that spock from star trek? admittedly, i was never a big sci fi fan

[vtec]

is that spock from star trek? admittedly, i was never a big sci fi fan

[RomaShield27]

[b]Berlusconi wants a salary cap during credit crunch[/url]
– August 18, 2009

The massive wages being paid to footballers are unacceptable in the current tough economic climate and a salary cap should be brought in, according to Italian Premier and AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi.

"Footballers' salaries are outside reality. It is necessary to introduce a salary cap," Berlusconi was quoted as saying by Italian media on Tuesday. "They are unacceptable, distant from the real economy in which we live in a difficult time like this. They are outside every parameter."

He said he believed a European salary cap was feasible after discussing the issue with UEFA President Michel Platini.

"I think we should do like they do in the United States and reach a decision for a law to have a salary cap throughout Europe," he said. "I've spoken to Platini and I think we'll work in this direction very soon."

Berlusconi, who also denied speculation he intended to sell part of his Milam stake, said he was not taking aim at big spending Real Madrid, who lured Brazil playmaker Kaka away from his club in the close season, but at the "phenomenon" of soaring wages.

His proposal won immediate support from Lazio President Claudio Lotito but past and present players were less enthusiastic.

"You don't resolve all football's problems by reducing our salaries," said Italy captain and Juventus defender Fabio Cannavaro. "If you cut our wages, you should cut the prices of many things, starting with the tickets to the stadium."

Italian Football Federation Vice President Demetrio Albertini agreed. "We should stop blaming the footballers all the time. The issue is the system, not the players," the former Milan and Italy midfielder said. "The players earn what the club presidents offer them."

[maro]

[RobHood]

[p_maldini_3]

AC Milan relying on 'Brazilian Bolt'

by Barnaby Chesterman 2 hours, 7 minutes ago

*
Buzz up! 2 votes
*
Print

ROME (AFP) - It has been a frustrating summer for AC Milan fans but the club's owner is urging them to put their faith in the Brazilian footballing version of 100m rocket Usain Bolt for the coming season.

Silvio Berlusconi, who is also the Italian Prime Minister, believes that in former Barcelona ace Ronaldinho, the seven-time European champions have a man capable of wowing the world in the way that sprint world record holder Bolt has these last two years.

That is roughly the same period of time during which Ronadlinho has stopped shining like a star in the sky but Berlusconi believes he could do so again.

Speaking following the Berlusconi Cup, in which Milan beat great rivals Juventus on penalties for only their second pre-season success in 11 attempts—they lost eight of those matches—the Italy PM said the samba magician can bristle once again.
ADVERTISEMENT

"Our Usain Bolt is called Ronaldinho. He used to be the dream of all sportsmen the world over and he can be again," said Berlusconi, who was impressed with the Brazilian's showing against Juventus on Monday.

"I liked what I saw, he played off the front men, in the heart of the action and on the edge of the penalty box, a vital positition that heralds many free-kicks, penalties, magical assists and goals."

Milan will need to produce something special from somewhere if they are to lift the doom and gloom from the red and black half of the San Siro.

During the off season they lost former world player of the year Kaka to Real Madrid, talisman Paolo Maldini to retirement and saw David Beckham and Andrei Shevchenko leave following the end of their loan spells.

On top of that, Milan have not won Serie A since 2004 and finished 10 points behind champions and city rivals Inter Milan last season.

Their fans were hoping for a raft of marquee signings to boost their chances this campaign but instead their only notable addition has been Dutch forward Klaas Jan Huntelaar from Real.

Centre-backs Oguchi Onyewu and Thiago Silva have joined but neither one will be expected to make the difference this coming season.

And Huntelaar, despite being a regular goalscorer, is no substitute for Kaka but Berlusconi says fans should not lament those that are departed.

"Football was not invented by Kaka nor (Marco) Van Basten," he said, referring to the disappointment many fans felt at the appointment of Leonardo as new Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti's replacement rather than the former Milan forward, a fans' favourite.

"In football the stars, the saints and the heroes change, you shouldn't feel nostalgic about anyone," he added before closing the door on any further signings.

"It's wedged shut, although there are several players who could be sold."

With the incoming door closed, Milan need to find something extra from within, which could explain Berlusconi's attempts to boost the Brazilian's morale.

"We bought Ronaldinho because he's number one in the world, no-one else has a player like him," he added.

However, perhaps more significantly, Leonardo is not so sure about Ronaldinho's ability to reproduce past glories.

"Ronaldinho is a player like all the others, available for selection like everyone else but he has to step up to the plate, he's a great talent," said the coach.

"He's putting the work in but he's still got to find some consistency. If you're talking about the Ronaldinho of three or four years ago, he's a long way away from that but with respect to the last few years he seems better to me.

"He's done almost all the preparation work, he's had a few good games (in pre-season), others less so. He's still a player who can make the difference, though."

[vtec]

agree with you guys there, but i also blame carlo for not standing up to the management more. he got a lot out of the group of players he had. i hope he wins the Premiershit.

[stefano]

[maro]

[stefano]

[maro]