The Rumour Commode XXIV: The Reality Era Continues

[rossonero1]

what about the ceo? scaroni's replacement

CEO and president are 2 different positions. Scaroni will stay as president. Gazidis/Gandini will probably be CEOs.

 

[rossonero1]

IMHO, Gasperini's 3421 is more entertaining than Conte's 352. With Papu Gomez is playing a central role in making it entertaining.

Gasperini is also good at it, but no one beats Conte at it. Proven to make it work with Juve, Italian NT, Chelsea.

 

[Soldier_of_god]

Why the fuk are some people shitting on Hakan? Do you guys watch our games? Hakan is pretty good.

He's not the fastest so he isn't ideal as actual winger but in terms of adding creativity to our midfield, he's definitely more than able.

he is our best player by far. I dont like how we are so dependent on him and suso though. that's why we needed a creative midfielder to mitigate the pressure of having to rely on the wings for creativity.

 

[Alec]

he is our best player by far. I dont like how we are so dependent on him and suso though. that's why we needed a creative midfielder to mitigate the pressure of having to rely on the wings for creativity.

I mean hey, I'd love to have Real's squad but things are what they are. Gotta take into account in what type of mediocrity we were stuck for years and how building a team in all this turmoil has been hard. It'll take some more time till we're really elite again. But we're definitely on a fundamental agreement here

I'd love more options, but Hakan definitely is a very good player and him being back should transform the team, improve the overall level. Let's see how he does.

 

[Hugh Janus]

Kaka has landed in Malpensa Airport: “It’s beautiful to return to Italy, I am confident about Milan.” [@AntoVitiello]

Kaka: “I speak frequently with Leonardo because we are friends but we have not yet discussed the role I will have at Milan.”

Kaka: “My priority now is my children who live in Brazil. I have to be close to them but with Leo and Paolo I get even closer to Milan.”

Kaka: “I am very happy that Gattuso is Milan’s coach. He always had a lot of determination and a lot of desire as well as a great mentality in terms of work. Now I hope that the results arrive with him.”

Kaka: “Why did I not collaborate with the previous ownership? Because when I retired I wanted to stay close to my children. It will be beautiful to return to San Siro. I expect a victory for Milan against Roma.”

 

[truant]

Kaka has landed in Malpensa Airport: “It’s beautiful to return to Italy, I am confident about Milan.” [@AntoVitiello]

Kaka: “I speak frequently with Leonardo because we are friends but we have not yet discussed the role I will have at Milan.”

Kaka: “My priority now is my children who live in Brazil. I have to be close to them but with Leo and Paolo I get even closer to Milan.”

Kaka: “I am very happy that Gattuso is Milan’s coach. He always had a lot of determination and a lot of desire as well as a great mentality in terms of work. Now I hope that the results arrive with him.”

Kaka: “Why did I not collaborate with the previous ownership? Because when I retired I wanted to stay close to my children. It will be beautiful to return to San Siro. I expect a victory for Milan against Roma.”

 

[patosheva]

Kakaaaaaaa

leo,paolo ,kaka

 

[truant]

I somehow always thought the Trinity would be Albertini, Maldini and Leo but I gotta say Leo, Maldini and Kaka is better.

 

[Kojak]

8 - Giacomo Bonaventura and Miralem Pjanic are the only two players to have scored at least one goal in each of the last eight Serie A campaigns (included the current one). Experience.

Lol that’s the only good thing they have in common.

 

[Congo Powers]

Kaka the unpaid intern

 

[Kojak]

After the calamitous way our club has been run the last 10 years, mainly because of extremely poor management, I welcome polished professionals in these positions. Reintegrating Maldini into the club is such a huge, huge deal because he is Milan DNA. Same with Leo, same with Kaká.

Our squad doesn't yet match such a management, but that's not something we could fix this summer. Leo did marvellous with a zero sum market and we now need our new management to fix things properly from an economical and sporting perspective(acquire the voluntary agreement, rid the club of fodders eventually) before we start climbing to the top via great signings.

This team is good enough to make top 4 and CL, which is essential. The way all the pieces seem to land perfectly behind the team really bolsters the teams confidence, I think.

I agree we’ve had a stellar ‘management mercato’ and Gazidis would be the icing on the cake. He turned Arsenal into the 6th highest revenue generating club in football despite a lack of silverware. Scaroni, Leonardo, Maldini + Gandini are all excellent appointments too and I can’t complain.

However, I disagree when you say we had a marvellous mercato. Leo spent 25m on an unproven winger like Shamu when he could’ve redirected those funds to a Serie A proven LCM like Strootman or creative mid like Pastore. We then could’ve signed Bernard for free or taken Keita/Politano on a 5m loan with option deal like Inter did. Also, splashing 14-18m on Laxalt when we already have RR makes zero sense. Firstly, Laxalt’s a WB and secondly we could’ve just kept Antonelli as backup or redeployed Calabria until Strinic recovers. Instead, those funds could’ve been better used elsewhere.

Also, I don’t think this squads good enough for top 4 especially with Gattuso at the helm. We’re clearly lacking 2 creative mids and 1 fast, tricky winger to give Higuain the service he deserves. You could clearly see his frustration against Napoli as passes/crosses constantly whizzed past him. Unfortunately, there aren’t any other reliable goalscorers in the team besides him which is a necessity for top 4.

 

[AndreiX]

are we signing this kaka kid?

he any good ? dude looks like a nerd

 

[Kojak]

Thanks. That makes a lot of sense!

I just hope Gandini doesn't carry over some of the financially irresponsible behaviour that B&G used to practice which was fine when Berlu was pouring money into the team but eventually led to the mess we are in now.

I guess Gazidis and Elliot will be auditing and keeping a close eye so no need to worry.

Like I said Gazidis will be in charge of finances so any financial mismanagement will be on his head. Also, Galliani was in charge of transfer policy and it was his decision to overpay wages/fees for fodders and give agents fat commissions that led to our financial downfall. Besides, Gandini’s been CEO of Roma for 2 years so I doubt they’d hire him if he was incompetent.

 

[Buske]

are we signing this kaka kid?

he any good ? dude looks like a nerd

Yeah we are. He is not the flashy dribble type, but he is very effective at what he does.

 

[Hitchens]

However, I disagree when you say we had a marvellous mercato. Leo spent 25m on an unproven winger like Shamu when he could’ve redirected those funds to a Serie A proven LCM like Strootman or creative mid like Pastore. We then could’ve signed Bernard for free or taken Keita/Politano on a 5m loan with option deal like Inter did. Also, splashing 14-18m on Laxalt when we already have RR makes zero sense. Firstly, Laxalt’s a WB and secondly we could’ve just kept Antonelli as backup or redeployed Calabria until Strinic recovers. Instead, those funds could’ve been better used elsewhere.

Also, I don’t think this squads good enough for top 4 especially with Gattuso at the helm. We’re clearly lacking 2 creative mids and 1 fast, tricky winger to give Higuain the service he deserves. You could clearly see his frustration against Napoli as passes/crosses constantly whizzed past him. Unfortunately, there aren’t any other reliable goalscorers in the team besides him which is a necessity for top 4.

I think you're complaining too much about the mercato. Samu is yet to be labeled anything at all, from what we know La Liga fans consider him a loss and he had a good season last year. He is maybe the definition of a "fast tricky winger". Could be a surprise and a great signing, could be a flop. We have no way of knowing at this point, and I don't consider Keita, Politano or Bernard to be superior signings in any way. If they are, it is a marginal difference and none of them are sure things.

The Laxalt signing is something I think can end up being a gem of a signing. Not as a starting LB, which I don't think he's meant to be, but as a troubling option on the left wing if we need pace and initiative on that side late in a game. He will be very useful I think, a better version of Urby that one season he wasn't utter shit.

Strootman would have been a decent signing, but how do we know he was even available to us? Not someone who guarantees anything anyway, but a good player. I agree that our midfield is concerning, but if Bona delivers a good season and Bakayoko the same, then we can really fight for top 4.

And I also think you're too pessimistic about the goalscorers. Higuain will score close to 30 I think, and Hakan, Bona, Suso, Samu and Cutrone are all players that can score goals in a working team.

People expecting a certain top four this season are simply not living in the reality created by the last few seasons. It's still an uphill battle, but with luck and a confident group top 4 is possible. Far from a lock.

And that's exactly why it's so important that the "behind the scenes" aspect of the club is looking attractive, professional and promising. If we're feeling this then you can bet the players are too.

This season is ours to fuck up

 

[Hugh Janus]

are we signing this kaka kid?

he any good ? dude looks like a nerd

yes

 

[Milanista92]

at this point results are all that matter

 

[truant]

Like I said Gazidis will be in charge of finances so any financial mismanagement will be on his head. Also, Galliani was in charge of transfer policy and it was his decision to overpay wages/fees for fodders and give agents fat commissions that led to our financial downfall. Besides, Gandini’s been CEO of Roma for 2 years so I doubt they’d hire him if he was incompetent.

Yes, just doing a quick search and it seems Roma have had some positive changes since Gandini was appointed. Their stadium project approval got through with him at the helm. Appointing Monchi as SD was a masterstroke as he is an expert at buying talent at a reasonable price and then selling at a premium. Milan could be run that way and that would be a realistic path towards sustainability.

But it would be even nicer to return to being the apex predators of the transfer market like Real Madrid, Barcelona, PSG, Juventus, Man Utd, Man City and previously Chelsea. Yes, still be clever about sales but buy players at the top or as they are heading for the top and make sure they spend their best years with us. Milan have more brand power and history than Roma so hopefully it is this scenario rather than the AS Roma model. Also, with Elliot appointing Leo who is more known for his work with us under Galliani as well as for PSG hopefully this is what they have this in mind.

I guess Elliot are attempting to have all the bases covered which hopefully bodes well for the club. They seem systematic about their approach and that is very reassuring.

 

[General]

Kaka the unpaid intern

 

[General]

results are all that matter

Fixed

 

[Kojak]

I think you're complaining too much about the mercato. Samu is yet to be labeled anything at all, from what we know La Liga fans consider him a loss and he had a good season last year. He is maybe the definition of a "fast tricky winger". Could be a surprise and a great signing, could be a flop. We have no way of knowing at this point, and I don't consider Keita, Politano or Bernard to be superior signings in any way. If they are, it is a marginal difference and none of them are sure things.

The Laxalt signing is something I think can end up being a gem of a signing. Not as a starting LB, which I don't think he's meant to be, but as a troubling option on the left wing if we need pace and initiative on that side late in a game. He will be very useful I think, a better version of Urby that one season he wasn't utter shit.

Strootman would have been a decent signing, but how do we know he was even available to us? Not someone who guarantees anything anyway, but a good player. I agree that our midfield is concerning, but if Bona delivers a good season and Bakayoko the same, then we can really fight for top 4.

And I also think you're too pessimistic about the goalscorers. Higuain will score close to 30 I think, and Hakan, Bona, Suso, Samu and Cutrone are all players that can score goals in a working team.

People expecting a certain top four this season are simply not living in the reality created by the last few seasons. It's still an uphill battle, but with luck and a confident group top 4 is possible. Far from a lock.

And that's exactly why it's so important that the "behind the scenes" aspect of the club is looking attractive, professional and promising. If we're feeling this then you can bet the players are too.

This season is ours to fuck up

And I think you’re being way too optimistic about the mercato. You can’t justify splashing out 25m on a young, unproven winger from a foreign league when money’s tight. Especially when we made a similar signing last year who flopped hard. At least both Keita/Politano are Serie A proven.

Also, Strootman didn’t just appear on the market in the last few days. Clubs know behind the scenes in advance who’s available and who’s not. That’s how Inter bagged Nainggolan as they realised Roma were looking to sell and pounced.

As for Laxalt, is it worth spending nearly 20m on a bit part winger? Couldn’t we have exercised Callejon’s release clause instead (like Mirabelli was planning)? Keita/Politano could’ve then been signed on loan with option for left wing.

Higuain/Caldara/Bakayoko were excellent signings but the rest were just meh.

Also, do you really think Higuain’s going to score 30 with this midfield and forward line? Get real. He only managed 16 last season in a squad brimming full of creative players and legitimate wingers.

I agree with your comments re top 4 though. It’ll go down to the wire and our only hope is if another contender screws up and we reinforce properly in winter.

 

[beegees]

Kojak, Higuain deal is loan with option to buy.
It's a good deal.

 

[MilanBG]

I am pretty sure Kaka can do wonders in Brazil if he/we has the needed funds to sign good players. Just imagine Kaka knocking on a poor family's door asking to sign their 17 year-old future Balon D'Or winner

 

[Hitchens]

Also, do you really think Higuain’s going to score 30 with this midfield and forward line? Get real. He only managed 16 last season in a squad brimming full of creative players and legitimate wingers.

I agree with your comments re top 4 though. It’ll go down to the wire and our only hope is if another contender screws up and we reinforce properly in winter.

In all competitions. We'll see how "pathetic" our midfield and forward line really are when we get into the season. I think we have the ability to surprise both own pessimistic fans and other teams this season.

What irritates me is that if we lose against Roma on friday 50 people in here will run around with jelly bean sized dicks and claim the season is over. It isn't. And Gattuso shouldn't be sacked either.

 

[truant]

And I think you’re being way too optimistic about the mercato. You can’t justify splashing out 25m on a young, unproven winger from a foreign league when money’s tight. Especially when we made a similar signing last year who flopped hard. At least both Keita/Politano are Serie A proven.

Also, Strootman didn’t just appear on the market in the last few days. Clubs know behind the scenes in advance who’s available and who’s not. That’s how Inter bagged Nainggolan as they realised Roma were looking to sell and pounced.

As for Laxalt, is it worth spending nearly 20m on a bit part winger? Couldn’t we have exercised Callejon’s release clause instead (like Mirabelli was planning)? Keita/Politano could’ve then been signed on loan with option for left wing.

Higuain/Caldara/Bakayoko were excellent signings but the rest were just meh.

Interesting.. From what you are saying we could have lined up like this:

Hakan---Higuain---Suso
(Keita)--(Cutrone)--(Callejon)

Strootman---Biglia---Kessie
(Bonaventura)--(Bakayoko)--(Bertolacci)

RR---Romagnoli---Caldara---Calabria
(Strinic/Antonelli)--(Musacchio)--(Zapata)--(Conti/Abate)

Giglio
(Reina)

I must say that is actually a pretty tight looking squad if all the said players were keen to join Milan (not sure if Keita and Callejon would move to us without CL and IIRC Keita wasn't too keen on us at all).

Strootman I'd be slightly worried about given his injury history but otherwise he's the kind of quality that could improve our midfield. Not sure if Roma would sell to us at the same price being a direct rival (I think they knew Nainggolan was on the decline).

Another thing is it may have been hard to get rid of Bacca for just cash. Maybe Villarreal were playing hardball knowing Bacca only wanted them.

Then there was the Lapadula money which may have required a lot of legal ugliness to extract. Laxalt may have been the only win-win settlement.

I think there are a lot of things happening behind the scenes. Maybe Leo couldn't do any better. Or maybe he should have done better. Would be interesting to know.

 

[truant]

Just also thinking out loud how Mirabelli may have assembled our squad for this season:


Hakan---Zaza---Callejon
(Bernard--Cutrone--Borini)

Bonaventura--Biglia--Kessie
(Baselli--Badelj--Samassekou)

RR--Romagnoli--Musacchio--Calabria
(Strinic/Antonelli--Gomez--Zapata--Conti/Abate)

Gigio
(Reina)

I think I'm happier with our current squad.

 

[rossonero1]

Kojak, Higuain deal is loan with option to buy.
It's a good deal.

It's an obligation to buy. It's just labeled option for FFP issues.

 

[Hitchens]

Hakan---Higuain---Suso
(Keita)--(Cutrone)--(Callejon)

Strootman---Biglia---Kessie
(Bonaventura)--(Bakayoko)--(Bertolacci)

RR---Romagnoli---Caldara---Calabria
(Strinic/Antonelli)--(Musacchio)--(Zapata)--(Conti/Abate)

Giglio
(Reina)

I don't think we realistically could have gotten these players, and regardless: it's not a much stronger squad we have now. If Samu and Baka delivers and Cutrone continues to grow we have a shot at CL.

 

[truant]

What irritates me is that if we lose against Roma on friday 50 people in here will run around with jelly bean sized dicks and claim the season is over. It isn't. And Gattuso shouldn't be sacked either.

Absolutely. I think Gattuso deserves a fair go regardless of results this Friday. There are already encouraging signs with this team. I hope Rino can evolve and learn quickly.

Sure there are limitations in the squad and even Gattuso said he wanted more experienced players, but with a little bit of patience this team can reach the required levels until reinforcements during the winter transfer window.

 

[Mexes5]

Kaka on a free? sign.