So Here We Go, Again...

Over the years I have always done my best to support the Club. I have stood by them when they have moved forward from Club legends like Shevchenko and Kaka. I have always believed that progress, be it through the sale of players and reinvestment, is simply footballing evolution. I have also stood by and accepted, with much grumbling,shambolic transfers and hirings that have taken place, such as Ronaldinho, Huntelaar and Leonardo. Understanding that every Club goes through ups and downs, cycles of success and failure. If you support a team long enough, and you are fortunate, you get to see it all. I have seen Milan on top of the World, I have seen them as the laughing stock of Europe in 1997, and I have seen them ebb and flow through the last twenty five years to moments of glory and moments of defeat. Never have I felt entitled to anything more then given, but now I would simply like an explanation.

I guess it is important to preface this discussion with the fact that Milan are in trouble financially, I don't deny that, and I have addressed it here. Berlu is hard up for cash, and with rumors abound that he is going to run for Office again in 2013, now is not the time to expect spending on AC Milan, and you can see why he wants the cash. I understand the issues here and I am not calling for him to sell, as I have always believed better the evil the you know, then the one you don't .New owners are not always the answer and you can fall into trouble as we saw with Newcastle, Portsmouth, and even in Italy with Napoli and Fiorentina a few years back. But why this, and more importantly why this way?

I can understand the sale of Zlatan, he was always going to leave when things didn't go his way, that much was understood. He has done everywhere he has been, and factor in age, wages, and contract you can understand it all. But Silva? The potential building block and cornerstone of the future? It is rather simple actually, if you look at Milan's roster and you are a Club building like PSG is, these are the players that will make a difference. Not injury prone players like Pato and KPB, or inconsistent players like Robinho or Urby. You want to buy the best, and when a Club is in the position that Milan is in, you do what you have to do. Unfortunately, Berlu didn't want to be a hero a twice, every man has a price, and 70M euro was his, but it isn't enough.

A few weeks ago, we all breathed a collective sigh of relief when Berlu blocked Silva's sale at 45M. Now for 25M more they have added Zlatan, and it looks like PSG gets a bit of a bargain. Sure Milan's net on this is around 40M after paying 10M for Silva and 20M for Zlatan, but why not rub Leo and PSG over the coals? Why not take them for 80M? I can't help but feel Berlusconi settled here for an amount, that while still high, could have been higher? More importantly now that we have this amount it would be good to get some direction and understanding how it is going to be spent. I don't want anymore shadow Mr. X games, or silly nonsense, if the money will be spent tell us, and if not tell us that too. We will have ample time to discuss how to spend the money, some of you will do your best Football Manager impression buying up players like Man City, or dare I say PSG, but now I simply want an answer for management as to what the plan is here.

For the record, I have full faith in Fester, that whatever amount he is given, something good will come of it. We can replace Zlatan, and once Pato breaks again, we will understand that maybe it is Destro, Lukaku, or whoever you fancy, but the real issue is Silva. How do you replace Silva? Maybe you go after Astori, no need for explanation here, or Dede, and you pair that player with Acerbi with the intention of building the back line of the future of AC Milan, I get that, I appreciate that, but I need some assurance that this money is going towards the right purchases. Not getting a boyfriend for Berlu's son, in the form of Andy Carroll, a raise for Pato, to please Barbara, and a few Bunga Bunga parties, because then my support, as tested as it has been, will surely run out.

At the end of the day, I guess it is OK to be upset, but this is football. Remember your team, as lofty as it once may have been, will falter. They may lose games, and they may lose prestige, but they will never lose their indentity. For those who have been around long enough, this is just another cycle to endure, for those who have not, enjoy the ride. If you can't stomach the ups and downs, then I am sure someone will welcome you onto their bandwagon. I will end with this point, in my heart I believed Silva would be the next great Legend and Leader of AC Milan. I thought he would stand up like Kaka and say I don't want to leave, hell even Pato had the stones to say that much even if his reasoning was flawed. Instead, I am constantly reminded that there will only ever be one Maldini, and that no player is bigger then the Club. So we move on yet again...going to take a day or so to digest this one. Then we can all go shopping...