Throughout
the season, there has been much discussion about Allegri, his lineups,
substitutions, etc., and his accountability for the results of Budget Milan™.
However during the summer, there was no love lost for management, either. Since
we have a short break now and the looming January mercato on the horizon, I
thought it would be a good time to focus back on the management again.
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When I speak of Milan management, I speak obviously of President Berlusconi, the one who “couldn’t refuse” €70m for our two best players, and is quick to remind everyone of just how much money he saved the club. The money he saved, of course, was the money Galliani unwisely promised said players in salary in order to get them on free or cheap transfers. Nice piece of business that worked out to be.
And
that Galliani is the same who openly criticized our manager both preseason and
during the season, and also contradicts just about everything his fellow board
member, Barbara Berlusconi says, leading to a split board. And even if Barbara
Berlusconi makes more sense than both of those guys put together, she
apparently has no power, and made the decision to have a personal relationship
with one of the players, which may or may not have affected said player’s
request to leave the club. (Rumors of a breakup were circulating before his
request to leave was announced.)
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| "Oooh, his salary is that high? Who was the fool who negotiated that?" |
For
these and so many reasons, management has come under fire by fans around the
world. And with good reason. Ticket sales, jersey sales, everything is down.
Whereas last year we were vying for top spot until the last couple of games of
the season, this season we are lucky to be in 7th place, largely thanks to the
errors of other clubs, but we are 17 points behind Juventus, the club we barely
lost the Scudetto to last season. While Allegri has done all that he can to
undermine the team he was given, the team he was given is a ghost compared to
the teams he had his first two years at the club. Comparing their tasks and
expectations, I would say that Allegri is far more successful at his job this
season than management are at theirs. What do you think? Take the poll, and
feel free to comment below. (The poll is anonymous, and you may vote for as many options as you like on this one.)
This post inspired by Boris Karloff’s
“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”