Results-dependent Response

Sunday’s nil-nil draw reiterated something that has been going on for a while now amongst Milan fans. Many seem to be ill-tempered, impatient, and football-illiterate “fans.” The week before, when Milan won, a Milan fan literally stabbed someone outside the stadium in Bologna, fighting for the jersey of a player who won. This week, they are “out of patience” with Maldini and Boban (again) because of a very unlucky draw. They don’t necessarily respond to the performances, or any heroics within the match. They seem to just check their phones, see the final score, and then overreact one way or another. It seems like it is a results-dependent response.

Maybe the gold letters were just too heavy for them?

Sunday’s match was hard fought. In ways, the two teams were equal, such as sharing possession exactly 50 percent each. But Milan took 23 shots and had nine on target, including Theo Hernandez’s goal in the 31st, which was called off due to a handball call on Kessie. That was one of several unlucky ref calls. Given the contact, the call was in that grey area of “interpretation” and really could have gone either way. Except when the VAR team convinced Manganiello to review it, you had to know which way it would go. Another handball call in the 42nd also went against us, without a call for Magnanelli.

Milan were also unlucky in that Pegolo had a great match in goal, saving everything. It was a very strong performance from Milan, one of those that probably even left Sassuolo scratching their heads, wondering how Milan didn’t win it. Certainly, Milan never would have had so many shots on goal or come so close to winning this match at the beginning of this season. Or the last half of last season, either. It truly was one of those matches where we were unlucky not to take full points. Also, it was a draw, not a loss.

Mr. Unlucky

However, many Milan fans reacted as if Sacchi’s Milan had lost a Champions League final against some lower table Bulgarian squad or something. There was no discussion about the actual football. No recognition of the progress this team had made. Not even any whining about the refs or concern about missing Hernandez and Paqueta against Atalanta next week. No, straight to “we’re out of patience” and “(fill in anyone from ownership to management to players) out.” No mention of the 30 plus Milan Legends who were there for the match, including actual legends like Altafini and Rivera. Just everyone get out, that was their message.

The fans’ response to matches has been increasingly independent of what has actually happened on the pitch. It’s not even that we have been traumatized anymore. The fans are no longer here for football, or even AC Milan. They target certain players for unknown reasons, even when they have a good game or are not even playing. I actually have no idea why these types of fans still call themselves fans. Stabbing a fellow fan over a jersey is not something Milan fans of prior generations would ever do. The attacks on social media, the boycotting everything the club does, even when it is positive, the trashing of legends Maldini and Boban who haven’t even been in their positions for six months… none of this ever has anything to do with football or AC Milan or even reality, actually.

"Now our fans are going to crucify us and make more death threats"

As a fan of the club for so long who watched other teams like Juve & Inter have fan bases that were like this (but maybe not even as bad as these Milan fans?) it is so painful to watch these people call themselves fans of my club. They are no longer commenting on what actually happens in terms of football, but rather have their own motivations and zero morality anymore. Think about it. One week we win, they are so “happy” they stab each other for a jersey of their heroic players, the next week, we draw – not lose, draw – and they want everyone at the club out. At best they are some kind of sociopaths who have lost the plot of the beautiful game and our amazing, storied club. Tragically, too many “fans” live Milan only through a results-dependent response.

This post inspired by the music of The Smiths’ “Still Ill”

Our next match is

Serie A Week 17

Atalanta vs. Milan

Sunday, December 22 • 12:30 CET (6:30am EST)