The atmosphere at San Siro during the defeat to Lazio on Sunday night made it clear that the patience is over for the AC Milan fans.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) writes this morning, when San Siro applauds a player who has been sent off and boos most of the rest of the team, you understand that something is wrong, even beyond results.
In Strahinja Pavlovic, the Milan fans have recognised – even despite his mistakes and limitations – the desire and determination of someone who puts everything in for the shirt, even at the risk of sometimes going a bit overboard like for the red card incident.
The supporters present inside San Siro amid a climate of general protest instead gave a very different treatment to the ‘big names’ like Rafa Leao and Theo Hernandez. As the paper writes, ‘patience is over’.
Bickering and boos
Pedro’s penalty, which sealed Milan’s third consecutive defeat after elimination from the Champions League, obviously sparked a reaction from San Siro, which greeted the team with barrages of boos and chants of disapproval.
Even before that, signs of impatience had formed the backdrop to a match played for long stretches in a surreal atmosphere. For example, Theo was greeted by jeers for every corner he took. Leao repeatedly responded to some fans who were critical in the lower tier.
The Portuguese, after providing the assist to Chukwueze for the equaliser, also made the sign of the ears towards the stands. He did this previously, in the loss to Parma back in round two of the season.
Theo and Leao are the faces of Milan’s failed year, because they are the most talented (and the best paid) in the team, just as they were the cover stars of the Scudetto. Hernandez’s mistakes are now countless, while his proverbial sprints are now relegated to the drawer of memories.
Even yesterday the Frenchman was not faultless in coming back to defend (see Zaccagni’s goal) without however giving much in the attacking phase. For Rafa, the discussion shifts to the usual inconsistency. When he lights up, he remains the beacon of Milan, but it does not happen enough.
Illusions and delusions
However, two of the big moves in the last few days of the winter mercato also ended up in the dock. The purchases of Santiago Gimenez and Joao Felix had ignited enthusiasm, hoping they would fire Champions League.
The impact in they made in their debut in the Coppa Italia against Roma – an assist from the Mexican and goal from the Portuguese – however, only enriched the gallery of seasonal illusions, such as the victories against Inter and Real Madrid.
Instead, not even a month later, Milan fell into a bottomless precipice, overtaken even by that Roma against whom they had scored three goals on February 5. Felix and Gimenez quickly lost their way with the rest of their team-mates, even Tijjani Reijnders and Christian Pulisic who dragged them along previously.
Speaking of goals, despite the four stars (Pulisic, Joao Felix, Leao and Gimenez), the Rossoneri have netted five times in the last six games, in which they have never gone above one goal scored. It is not enough, something which is a constant theme.
I judt ended my streaming subscribtion to watch Milan’s games. I will start paying again once Redbird is gone…
True talk bro
I’m tied into my TNT Sports subscription which is ok because I’ll still watch European games and other big Serie A games, so I’ll still watch us on that. But I was paying separately for each match that wasn’t on TNT and I’m not doing that now.
But bigger than that, I’ve been making 2 or 3 trips a year to watch us for years – even all the way through banter. I’ve made 1 this season, and I’m not going anymore. Each trip was getting noticeably more expensive anyway, but I’m not giving this lot any more of my money now.
I hope the rest of Milan fans just stop watching the team either home or away. Give the message that RedTurd era is finished and they need to leave / sell Milan at the end of this summer.
Just look at Gerry. He stop showing up on any Milan match since November / December last year. That behaviour shows he as Milan owner doesn’t care about Milan anymore.
Very good point! I agree we should stop watching and send a message. This isn’t going to improve if they don’t feel the hit
Yep just like the banter era, when things go bad blame, complain and definitely don’t support the club. I swear Milan have some of the worst fans in Europe. Support the club through thick and thin you doughnuts
This isn’t bad. This is a catastrophe. And what’s even more funny is a man made one.
An unnecessary catastrophe caused by ego, ineptness and blind stupidity. Of course fans have the right to do what they want. Just because I won’t stop supporting Milan doesn’t mean I would give people flak for doing so.
At least the banter era was caused by financial misplacements. This era was totally and completely avoidable, but Redbird refueled to listen to a man who shall not be named and fcked around and now they find out the expensive hard way.
Redbird has torn down whatever was left of the 19th winning mentality and team this Milan had. And for what. If it was one season, or half a season I would have agreed with you. But this does not look like stopping anytime soon.
At this point let everyone do whatever it is they think best. That’s what Redbird is doing, by the looks of how they manage the club🤷♂️
Player recruitment was part of what lead to Milan’s financial crisis, Burlesconi stopped footing the bill, so Milan started signing washed players on frees to huge contracts. The rest is history, think of the way the fans were so quick to blame the coach, Sinisa Mihajlovic was chased out of town by the “fans” even though his squad talent wise was more comparable to Torino than Juve.
At this point you can blame all you want, I agree that management shares the blame, but there is a significant amount of ppl who were never behind the club from the beginning. The atmosphere from the very beginning of the season was negative and impossible and it only got worse as things progressed. I admire Liverpool for their “you’ll never walk alone” ethos and feel the Milanista could learn from that.
True. But Liverpool ethos just like the old man city spirit was built and supported and encouraged not just by fans but from the club itself.
It showed the fans it cared, and hence the fans gave back. Loyalty, patriotism and love goes both ways.
Yes I can blame all I want. And yes you are right some people started with negative and impossible stances. BUT THOSE WERE CAUSED BY ONCE AGAIN OWNERSHIP AND THEIR MANAGEMENT.
They can’t demand love loyalty and peace when they don’t give so for nearly three years.
We never walk alone only works when the club shows it’s fanbase they care. Or that old man city fighting spirit when they were yet jobbbers, we lose and keep losing but we still keep going. Because the club shows it cares.
Till Redbird shows any competency, it would get even much more worse flak from the fanbase. Even I am apathetic and indifferent to their plight.
Forza Diavolo
Forza Rossoneri
Forza Ac Milan