Has there been a bigger fall than AC Milan?

When I was a kid, and I'm no fan, this was the team with the best players and seemed invincible.  They had Van Basten, Maldini, Baresi, Rikijard, Gullit, Bierhoff etcd. and seemed to win European Chamionships regularly.

I think they have won more European Championships than any other club than Real Madrid.  They now look like a mid table Serie A side or maybe a Serie B side.  Has this ever happened before to a big club?

Juventus were finishing 7th and losing to Fulham in the Europa League not long ago.

I think if AC Milan make the right signings, they can challenge for the title. The quality is already there.

Not sure if serious. Ajax, Real Madrid, Inter, Juventus, Liverpool have all been in worse situations in recent times.

Stade de Reims got to two EC finals. They are now 14th in L1.

Nottingham Forest won back to back European Cups. They play in the championship.

I don't remember Real Madrid in the same condition as AC Millan. And the other clubs mentioned do not have pedigree of AC Milan considered the most successful club in the world along with some Argentine club.

Former CL winner (1982/83) HSV? They almost got relegated the last season and only stayed in the BL by squeezing through the relegation play-offs on away goals (they actually drew both matches )

Rangers

AC Milan is undoubtedly in the worst situation it has been in for a long time. Around 25 years of dominance has been followed by a few lean years. However, Milan have not been relegated and this is not unknown territory for Milan and other big clubs. For example, under the great Ancelotti himself in 2007–2008 Milan finished 5th in Serie A and missed out on Champions League football for the next season - just 1 year after winning the Champions League. But that's incomparable to Juventus' relegation after Calciopoli and the decline of several other clubs already mentioned. Last season Milan went from 3rd in the previous season to 8th in Serie A. Whilst this is very disappointing, it is hardly the biggest fall of any big club even if you limit it to the last decade.

Leeds and Rangers

AC Milan have the history and support to bounce back whether in 3 years or 20...

commando wrote:When I was a kid, and I'm no fan, this was the team with the best players and seemed invincible.  They had Van Basten, Maldini, Baresi, Rikijard, Gullit, Bierhoff etcd. and seemed to win European Chamionships regularly.

I think they have won more European Championships than any other club than Real Madrid.  They now look like a mid table Serie A side or maybe a Serie B side.  Has this ever happened before to a big club?

Yes in 1979 the very same AC Milan were relegated to Serie B because of scandal, just weeks after winning their 10th scudetto and led by the greatest Milanista ever Gianni Rivera. Rivera retired that same year. They went back to Serie A in 1980 but finished third last and were relegated a SECOND time to Serie B. They went back up to Serie A in 1981 but never came close to challenging for the title until 1986 when Silvio Berlusconi purchased the team and literally saved it from bankruptcy. He immediately opened up his fat wallet and purchased the three Dutch legends, Gullit, Van Basten and Rijkaard. Milan went on to become the greatest team in the world for the next decade or so.

So I would say the 1979-1986 period was the worst AC Milan period in history...

Juventus.
calciopoli relegation, players leaving, - balance account, finishing out of top 4, losing to side like Fulham.....

sure there are more teams but ....

Sadly the answer to this is Rangers, as someone whose family is from Glasgow is so sad to see the current state of that team.

Nott. Forest

Um... Leeds United were Champions League semi-finalists and dropped to the third tier of English football (or was it 4th?)

Earlier, Gil said Real Madrid (please elaborate, when?)
I also think Liverpool's drop down after 2009 might be comparable to Milan's fall...

But, anyways, big point here is that form runs in cycles... eventually clubs come back. They rebuild and come back stronger than ever...
Milan of the late 70s is a perfect example... Came back in the late 80s to become amazing.
The trick is to be a supportive fan throughout, then it feels so much sweeter when your team actually comes through.
That's why la decima was so special after the 12-year wait.

Not even sure why Gil mentioned Real Madrid. What's their biggest trophy drought? 3, 4 years?! A couple (embarrassing) R16 exits and those spoiled babies are worse off than Milan. #1stworldproblems yo. Yeah, Milan is in a pretty bad shape but they are still in Serie A and still have pretty decent goodwill in their name.

If one wants real problems, Rangers says hi.

It sounds as an exagerration for me.

After Sacchi-Capello  era  and the Scudetto in 96 Milan got 11th place in 1997 (and -4 from Serie B and from 16th ! , there were only 18 clubs not 20 as now ) and got knocked in CL group stage against Rosenborg and 10th in 1998 , and that decline can be rated as more noisy than this if we compare the 2 different Milan (Sacchi-Allegri)

This because it's enough niormal to have a rough decline after a golden period, as I can testify too . And it is not even the worst Milan period as juve_gigi reminded

This Milan basically is not in different period than other important clubs recently , it 's a transition phase after having got the 3rd place last year.

Also, what about post-Mourinho Inter?
Last season was better... but there was a period where it was pretty touch and go there...

teamanarchy wrote:Also, what about post-Mourinho Inter?
Last season was better... but there was a period where it was pretty touch and go there...

Basically it was an old team. Then Samuel got injured in October 2010 for all the whole year  because of an awful injure and Inter lost his defensive leader and it is still waiting another as him ( there is hope in Vidic) , besides old player are worn out from 2010 (Milito will play an awful season ) but anyway Inter will finish as 2nd in table.
Then in summer 2011 Inter sold Eto'o ( in 2010 2011 he scored 37 goals in 53 matches)  for Forlan ( )  and Moratti transforms definitely the Inter in a " selling club  " for FPF and  consequently Inter stops to compete. At the end Moratti , reailizing that he couldn't ensure a good future, will be obliged to sell the team to a new president, Thohir.

I know the story... I'm saying it was a pretty monumental fall...
Treble winners to (I can't recall...) was it 8th in Serie A?

Treble 2010 - 2nd 2011 - 6th 2012 - 9th 2013 - 5th 2014

People that talk about Forest have no idea about their actual stature of a football club.

Their success was solely down to Brian Clough, before him they were a complete irrelevance and since he left they have been a complete irrelevance.

the CL success was a small window of success which was the exception to the norm of that football club.

It can't be called the biggest fall as they never reached prolonged heights outside that era to begin with.

They won 2 league cups, 1 league and 2 CLs in that 2 year period.

Aside from that they have 2 league cups to their name and that is it The idea they are seen as a big club is one of football's biggest myths.

we won the scudetto 3 years ago, chill

Need to be more specific.There are clubs who have had pretty low points in their history but have bounced back in a short period of time but there are also teams who have struggled for years or even decades to regain their top status and if we take the latter as the criteria,then Liverpool and Ajax fall in this category.

For me it doesnt seem like Ajax will never be able to regain that giant status they once had with so much money going around in football.
As for Liverpool,well they can become a force in the future ofcourse but can they ever replicate their dominance of being England's premium team ? I have my doubts over that as well.

teamanarchy wrote:Um... Leeds United were Champions League semi-finalists and dropped to the third tier of English football (or was it 4th?)

Earlier, Gil said Real Madrid (please elaborate, when?)
I also think Liverpool's drop down after 2009 might be comparable to Milan's fall...

But, anyways, big point here is that form runs in cycles... eventually clubs come back. They rebuild and come back stronger than ever...
Milan of the late 70s is a perfect example... Came back in the late 80s to become amazing.
The trick is to be a supportive fan throughout, then it feels so much sweeter when your team actually comes through.
That's why la decima was so special after the 12-year wait.

Yeah I know, and during those 12 years, nothing but relegations scraps, near administrations. Very tough.