Let’s put it where it is.
Roy Miller and Eric Alexander are two of members of this New York Red Bulls team that have been the brunt of our constant punishment for the last few years. From Miller’s bonehead moves (encroachment, anyone?), to Alexander’s inconsistent play for the entirety of last season, there have been many things that have been said about both.
Let’s start with the current Red Bulls player with the most tenure on the club, oft-maligned defender Roy Miller. Miller’s redemption has been a great story to follow so far this season. He’s been solid defensively, which is what we should ask of a defender, but the last few matches, Miller has been an absolute animal on offense. The best example of that was the play on the second of Bradley Wright-Philips’ trio of scores. Miller made a run into Houston’s final third, took a pass from Henry and crossed the ball to BWP for an easy tap in to a basically open net.
These acts of breathtaking piracy from Miller, as well as fellow defender Kosuke Kimura, have been so important in the Red Bulls’ offensive tactics that it’s hard to figure why they had not been done from the beginning of the season.
And then there is the curious case of Eric Alexander. After being quite possibly the most maddeningly inconsistent player on the field for the 2013 season, as well as the first few matches of 2014, Alexander has seemed to have found his groove. He’s been a fairly productive part of the offense, notching two assists in the Red Bulls’ first win of the season, and creating chances single handed on the left side. The emergence of that new wrinkle cannot be over looked, and RBNY can only hope that Alexander’s trend continues in an upward direction.
The revelation of Alexander and redemption of Miller gives coach Mike Petke a two pronged attack that he did not have available to him last season. When one side is stronger than the other, all the players have to do is switch fields. On one side you have Miller and an in-form Lloyd Sam, on the other you have a speedy Kimura and Eric Alexander.
The third of our trio of developments in MetroBull nation is a little less joyous, and more worthy of a bit of head scratching.
In the rough and rocky transition from Giants Stadium to Red Bull Arena, the New York Red Bulls lost a grand total of $14 million in their new home. The brilliant guy who took the heat for that was none other than Marc de Grandpere.
When de Grandpere took over from Alexi Lalas, attendance numbers were on the rise, MetroBull’s monetary failures were dwindling and they had a tremendous lineup and a list of corporate sponsors that were the envy of a lot of teams in the league. When Red Bull took over, there was promise in the air of real money being spent to bring top end talent to the club and erase years of futility. That was 2005.
And then things got surreal.
$2 million in corporate sponsorship became just 1/5 that amount in a very short 2 years. When questioned about it by ESPNFC, de Grandpere stated that it was all part of the plan. He also stated that the club has a desire to kick it up a notch, and win consistently.
In that tumultuous time in MetroBull lore, the fanbase at the time was incredibly wary of Red Bull’s purchase, regardless of their new beautiful temple to the game of soccer. The transition was handled poorly. Fans left in droves, even after the hiring of mythical American soccer figure Bruce Arena. Fun fact: Arena tends to speak well of his management, except for that of Red Bull. I wonder why that is.
At the end of the day, no matter how you look at it, $14 million is a great deal of money. If you or I had lost said amount of money for our previous employer, we would not expect to be rehired.
Apparently, in Red Bulls world, leaving a team in financial trouble doesn’t exclude you from rehire. That said, Marc de Grandpere has returned to the Red Bulls front office after successful stints with IMAX and KIND snacks.
This raised some eyebrows among Metrostars/Red Bulls supporters. If there were a way to botch the transition period from Giants Stadium to Red Bull Arena, and totally fumble the rebranding of the beloved Metrostars, de Grandpere seemed to perform in such a way to ensure that happened.
So, why bring him back now?
Well, one really doesn’t know what goes on in the minds of RBNY’s Austrian overlords, but it seems that it’s all part of a grand plan. Maybe de Grandpere has learned his lesson and will leave the football end of the club to sporting director Andy Roxburgh and Petke, and keep his nose to the grindstone as far as marketing this club.
The Red Bulls are coming into dangerous waters, as they will see some of their market share pass to the incoming NYCFC. Marketing will be so very important to the club’s health and ability to stay in the public eye. New York is already a packed sports market, one that bristles with 9 professional sports teams, and a plethora of college and second league clubs. And that’s not even counting the NASL Cosmos. Let’s all hope de Grandpere is up to the task.
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