Commentary
Red Bulls name Petke: A step in the right direction
- by Paul Gardner , Jan 25, 2013
By Paul Gardner
Well, now, here's a surprise. Mike Petke as the coach of the Red Bulls. Then again, maybe not. We’ve seen this sort of appointment before:
administrators who get in over their heads, flounder around looking for a coach -- without really knowing what they’re looking for -- then panic as some sort of deadline nears and do the easy
thing by turning to a “trusted servant.”
That person will be someone who’s been with the club for a while, of course -- hence little upheaval, no time wasted on his
“getting to know” people or the club or the league.
The process reflects little credit on those making the appointment -- in this case the Red Bull management crew. But it
should not be taken as a criticism of the guy they appoint: Mike Petke.
Of course Petke can be seen as a desperation choice, a last resort as time runs out. Not that the Red Bulls will
admit any such thing, far from it: “Mike is very passionate about our club and has shown us that he has the leadership and organizational qualities to be our head coach” -- those are the
words of the Red Bulls sporting director Andy Roxburgh.
What Roxburgh is saying about Petke may well be true -- but coming from Roxburgh, the words do not ring true. If
Roxburgh’s praise is to be believed, why was Petke not appointed as soon as Backe was fired, months back?
Nor does it help that we have Roxburgh, whose association with the Red
Bulls started only a short while back, passing a suitability judgment on Petke, who has served the club for years as both player and assistant coach. Petke “will have the full support of our
staff to help ensure the team’s success” says Roxburgh, making that sound like a generous bonus, when it is surely the least that the club could offer.
So be it. Whatever the
shortcomings of the Red Bulls’ selection process and however many the question marks that dangle over Petke’s head, it seems to me that a correct decision has been made.
A
young American has been appointed, and recent experience in the league has shown us that this is no bad thing. Jason Kreis at Real Salt Lake and Ben Olsen at D.C. United have both produced successful
teams playing eminently watchable soccer. Jay Heaps at New England is working to that end, and I thought Jesse March was doing good work at Montreal. All four, like Petke, are former MLS players.
Can Petke emulate their success? Hesitantly, I’ll say Yes to that question. If I have doubts, they are, it seems to me, doubts that can be dispelled, doubts that rest on what may well
be my shallow assessment of Petke’s personality. Because Petke has always come over to me as a “yet-to-mature” young man (I’m avoiding the word “immature,” which is
too harsh a judgment). A pleasant, smiling, not quite serious young man ... one prone to make judgment errors in his playing days. I felt they were the errors of a youngster learning his profession,
but they seemed to go on for too long.
But that judgment can hardly be reconciled with the belief of Roxburgh that Petke is ready to be a head coach. And Roxburgh, after 18 years as
UEFA’s Technical Director, has tremendous experience in assessing the qualities of coaches. Experience that, once his misguided preference for a foreign coach had been overcome, directed
Roxburgh to Petke.
What appeals to me most about Petke is that he is from a new generation. The Bulls have had American coaches before in Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley, arguably the two top
Americans -- but neither of them ever played in MLS. And neither had any success at the Red Bulls. They were the pioneers, but their generation is now, gracefully one hopes, on its way out.
Petke, of course, faces a hell of a challenge, and it is one that has an almost personal edge to it. He is in charge now of a club that has always underperformed, that has always disappointed, that
has always managed to screw up the big occasions. A club that, despite its potential and its pretensions, is not taken seriously. Seventeen years devoid of titles -- and this is supposed to be a New
York team?
Just as Petke has now to prove that his appointment is one to be taken seriously, he has simultaneously to take a team that has become a joke and turn it into one that is
respected, one that can win a title or two.
Can he, a rookie coach, do that? Who knows -- but I’m glad he’s getting the chance, glad that the Bulls (probably for the wrong
reasons) took the plunge of making a daring appointment.
P.S. Just one thing, Mike -- that first statement of yours, the one about building “a hard-working
team” ... could we have a quote about being skillful and lively, about the building of a team that will be something that MetroStars and Red Bulls past have rarely been ... enjoyable and
watchable?
As usual you leave out the two best coaches in MLS, Dom Kinnear and Frank Yallop, both of whom played in MLS and half a dozen other leagues in Norte Americana. And if you don't think they are the best, look at the performance of their teams relative to their total club salaries. Besides which they are both modest soft spoken gentlemen of real integrity.
Well after employing a "third tier" Swedish coach, and seeing a bunch of journeymen players coming in from Scandinavia, I'm encouraged to see that the Red Bulls seem to be heading in a more "Latin" direction. The prospect of having hired yet another guy coming from Europe who does not understand that in MLS even the "Big" clubs are limited in just whom they can bring in... there is a salary cap and a limit of three Designated Player slots, so finding players that can actually play, yet are affordable is no mean feat... I hope Petke has some say in the reshaping of this team, but until they get to actually playing who really knows how this will play out. ... Clearly the guy who should have been in line for this position was Richie Williams, he repeatedly took over from whichever European Flavor of the Week coach was let go... and each time more than justified his position, yet also repeatedly was demoted back to an Assistant Coach, and then last year was outright tossed away with next to no explanation ... he is currently coaching the US U-17 side and I truly wish him well, but that move showed how much the Red Bulls "Commitment" to their American Coaching staff was more lip service than a reality. In Mike Petke's defense, he deserves a chance to succeed or fall on his face, but this is the "New York" franchise and if things don't go well QUICKLY I'm guessing he will be blamed and relived of his duties to be replaced by some "Name" coach ... it's not fair or likely wise either, but the Red Bulls/Metro Stars have had a history of stepping in it sooner or later. It'll be interesting to see what happens not just with Red Bulls when the Gold Cup starts up this summer, the typical MLS side seems to be rather thin after the first 16 or so players and finding and using the "under card" players likely will make or break a side's play-off chances, I hope Petke's bosses truly understand these facts, that they are of a structural nature and that good coach or poor, if you are put under pressure to succeed without having your best guys available, it gets to be a case of "Bricks without Straw"... (ICE)
Allan, neither of the coaches you mention are US born former players which is the specific group he was talking about.
I love how Paul Gardner puts in the line, "seventeen years devoid of titles--and this is a NY team". Can you say NY Jets, NY Knicks, NY Islanders, NY Mets (ok 86)!!!!
From what I read in other articles on the net, Roxburgh wants to build an American core to the team and was for Petke from the start, but Gerard Houiller wanted a European based coach.
I suspect after 2 options didn't work out he decided to go with Roxburgh's choice as he has seen Petke close up since November. I would think that both mean had reservations about Petke deadling with Henry they would not have offered him the job.
I think Henry gets a bad rap. From what I see, he doesn't care about "running" things like Chingalia did with the Cosmos as a salve to his ego. The man simply wants to WIN and I think he and Petke willbe onthe same page. I had hoped he would get the job from Day 1 and I am glad he finally got the chance.
Lots of speculative analysis in Mr. Gardner's article...Petke will only succeed if he demands the 'extra effort' from his players at every match. Those that want to parade through the season, and ther are some, need to re-evaluate their shortcomings and give it all.