Perhaps in a surprise to approximately no one considering the numerous failures that have occurred in the NY FO since the move into RBA, the Red Bulls have fired their head of Business Operations Chris Heck. #RBNY confirm that Heck is out but would not comment on the matter.— Franco Panizo (@FrancoPanizo) August 2, 2012 While from a historical perspective it is hard to call averaging over 17k fans a game a failure, it is clear that the Red Bulls are struggling to get their brand into the NY/NJ market. Heck has spent his time with the Red Bulls crapping on the long term fans that survived the MetroStars rebranding to Red Bulls, having a marketing plan that seemed to be centered entirely around "Red Bull Arena, Henry, and Marquez are enough to bring fans, screw advertising," and brilliant ideas like camp day, so it shouldn't come as any surprise the Austrians aren't happy with him. I'm also sure they were expecting much more from Heck considering they provided him with a palace to American soccer and two very marketable players...
Thank god... lets.see.if.the guys in Austria put someone at least with a little interest in the well being of the team and fans
Was hoping for this, didn't actually expect it though. Great news. Here's to hoping that the new guy helps marketing catch up to on-field ambitions. On a side note, how many marketing guys from successful markets (PHI, VAN, especially rags-to-riches SKC) are getting opportunities in less successful markets? You'd think they'd be getting job hires the way Belichick's assistants did.
You don't get points in this business for being a nice guy. It's a results based business and Heck failed at what he was supposed to do. This happened not a day too early imo. Increasing expectations and standards is good for MLS as a whole.
From what I've gathered from RBNY fans, this move, by itself, has the potential to bump up MLS' average next year a noticeable amount. If RBNY goes up 1900 per game, that means 100 per game for the league as a whole. A merely competent replacement should do that. A good replacement would do alot better.
From what I read the camp day spelled the end of his job and also that he did not have a soccer mind or did not know much about the game. I think you should either appoint former MLS players or coaches to top administrative positions. I mean I'm sure you need the marketing guys and all but it would be nice if you have some soccer people involved with teams who have played and/or coached in the league and who knows how things work.
There's also the question of whether he would even like to return. Even with the time that has passed, the way that his time with Chicago ended may have left a taste so bad that he chooses not to take on any corporate situation like that again.
Terrible idea. You need a business person, first and foremost, who is also familiar with soccer and its fan culture. You don't install a jock who's never even run a lemonade stand to run a business worth hundreds of millions.
I think he's trying to say that they could employ a former player who's familiar with business. Kind of the way Scott Garlick jumped into real estate after retiring or how Levesque's going back to school. Bring a former player that's been studying business/marketing and see how that works out perhaps.
Exactly. I'm not saying only in business positions per say or about appointing just anyone and not all of the "jocks" are as stupid as you think. Mostly in technical areas of the team and personnel decisions which IMHO, are most crucial to the club. Also, a lot of the former MLS players got college degrees and at least they know the game and the league as they played in it. Anyway, I already see former players in important MLS positions... Dynamo- Assistant Coach -Steve Ralston /Assistant Coach Wade Barret/ Dom Kinnear coach Quakes GM -John Doyle who went to USF Rapids -tech director Paul Bravo SCU Sounders - tech director Chris Henderson Revs GM - Mike Burns Caps -President former NASL & WC player Bob Lenarduzzi & Carl Robinson assistant coach Revs coach Jay Heaps NY/SJ/LA- GM Alexi Lalas NY GM- Jeff Agoos KC -Technical Director and Head Coach- Peter Vermes RSL -Garth Lagerwey team’s senior vice president and general manager
Not to mention Nick Sakiewicz, former FC Nantes goalkeeper... Agoos is long gone, and not as a success. Red Bull's problem is that they are badly underachieving at attracting a supporter base proportionate to the size of the market. Building a great stadium didn't solve the problem, and neither did signing a bunch of big name players, some of whom are actually talented. The problem is that there isn't much of a connection between the team and the broader community. That's a long-running concern, exacerbated by Red Bull's pioneering attempt to brand the shit out of an American sports team. An ex-player with an MBA isn't going to fix that, unless we're talking about someone with tons of charisma and real credibility in the local area. And who's that? A cult favorite like Petke? Probably not. A guy with deep North Jersey soccer ties like Reyna or Harkes? No thank you. I'll take someone who has bought into the "local club" model over other candidates. How that person would negotiate between Austria and the Ironbound, I do not know. But Wilt wrote the blueprint for the really distinctive, attractive aspects of the MLS experience, so that would put him on my shortlist.