Polling CLOSED. And the RBNY fans want . . . .

By: Dave Martinez | November 28th, 2007

Jose Mourinho (aka a big name foreign coach)

In a landslide, no questions about it win, the fan base has spoken up and have left no doubt - we arent interested in a local guy with strong grass roots connections - we want to keep up with the Lalas’s.

With Gullit signing onto LA, the pressure is on Red Bull New York to produce a name the fans will be familiar and comfortable with.

HERE ARE THE VOTING RESULTS:

Mourinho 31.4%

Juan Carlos Osorio 15.7%

John Harkes 11.8%

Paul Mariner 11.8%

Daniel Passarella 7.8%

OTHER (comment below with your suggested name) 7.8%
La Volpe 3.9%
Peter Nowak 3.9%
Capello 3.9%
Diego Simeone 2%

FOREIGN COACHES

Looking from the foreign coaches side, Mourinho ran away with it all, destroying Osorio and all other pretenders by a large margin. What does this tell me? That our small fan base is really demanding, and they want a proven commodity to get us passed the “first round jinx.”

Though Mourinho and Osorio are but a dream, a clear message has been sent - GET US A WINNER. NOW. (btw, Osorio is a dream - why? Cuz Chicago is not entertaining offers)

Surprises from the foreign side? Well, I expected more than one write in for McLaren - he is a realistic option, and would probably be just as inticed by the NEW YORK Red Bulls as he would be Derby friggin County. And Capello landing so lowly also surpised me. But, like I said before, New York fans dream big, and expect the best - and they come no better than Mourinho.

My personal favorite from this group? Daniel Passarella. The man has a lot to prove after a few less than stellar coaching stints. And he is a youth developer. With Dane and Altidore on the squad, if would do much to advance their training and ability. And he is an excellent game planner.

ON THE DOMESTIC SIDE . . .

A bit more of a horse race, with my two favorites on top. Paul Mariner and John Harkes would be excellent choices up top. As I have said before, Harkes has players singing his praises, while Mariner has the legendary background, grass roots connections, and the successes of the Revolosers to learn from. I would be thrilled with either coach at our helm.

Stunner here? The lack of support for Petr Nowak. It makes me glad, since I believe Nowak is a key cog in our USMNT machine right now, and country comes before club (for me at least). But of all the domestic choices to be had, Nowak has the resume and pedigree to immediately stabilize this team and lead them to the promiseland (he has been there before right?). So that was a surprise. And no real write ins for domestic sided coaches also suprised me. But not as much.

OTHER OPTIONS?

Being I have a STRONG Argentine biased, what about Carlos Bianchi? The man is doing nothing after two less than impressive stints in La Liga. Maybe he can be had? Talk about a pedigree. . . .this guy has it.

Of course, I believe, as stated earlier, McLaren may be a real option for us. He may want to stay in hiding for a while - and what better way to get some extra attention, yet stay away from England, than to go to NEW YORK and coach, especially when the LA / NY darby kicks off . . . .

What about Palermos recently sacked Stefano Colantuono? Sure he choked for the pink, but look at what he did with Atalanta! If he can speak some english, he would be another great fit.

If not, good old BORA MULITINOVIC is available, after losing his job in Jamaica. Not my cup of tea, and probably not any love from METRO fans either. But, a horrible option none the less.

And speaking of badness - Bob Gansler? I kid.

MY TAKE

Ideally, I would like to have Paul Mariner. I think the experiments with foreign coaches in the past have bitten our behinds. Mariner, under Nicol, knows the grassroots, will be able to better utilize the Super Draft, and would bring in a winning presence to our team.

If it has to be a foreign coach, I would not mind a Bianchi or Passarella - two proven commodities with alot to prove.

Whats your take?