Gerhard Struber speaks to the Austrian press some more, Lewis Morgan looks set to stay in New York, while Daniel Royer gets an offer to extend his career in this week’s links
Welcome to the New York Red Bulls Paper Revue presented by Once a Metro.
If the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago, then how is the second-best time “now”? What about 19 years ago? Maybe you could also plant a tree 19 years and 364 days ago. That would certainly be preferable to “now.”
Here’s this week’s top story.
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Gerhard Struber appeared on Talk und Tore (“Talk and Goals”), presented by the fine folks at Sky Sport Austria. The manager dished on this and that, mostly this but a little bit of that. He even took the time to talk about the development of the game in the United States.
Of course, there are always questions about a return to Europe. “As a coach, looking so far into the future is a dangerous game because you should always be in the here and now,” said Struber (via 90minuten). “It’s going too fast in all directions. You should be relatively humble and not talk about the big leagues if you haven’t done your homework yet.”
One of his former players was even around to praise the gaffer. “He invests a lot of energy, determination and trust in a season,” shared Michael Sollbauer (via Ligaportal), whose career intersected with the manager at Wolfsberger and Barnsley. “He puts in a lot of effort and is very meticulous. He is also very good at conveying what he wants. What defines him is that he manages to inspire players to follow his path. It was like a kind of magnet for me. He caught me with his way. For me the most important coach in my career. I was able to learn a lot from him.”
I always love the overseas interviews. Coaches and players tend to be more revealing. I mean with their words, not in that other way, weirdo.
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Well, that appears to be good news for Tom Edwards.
Stoke City said “toodle-oo” to Michael O’Neill, handing him a pink slip after a single win in five Championship matches. He was hired in November of 2019, but hopes of promotion have drifted into a fight to avoid relegation. Better to change horses before the hour becomes too late.
The manager was whispered to not be the biggest fan of Edwards. The English defender is, of course, still on loan with the Red Bulls but returned to his homeland for an extended period of time. This move might increase the chances of a return to the field for his boyhood club because, frankly, they couldn’t have been lower with O’Neill around.
Of course, if Stoke is looking for a manager with Championship experience, I could think of at least one person whose agent might receive a phone call.
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The boys from Breiðablik took on Leiknir Reykjavík in domestic action. What went down at the Kópavogsvöllur? Blikar won 4-0, extending the lead at the top of the table to nine points.
“Nine points.”
“Nine points?”
“Nine points.”
Unfortunately, Omar Sowe didn’t have a hand or foot in any of the goals. However, he’s likely to get his chance to make an impact at the midweek. Next on the calendar is a big, huge, massive fixture against Knattspyrnufélagið Víkingur in the semifinals of the Icelandic Cup.
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Anderlecht is still on the hunt for a left back. The Belgian club sold Sergio Gómez to Manchester City for around $13 million and will use some of that to seek a replacement. The initial pursuit was centered on Omar Campos of Santos Laguna, but the demanded transfer fee was slightly too rich for the Belgians’ blood.
The club will now look elsewhere, in case you hear any phones ringing at Red Bull Arena, with the callers asking inquiring as to the availability of John Tolkin.
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Any potential move of Lewis Morgan to Huddersfield Town is dead. I mean, it is dead. It is really, really, really dead… probably.
In his regular Q&A session with the Terriers nation, writer Steven Chicken put the kibosh on proceedings. “He’s a player they looked at very early in the window but not since then,” wrote the… writer. “They’ve brought Tino Anjorin in since then to fill that role, and they won’t be moving for Morgan as it stands.”
I sort of lost track of things this season and didn’t realize that Morgan has scored 15 goals. That’s fairly impressive for an attacking-midfielder-winger-wing-back-fullback. Heck, some people would take that production from a striker.
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Honey, you remember Seth Kuhn, right?
He’s the player the Red Bulls selected in the third round of the 2022 MLS SuperDraft. The midfielder opted to return to Pennsylvania State University for another season and is expected to be a key player for the Nittany Lions. The 2021 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Tournament was named captain.
I believe the club still holds his rights through the end of 2023, should there be interest in bringing him into the fold.
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Hey, hey, we have a Daniel Royer story.
The former Red Bull was reportedly offered to Sportvereinigung Ried in the Austrian Bundesliga. He previously played for the club from 2010 through 2011, earning a move to Hannover 96. The 32-year-old has been without a club since departing MLS in December of 2021.
We’ll keep an eye on that.
Here’s a joke that was submitted by Dolly of Stafford.
“Maybe he should go by ‘Danny,’ that way teams will think he’s an upcoming young prospect.”
Thank you, Dolly. I’m sure you still get carded at the liquor store.
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