Crystal Palace want Oliver Glasner to see his contract through to the end of the season despite his outburst on Saturday.
After the defeat against Sunderland, manager Glasner, who made the decision to sell Marc Guehi to Manchester City just before the game, said his players felt “abandoned” with “no support”.
“Selling the captain the day before the match is incomprehensible,” he added.
But Glasner knows it is virtually impossible for a club of Palace’s size to retain international players if big clubs offer them huge contracts.
The Austrian was understandably emotional after his side’s disastrous defeat at the Stadium of Light, but it is his job to turn things around.
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After defeat at Sunderland, Oliver Glasner continues to vent his frustration with Crystal Palace’s hierarchy
On Friday, Glasner announced that he would be leaving the club at the end of the season when his contract expires.
Glasner informed Palace in October of his intention to leave the club this summer, and the club hope to make a dignified exit at the end of the season.
He was involved in the signing Palace made this month and is aware of the situation. Palace have signed Brennan Johnson for a record fee and must follow strict spending rules when buying and selling players.
Parrish confused and outraged by Glassner’s comments
Early on Sunday, Sky Sports News reported that Palace chairman Steve Parish was embarrassed and upset by Glasner’s comments after the defeat to Sunderland. Glasner directly criticized the club’s board, saying the players felt “abandoned” with “no support”.
A tumultuous week saw the Eagles lose to non-league side Macclesfield in the third round of the FA Cup, but Glasner confirmed he would leave the club at the end of the season and confirmed a move for defender Guehi was on the horizon.
Palace lost 2-1 against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, ending a 10-game winless streak in all competitions.
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Glassner claimed the team was “totally abandoned” after the loss at the Stadium of Light
Coach Glasner said this was to protect the players, and called for more support and did not make any substitutions during the game.
He told Sky Sports: “The players gave their all. There were no substitutions. Look at the bench. There are only kids there.”
“I feel completely abandoned. I don’t understand why they would sell the captain the day before the game.
“We are preparing and we were told yesterday (Friday) that our captain is being sold, so why isn’t he released next week? At least he will be available for this game and the other players will be back next week. It’s really upsetting.”
“If your heart is torn out twice a year, the day before the summer game it’s (Eberechi) Eze and the day before the game it’s the captain – I just don’t understand it.
“I’ve been playing football for 30 years and I’ve never experienced something like this. Now it happens twice every six or seven months. That’s exactly the situation we’re in right now.”
“We have been playing in recent weeks with just 12 or 13 players in the squad, some of whom are already playing their 35th game.
“We played well here for 50 or 60 minutes, but in the 15 or 20 minutes we were under pressure and conceded a goal. The players gave their best, but once again we didn’t have any support from the bench and that was very tough.”
“The players fought with their hearts on the pitch. It’s not easy to play here and despite everything the team has done very well. But again, we don’t feel supported.”
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Tim Sherwood believes Glassner’s decision to attack Crystal Palace’s ranks is an act of ‘self-preservation’
“Yesterday at 10:30 a.m., I first heard that Mark was being sold. I think the negotiations lasted a few days, so no one called at 10 a.m., and by 10:30 a.m. everything was agreed.”
“Then we have to deal with it. You have to come to Sunderland the day before the game when you know we are not in our best form. We are aware of the situation where we are without players and we are going to sell our captain.”
“No team would do something like this. On other teams, players play and the next day they’re gone, and we sell them the day before?”
When asked if he plans to watch the season through to the end, Glassner replied defiantly: “I don’t know. I’ve always had a tremendous amount of gratitude for this group of players.”
“I have complete confidence in them. Their character is extraordinary and we will come together and change direction. I will never back down because these players deserve Oliver Glasner to be their coach and leader, and this is what I will do.”
“Sometimes a little support helps.”
Glasner also uses abusive language in the postgame press conference.
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Paul Merson questioned the timing of Glasner’s announcement of his departure from the Palace
Glasner also vented his anger in the postgame press conference.
“For me, it’s like, ‘We’ve got enough points so we’re not going to be relegated and that’s fine.’ But the players are not happy with this, they’re not satisfied, and that makes tonight difficult.”
“I don’t know, I don’t care, whether Crystal Palace can finish the season like this under Oliver Glasner or another manager, but if they’re okay with this, then okay, they can do it.
“If they want to have a more successful season…for me it’s like, ‘If we get all the players back, we’ll be fine, we’ll get 42 points, that’s fine,’ but that’s not how we play. That’s just how I feel.”
“To protect them, I have to say it publicly. There’s no point in saying it behind closed doors.”
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Highlights of the Premier League match between Sunderland and Crystal Palace
Glassner also hinted that his comments were a final roll of the dice to improve his team’s situation, adding: “This is probably a last attempt to get what needs to be done. Not for Oliver Glassner, but for Crystal Palace.”
“The best four players before we arrived, (Michael) Olise, (Eberechi) Eze, and the two centre-backs, (Joachim) Andersen and (Marc) Gehi, are gone. It’s tough for any club.”
“And if you think, ‘Okay, we sold last year, they did it, they had a great season, they won the FA Cup, everything was good, we can keep going’ and you’ll get paid for it.
“Oliver Glasner won’t pick up the bill, but Crystal Palace will. If you’re okay with that, go ahead.”
Sherwood: Glassner wants to quit now.
Tim Sherwood speaks on Soccer Saturday:
“When a coach says he’s leaving the team, how does that feel for the team? It works both ways. It’s self-preservation. Now they’re losing the game.”
“When he takes the Palace job, he knows what he’s going to do: develop players and market them. That’s a club that sells.”
“He wants to leave the club as soon as possible. He wants to leave the club and he wants to leave now.”
