Manager Oliver Glasner has told Crystal Palace supporters to remain humble after visiting fans called for his sacking during Thursday’s 1-1 draw with Zrinjski Mostar.
Glassner will leave at the end of the season when his contract expires, but Thursday’s comments raised questions about whether Glassner’s contract will expire.
During the first leg of the Conference League finals in Bosnia, Palace supporters shouted at manager Glasner, “You’ll be sacked in the morning.” The team has only won once in its past 15 games.
“They can say and sing whatever they want,” Glassner said. “I know what I’m doing.
“I think the most important thing is to stay humble, and I think the fans are the same way.
“Stay humble. Never forget where you come from. I think some of the people who are so critical in this situation are no longer humble.”
“Forget where you came from, life usually punishes you for that.
“To be honest, it would have been very easy to leave earlier. To be honest, (I) had a lot of chances. I didn’t do it. I felt responsible for the team, especially the players.”
“We’ll see. We never know what’s going to happen in the future,” Glasner said Friday when asked if he wanted to stay until the end of the season.
Asked if he had the will to see his end of the deal, Glasner added, “Yeah, I think so.”
Glassner tells Crystal Palace fans to remain humble following recent backlash
“I’m not good enough to deal with the exit of Guehi and Eze”
Palace had never won a major trophy until Glasner guided them to FA Cup glory last season, before his team won the Community Shield.
“I think Crystal Palace have had the best time in their history and I probably only played a small role in this best 18-20 months,” he said.
However, the Austrian currently does not feel he is the right man for the job after Palace sold captain Marc Göch in January and star player Eberechi Eze last summer.
Marc Guehi left Palace to join Manchester City in January.
Glassner added: “This is not the best time. I understand everything and take responsibility because I am responsible for the entire team.”
“I’m not good enough to replace the players I sold. I’m not good enough to integrate the new players so they can play as well as they’ve been. I’m not good enough to handle the schedule.”
“On the other hand, I think I played my best season ever and did enough to win two trophies.
“We still look like we’re playing a better Premier League season than Crystal Palace have played in eight of the last 10 seasons, even at a time when everyone is completely angry, disappointed and frustrated.
“We are playing European football and that is a reality.”
Glassner: It’s my responsibility to turn things around.
Palace face Wolverhampton Wanderers in their next game on Super Sunday, and Glasner will be looking to rally his team to overcome their slump.
Glasner added: “It’s my responsibility to make the turnaround. If I don’t do it, I can’t expect (aggressiveness) from my players. But I can’t do that right now because that’s how I feel.”
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“This shows that the expectations are completely different. So if we had 32 points after 26 rounds, I think the fans would have celebrated in the last nine seasons. This year, they are disappointed.”
“If I were to be the funny guy now, I think you would feel that it’s not true. That’s why I am the way I am. And this is how I feel right now. This is a very difficult situation for all of us.
“But on the other hand, again, this season is one of the best Premier League seasons of the last 10 years. This just shows that the expectations are completely different.”
“In the last nine seasons, if we had 32 points after 26 matches, the fans would have celebrated. This year we are disappointed.”
Palace’s season soars as Glasner limps towards the end of his term
James Savandra on Sky Sports News:
There is sadness in how everything unravels so quickly. The glorious days at Wembley seem like a distant memory.
There were tired bodies and minds at Crystal Palace’s training base on Friday morning. His return from Bosnia and Herzegovina was delayed and he showed quick response for the home match against Wolves.
Had it been the first knockout tie in an official European tournament, there would have been a celebratory mood in normal times. However, the mood among his supporters was gloomy.
That’s the atmosphere the head coach spoke about during Friday morning’s press conference. Apart from a recent victory over rivals Brighton – their only win in their last 15 games – the last few months have been miserable.
Glasner’s immediate future at Crystal Palace is in doubt
Glassner looked lethargic and did little to dispel doubts about whether he would actually make it through the season.
Admitting he wasn’t competent enough to deal with player departures, consolidate contracts and manage a team amidst a grueling schedule, he appeared to have given up.
Yet he was still keen to remind us of his success in south London. He did well enough to win two trophies. He said 32 points at this stage of the Premier League season was a better result than Palace were used to.
He’s right. Glasner will undoubtedly go down as the greatest manager in club history. But his legacy is being tarnished week by week by his on-field performances and on-field comments.
The season that gave them the opportunity to create historic scenes at Wembley Stadium last summer has spiraled out of control. It feels like we’re finally nearing the end.
