Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner said on Saturday that his players are being “abandoned completely” by the club’s hierarchy, following a 2-1 defeat at Sunderland and days after confirming he will leave at the end of the season.
The 51-year-old Austrian, whose contract expires this summer, spoke emotionally after the match, criticising the timing of captain Marc Guehi’s departure to Manchester City and the lack of reinforcement to replace departing players.
“I feel we are being abandoned completely,” Glasner told BBC Match of the Day. “I can’t blame any player. They did everything they could and this has been going on for weeks and months now.
“We have 12, 13 players from the squad available and we feel no support.”
Guehi’s exit was confirmed one day before Palace’s Premier League fixture, a decision Glasner said he struggled to understand. “The worst thing is selling our captain one day before playing a Premier League game,” he said. “We are preparing, it’s the first full week we are training since September, and then we are selling our captain one day before a game. So I have no understanding of this.”
Glasner had insisted on Friday that his decision to leave Palace was not linked to transfer business, despite news of Guehi’s move breaking on the same day. However, his comments after Saturday’s defeat revealed deep frustration with the situation he believes the squad has been left in.
“I have always kept my mouth shut, but I can’t because I have to defend these players,” he said. “It was the 35th game today. Yes we get under pressure here and we are unlucky. But again, you can’t react, we can’t help them, it makes it really tough.”
Glasner led Palace to the first major trophy in the club’s history when they beat Manchester City in last season’s FA Cup final, securing qualification for this season’s Conference League. But the sale of Eberechi Eze to Arsenal in the summer, followed by Guehi’s departure, has coincided with a sharp downturn in form. After going unbeaten in their first 11 matches of the campaign in all competitions, Palace are now without a win in their last 10 games.
“If you get your heart torn out twice this season, one day before a game, it was with Eze in the summer, it was with Guehi now,” Glasner said. “What should I tell the players all the time?
“I look at the bench, I can’t react, just kids on the bench, and this has not happened yesterday, this is weeks ago. That’s why I’m really frustrated today.”
Despite the situation, Glasner said he has no intention of walking away before the end of the season. “No, never,” he said when asked if he had considered leaving immediately. “I will go with this group of players until the end.
“I have so much respect for their character. I see how hard they are working, how hard they are fighting. I have said to the players we have to stick together. If we don’t get the support, it’s us that have to do it.”
Former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given suggested Glasner’s comments could have serious consequences. “I’ll be surprised if he sees Monday morning, never mind the end of the season,” Given said on Match of the Day. “Abandoned is one of the strongest words you can use. I have never seen a manager interview like that before.”
Nedum Onuoha echoed that view, telling Final Score: “It seems like he has reached breaking point.” Alan Shearer added on Match of the Day that he would be “really surprised” if Glasner remained in charge next weekend, saying: “For him to come out and say that and go against his bosses, there is only ever going to be one outcome.”
