Oliver Glasner was dejected as he sat in front of the media on Friday morning with his Crystal Palace job under mounting pressure. At times, he succumbed to his fate. A draw away to Zrinjski Mostar on Thursday in the first leg of their Conference League play-off prompted Palace supporters to berate Glasner as their poor run of form extended to one win in 15 matches.
The overwhelming majority of Palace supporters wanted Glasner’s head, and when he was asked about it, he put up a little fight. He did, however, defend his team and his own character – rebuffing the notion he has checked out since announcing his decision not to remain at Palace beyond the end of the season.
Perhaps his flattest moment was a blunt response to ‘sacked in the morning chants’: ‘Maybe I would sing the same’, Glasner said. An emotional reply from a manager still stinging after a tough night on the continent.
There was almost an acceptance that he is on borrowed time, Glasner candidly acknowledged that he is underperforming, albeit with the provision that expectations have shifted since Palace won the FA Cup.
‘The expectations are getting higher and higher and we haven’t been able to fulfil them in the last months,’ said Glasner. ‘We are not in the best moment. I take responsibility for everything.
‘I’m just not good enough right now to replace the players we sold, integrate the new ones and cope with the schedule.
Oliver Glasner looked at times as if he was resigned to his fate after a dismal result for Crystal Palace in Europe
The south London side drew with Bosnian minnows Zrinjski Mostar on Thursday evening
‘But I was good enough to play the best season ever, win two trophies, and get 32 points after 26 games this season – Palace have only done better twice. Everyone is angry, disappointed and frustrated. The expectations are completely different.
‘You are allowed to stay as long as the results are okay. In the last months, the results haven’t been good and the performances haven’t been consistent.’
There was the occasional mention of moving forward, Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday and where Palace must improve, but the most telling moments came from questions fielded about his future.
When asked straight whether he wants to remain at Palace until the end of the season, he was evasive. A short answer: ‘let’s see what the future brings’.
What was telling was not what was said, but what was left unsaid. If Glasner cannot say with certainty that he wants to remain in his job, then it is no longer for him.
That said, arriving back from Mostar at 2 am on Friday morning and having to be quizzed nine hours later is a difficult task, considering the performance. His downbeat nature is understandable – but it may be the final nail in the coffin.
Should Palace sack Glasner before they face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, putting him up for the press conference was a mere stay of execution, forcing him to face the music after the fans revolted.
Palace are eight points clear of the relegation zone on 32 points, and with Glasner despondent, his position insecure and the slumping performances, there is good reason to be concerned that Palace could get dragged into the relegation battle.
If Glasner survives until Sunday, anything less than victory against Wolves should signal the end of his tenure – dropped points at home to Burnley and Wolves in successive games would be beyond unacceptable. Palace chairman Steve Parish has big decisions to make.
