From "Out, Glasner" to glory? Palace coach aims for dream farewell

Three months ago, it felt like a bitter end to a beautiful romance when Crystal Palace fans, in the away section of the Conference League playoff game against HSK Zrinjski Mostar, directed their anger at coach Oliver Glasner.

"We want Glasner out!", they sang to the Austrian who, the previous season, had made the club's history by defeating Manchester City in the FA Cup final and winning the first major title in Palace's history.

That 1-1 draw in Bosnia left Palace with just one win in 15 games in all competitions - a period in which Glasner announced his departure at the end of the season and Palace sold defender Marc Guehi to Manchester City, as well as losing Cup final hero Eberechi Eze to Arsenal.

Continue lendo

28/05/2026

Lotomania today: results of contest 2929 and numbers drawn

Lotomania Resultg1See below the draw numbers for Lotomania contest 2929 held this Wednesday (27):14 - 15 - 16 - 19 - 2...

28/05/2026

Dupla Sena today: results of contest 2962 and numbers drawn

Dupla Sena resultg1See below the draw numbers for Dupla Sena contest 2962 held this Wednesday (27):1st draw: 17 - 24 -...

28/05/2026

Super Sete today: results of contest 852 and numbers drawn

Super Sete steering wheelsG1See below the numbers drawn from the columns in contest 852 of Super Sete held this Wednes...

Few would bet that Glasner would see out the remaining months of his contract when, aged 51, he further angered fans by responding to criticism by telling them to "stay humble" and "remember where they came from".

But those turbulent times are behind him and, this Wednesday (27), he will say goodbye with his legacy consolidated after the Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano, in Leipzig.

A win for Palace would complete an extraordinary chapter for the south London club since former Eintracht Frankfurt manager Glasner took charge in February 2024.

Top Cifras

Toque agora.

1 Lugar mais alto Intimidade e Adoração

2 Por Toda Vida Bandag4

3 It's no good Depeche Mode

4 You Give No Time Same Bloods Cocktail

As well as that historic day at Wembley against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, Palace also won the Community Shield against Liverpool a few months later and have now reached the final in their first European adventure.

Premier League: clubs could lose R$500 million with veto on betting sponsorship

"You don't need to play for the manager"
"I would feel like a complete failure if the team had dropped in performance (after I announced my departure), because I always told them: 'You don't need to play for a manager'," Glasner told the UEFA website.

"They always play for themselves, for the group, for the fans, for the club. If we win the Conference League, all the players who stay here at the club, the fans, will benefit, because they will play European football again next year. So everything they do is for themselves too, for the club, for the fans and not for me."

Although Glasner wants to shift the focus away from himself, he doesn't shy away from wishing for a perfect ending.

"It would be a perfect ending. When you watch a movie, when you read a book, you always hope there's a happy ending," he said. "To end this journey of more than two years with another trophy, with the first European trophy in Crystal Palace's history, would be incredible."

Crystal Palace, with players like Jean-Philippe Mateta, Adam Wharton and Ismaila Sarr in their squad, will certainly start as favorites against a club with a lot in common.

In Glasner, they have a coach who knows what it takes to win a European trophy, having guided Eintracht Frankfurt to the Europa League title in 2022.

They also have striker Brennan Johnson, whose goal won Tottenham the Europa League last season and who will see Wednesday's final as the perfect moment to score his first goal since crossing from London.

Johnson arrived during those dark January days, but says the European campaign brought the club back together.

"The more games we played, especially in the Conference League, the more the excitement came back and now it seems like a distant memory," he said.

Source: CNN