Oliver Glasner on the brink at Crystal Palace after extraordinary dig at fans

Oliver Glasner’s future as Crystal Palace manager is in considerable doubt after he took an extraordinary dig at supporters who called for him to be sacked.

Palace supporters, who travelled more than 1,000 miles to Bosnia and Herzegovina, hurled abuse at Glasner as they were held to a 1-1 draw by HSK Zrinjski Mostar in the first leg of their Conference League play-off tie on Thursday.

And the embattled Austrian coach has fired back at the Palace fans who condemned him.

“I didn’t expect the fans to carry me through London after winning the FA Cup, so they can say and sing whatever they want,” Glasner said on Friday morning.

“I always say the most important thing is to stay humble and it’s the same for the fans. Never forget where you have come from.

“The few who are so critical in this situation are not humble any more and have forgotten where they came from. Usually in life you get punished for this.”

Palace have won just once in 15 matches, including a defeat to non-league Macclesfield in the first and only match of their FA Cup defence.

Glasner’s side are 13th in the Premier League on 32 points – eight clear of the relegation zone – and remain in the Conference League with a critical second leg to come next Thursday.

However, Glasner may not be in the dugout come next Thursday, with Palace considering an immediate managerial change.

This is not the first time the 51-year-old’s job has been on a knife-edge this season. Palace considered making a change in January after Glasner criticised the club’s hierarchy following defeat to Sunderland, accusing them of “abandoning” his team by selling Marc Guéhi to Manchester City without securing a replacement.

He was not sacked for those comments, with Palace taking the view that stability would give them the best chance of winning the Conference League. His position is under review again as their form continues to slump.

“We are not in the best moment,” Glasner explained. “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.”

Glasner has already announced he will leave the club at the end of the season, but the club’s hierarchy may accelerate those plans.
Palace chairman Steve Parish is the key decision-maker on managerial changes.

The former Eintracht Frankfurt manager refused to rule out leaving before the end of the season: “Let’s see what the future brings, we never know,” he told the press.

Several of Palace’s options to succeed Glasner would only be interested in taking the job in the summer, meaning that if he were to depart, they may have to appoint a caretaker manager.

Internally, assistant manager Paddy McCarthy, who was interim after both Patrick Vieira and Roy Hodgson departed, would be well placed, but his inexperience would make it a risky appointment.