Oliver Glasner will have his last dance as Crystal Palace manager against Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday in the Uefa Conference League Final, hoping to end his unforgettable spell with one more trophy.
The Austrian coach, who joined Palace fighting relegation in February 2024, has transformed the football club. At surface level, they have lifted silverware twice. Which, in itself, is enough to cement his status as the greatest manager in Palace history. But it is the cultural change he has embedded that sets him apart from his predecessors.
Glasner’s first objective as Palace boss was to remove the inferiority complex, emphasising to his squad that they do not have a ceiling — no dreams are unrealistic when putting in the hard yards. He successfully developed an atmosphere where no task was insurmountable.
His remarkably high standards were a breath of fresh air in south London. For the first time, Palace started to believe they could climb above their perceived place in the pecking order. That formidable mentality trickled into the fanbase, and there was a time — during a 19-game unbeaten run that spanned two seasons and included their FA Cup and FA Community Shield wins — when Palace believed they were invincible.
A philosophy built on belief, confidence and momentum has changed the lives of everyone at Palace. It is no wonder that Glasner’s vehement battering of the club in January — 24 hours after announcing he would depart Palace at the end of the season — drew resentment from supporters, who labelled him as “finished”. Glasner was their messiah, and they were wounded not only by his words but by his decision to call time on what had been the best period of their lives.
‘A winner’
“It was a big shock to everyone,” said Brennan Johnson, who signed for Palace while they were in a state of chaos.
“It was something that we didn’t really expect to happen, especially for me so early on into my time here. But he made his decision. We all respect it. He’s done unbelievable things at this club and I feel like that was all it was. After this massive game on Wednesday, we’re going to wish him all the best, of course.”
In the end, reaching the Conference League final aided Glasner’s redemption. The most poignant moment of solace came at Selhurst Park on Sunday, when all four stands sang his name in unison for the first time in five months while sending the team off for the biggest match in the club’s history. Protests when drawing away at Zrinjski Mostar in February feel like a lifetime ago.
“One of the things over the last couple of years is that he’s got massive trust and respect for us as a group of players, likewise we have for him as a manager,” Will Hughes said. “We knew he was still going to give it his all for the remaining months of his contract, like he would do if he was there for the next five years. That’s a great thing about him.
“As players, we’ve bought into that and you can see the standards haven’t dropped throughout. What Oliver has done for us has been fantastic. He’s helped us get our first silverware as a club and for many of us as individuals. We’re all forever grateful for him. Hopefully, we can give him a proper send-off. That’s part of the motivation after what he’s done for us as players and as a club. To send him off with a trophy would be a nice thing.”
Glasner’s contagious drive for success was perhaps best encapsulated by Jean-Philippe Mateta: “He’s a winner. He just wants to win. He will do everything to win.”
Yet, with Glasner’s departure a mere subplot to Palace’s first European final, the players offered their gratitude and farewell speeches before flying to Germany. Palace captain Dean Henderson hopes to write Glasner his very own Hollywood ending to a monumental two years, while revealing that the group got together to record a valedictory message to their boss.
‘What he’s done is remarkable’
“It would be a great way to finish the movie off for Glasner,” said Henderson.
“Everyone wants that happy ending and everyone’s working towards that. It’d be unbelievable for him, wouldn’t it? Obviously, the best manager this club has ever had and to finish on such a high would be sensational. He’ll be a huge miss. I think he knows that from Tuesday, when the players did a send-off video to him and spoke from the heart.”
“FA Cup last year, Community Shield, getting into Conference League and hopefully winning that would be an unbelievable send-off,” Johnson added. “I feel like what he’s done for this club is already remarkable, so he deserves all the plaudits that he gets. But now, because we have the opportunity we do, we have to give everything we have.”
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Having worked with Glasner at VfL Wolfsburg before reuniting with him at Palace in August 2024, Maxence Lacroix has witnessed his manager’s development first-hand — from his time in Germany to winning the Uefa Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt, and now to within 90 minutes of another trophy in red and blue. The French defender believes Glasner will be the difference-maker against Rayo Vallecano.
“I think he understood the games more,” said Lacroix. “He’s won more trophies now, so he has more experience — especially in Europe. This is what we need for the final. It’s about the experience. He has already won the Europa League. He knows how stressful it is and how you have to prepare for this type of occasion. He gave us everything that we need to win.”
Leipzig is where Glasner’s farewell tour will culminate. The Palace boss has vowed to stay fully committed to the club until after what he hopes will be celebrations, stretching into the early hours of Thursday if Palace secure a first European trophy. A fitting finale to the most prosperous era the club has known.
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