Glasner ‘feels abandoned completely’ at Palace

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner has said he feels his squad “are being abandoned completely” by the club’s hierarchy.

The Austrian, 51, confirmed on Friday he will leave the Eagles when his contract expires at the end of the season.

He insisted at the time that his decision had nothing to do with Palace’s transfer dealings, after news captain Marc Guehi was set to sign for Manchester City broke on the same day.

However, after Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Sunderland, Glasner criticised the decision to allow Guehi to leave, as well as expressing his frustration at the lack of backing he has received to replace departing players.

“I feel we are being abandoned completely,” he 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.

“The worst thing is selling our captain one day before playing a Premier League game.

“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.

“I have always kept my mouth [shut], but I can’t because I have to defend these players, because 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 their first major trophy when they beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final last May, which also secured them a place in the Conference League for this season.

But Palace sold their talisman Eberechi Eze in the summer to Arsenal and, although the Eagles started the campaign well by going unbeaten in their first 11 games in all competitions, they are now winless in their past 10 fixtures.

Glasner added: “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…

“What should I tell the players all the time? What should I tell them? And then I see the performance today for 50, 60 minutes – it was not easy with all the circumstances going here with 12 players from the squad.

“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.”

Asked if he was tempted to leave this month rather than wait until the end of the season, Glasner added: “No, never, I would never. I will go with this group of players until the end.

“I have so much respect for their character. I see they’re disappointed and I know how hard they are working, I see how hard they are fighting at the end. Never, no chance.

“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. There is nobody else, we are the only ones, we are the ones who have to play.”

Speaking after Palace’s limp defeat at the Stadium of Light, former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given said Glasner’s outburst could bring his tenure to an abrupt end.

“I’ll be surprised if he sees Monday morning, never mind the end of the season,” Given told BBC Match of the Day.

“Abandoned is one of the strongest words you can use. I have never seen a manager interview like that before. You could see he was raging with the powers that be at the football club.”

Ex-Manchester City defender Nedum Onuoha agreed, saying Saturday’s loss may have been the final straw for the former Eintracht Frankfurt boss.

“It seems like he has reached breaking point,” Onuoha told Final Score.

“At times this year, he has appeared quite calm. That was a tough lesson, to be honest.”