Oliver Glasner the new Crystal Palace manager as Roy Hodgson steps down
Oliver Glasner has been named the new manager of Crystal Palace following an announcement that Roy Hodgson is stepping down over health issues.
Glasner, 49, has been a long-term target of chairman Steve Parish and director of football Dougie Freedman in an appointment process that began at the start of this season.
There were meetings since then and the process accelerated when Hodgson fell ill at the training ground on Thursday. He has since been released from hospital and Palace said he was “doing well”.
There was no meeting between Parish and Glasner on Friday. The two men already know each other well and since Thursday it has been a case of the club fine-tuning contractual details with Glasner and his representatives. Glasner has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract and the Austrian is expected to bring four staff with him.
“I am very happy to join Crystal Palace,” said Glasner.
“I am looking forward to working with the talented squad, meeting the club’s supporters and experiencing the Selhurst Park atmosphere I have heard so much about.
“It has been a pleasure to meet with Steve [Parish, chairman] and Dougie [Freedman, sporting director], and I am looking forward to working with them to achieve our goals.”
Glasner has been watching Crystal Palace’s matches in preparation although it was Ray Lewington and Paddy McCarthy who took charge of Monday night’s crucial match at Goodison Park against Everton.
Any suggestion Palace were going to dismiss Hodgson on the Thursday he fell ill are wide of the mark. He was about to take training and had a press conference scheduled for lunchtime before he went to hospital on the advice of club medical staff.
In a statement to mark his departure, Hodgson said that his two spells in charge of Palace had been “very special”. “[The club] means so much to me and has played a big part in my footballing life. I have fully enjoyed my time here across six seasons, as it has given me the chance to work with top class players and staff doing what I love every day.
“However, I understand, given recent circumstances, it may be prudent at this time for the club to plan ahead, and therefore I have taken the decision to step aside so that the club can bring forward their plans for a new manager, as intended for this summer.”
Telegraph Sport revealed last Thursday that Hodgson was unlikely to continue at Palace after he was admitted to hospital.
Hodgson previously fell ill in the week before the away fixture against Aston Villa in September. While he is generally in good health, the advice has been that stepping down is the best option. The demands of the Premier League manager’s life are high – with few days off, fierce scrutiny and lots of training sessions in the cold.
Palace had been extremely reluctant to sack Hodgson and hoped to get through to the end of the season, and the end of his current contract, before making a change.
However, a run of two wins in just 15 games since the start of November, including an FA Cup exit at Everton, led to fears that Palace might be dragged into the relegation fight.
Parish said: “Roy has a special place in Crystal Palace history and this will never be forgotten. After four years in which he led the club to maintaining Premier League status season after season, he once again joined us nearly a year ago to steady the ship, and worked wonders. That he then agreed to continue in the summer speaks volumes about his commitment to our club. Quite simply, we owe our continued Premier League status to Roy.
“I would like to thank Roy enormously for his service and wish him the very best for the future; it’s fair to say Roy has the keys to Selhurst Park and will always be welcomed back.
“On a personal note I would also like to thank Roy for his support, his professionalism and his friendship. He’s been the manager for half of the time we’ve been in the Premier League, I’ve enjoyed working with him and learning from him immensely.”
Glasner is well-regarded after his two years at Eintracht Frankfurt, leading them to a Europa League triumph against Rangers in the final in Seville and also reaching a domestic cup final. Frankfurt beat West Ham United in the semi-finals. Before that he was at Wolfsburg and spent six years in Austria with SV Ried and LASK.
