When Oliver Glasner lifted the Conference League trophy in Leipzig, it sealed a fairy-tale 12 months that no Crystal Palace supporter could have imagined. The 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano not only delivered a third piece of silverware in 375 days but also ensured that his final act as manager would be to secure Europa League football for next season, a fitting climax to a reign of unprecedented success and backroom drama.
The Austrian's journey at Selhurst Park began almost by accident. Chairman Steve Parish had little intention of hiring a manager without Premier League experience when former sporting director Dougie Freedman arranged a meeting in late 2023. But Glasner's Bundesliga pedigree with Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, including a Europa League trophy, convinced Parish to take a chance. By the time Roy Hodgson departed in February 2024, the wheels were already in motion.
Within months, Glasner ended Palace's 120-year wait for a major trophy, stunning Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley. Celebrations, however, were cut short when UEFA ruled that the club had breached multi-club ownership rules due to John Textor's stakes in both Palace and Lyon, demoting them from the Europa League to the Conference League. Parish called it "one of the greatest injustices in European football," but the setback only hardened the team's resolve.
That summer, the Eagles claimed another Wembley scalp by beating Liverpool in the Community Shield, yet turbulence was never far away. Talisman Eberechi Eze departed for Arsenal in a record sale, while captain Marc Guehi almost followed him out the door. A move to Liverpool was agreed, only for Palace to pull the plug on deadline day after a deal for Brighton's Igor Julio fell through. Glasner, already frustrated by the sales, reportedly threatened to quit if Guehi was allowed to leave.
The lines between manager and chairman blurred further as the season progressed. Palace plunged into a 12-game winless streak that sent them tumbling down the Premier League table, and a humiliating FA Cup exit to non-league Maccesfield deepened the crisis. In January, Glasner announced he would leave at the end of the campaign, a decision that came just after the club agreed to sell Guehi to Manchester City. The Austrian accused Parish and the board of "completely" abandoning his side.
The mood at Selhurst Park turned toxic. "In January, it was a tough time to support Palace," admitted fan podcaster Ellie Killick. Yet despite the civil war, Parish never seriously considered sacking the most successful manager in the club's history. His faith was rewarded. Glasner's team recovered their form, clawing back up the league and navigating the Conference League knockouts with growing conviction.
By the time the final arrived in Leipzig, the narrative had flipped. Glasner, who had already poked fun at his earlier disagreements with Parish, told supporters the best was yet to come. "Now I'm leaving, I don't have to agree with the chairman," he smiled, adding that winning in Leipzig would top even the FA Cup. His players delivered, with Adam Wharton declaring him "one of the best managers Crystal Palace have ever had."
The Conference League crown guarantees Europa League football next term, a seismic shift for a club once content with mid-table mediocrity. Killick summed up the transformation: "Glasner has completely changed the trajectory of Crystal Palace Football Club. Before he came, we were content with finishing mid-table and having half decent cup runs but never going all the way."
From relegation-threatened to treble winners, the Glasner era will be remembered for its chaos as much as its glory. The departures of Eze and eventually Guehi, the demotion from Europe's second tier to its third, and the manager's own exit announcement all threatened to derail a historic campaign. Instead, they became footnotes to a remarkable achievement that redefined what Crystal Palace can aspire to be.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.
