Crystal Palace

Former England captain Wayne Rooney has questioned whether Oliver Glasner can realistically continue as Crystal Palace manager following a turbulent period at Selhurst Park, suggesting the situation has become damaging for both the club and the players.

After a 2-1 defeat by Sunderland, Glasner said that he felt "abandoned" by the club after they agreed a deal to sell captain Marc Guehi to Manchester City 24 hours earlier. Palace are 13th in the Premier League, with their last league win coming on 7 December against Fulham.

Speaking about Glasner's post-match comments on The Wayne Rooney Show, Manchester United's record scorer suggested that mixed messaging around departures and Glasner's future risks unsettling the squad, adding to instability at a time when clarity and leadership are most needed.

"I don't see how he continues. For me, it's a bit of both really. I do feel for him because I was at the semi-final and the final last season, and the atmosphere and the feeling around Crystal Palace was incredible," said Rooney.

"Obviously, they lost [Eberechi] Eze in the summer. Marc Guehi stayed, but I think everyone knew he was probably going to leave in January. But then Glasner came out and said he's agreed to leave in October...

"So I'd like to know: did Brennan Johnson get told he was leaving when he signed for Crystal Palace? Did his agent get told? Because maybe that changes things for that player. So that's one question.

"He also came out and said he'd been abandoned and had to tell the players that the captain was leaving the day before a game, but he'll do everything to support the players.

"Then he comes out and tells the players he's leaving. It's all strange and I think he's angling to try to get himself out of the club and try to get paid up. If he feels that bad, that let down and that the club have abandoned him and his players, then walk."

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Crystal Palace fan Dan Cook believes it is in the club's best interest to sack Oliver Glasner following Saturday's headline-grabbing post-match interview.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast, Cook said: "I would love for the club to pull the trigger at this point. I don't think it's going to be a cordial relationship again.

"I'm not sure how we can move forward from it.

"He even said he looked at his bench against Sunderland and felt like there was no one he could bring on. If we're talking about man-management then he's alienated a whole group with his comment there.

"The hierarchy has decided not to sack him in the immediate aftermath, which feels like it's because discussions are ongoing about a new manager coming in during the summer and talks would have to be accelerated if they're needed mid-season.

"There was hope we could just push through this season, but when you have a manager hitting the nuclear button, it makes it incredibly difficult for us to keep the morale up."

Can Oliver Glasner continue at Crystal Palace after his claim that his squad "are being abandoned completely" by the club's hierarchy?

Former Premier League midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker does not believe he can and expects Glasner to be sacked after such a public outburst against the board.

"He has created an atmosphere now that can't go back so I think they have to make the change," said Reo-Coker on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "His stock, regardless, will be very high.

"Whether the way he is going about it is palatable is more of a discussion.

"It is frustration that has boiled over and it shouldn't come as a surprise as he talked about the size and strength of their squad at the beginning of the season.

"If he had enough of a squad to compete then he probably would have kept his mouth shut. But he has put himself in a difficult position and Crystal Palace in a difficult position. They have to make a decision.

"That relationship is broken. You can't have your manager saying stuff like that in the public domain because how are the players now looking at him in the dressing room?

"Are they going to play for someone who has already said he's leaving at the end of the season and moaned about Marc Guehi leaving?

"They used to be a selling club as that was their place in the food chain, but now they want that to start to keep players and push for more success.

"I don't think this means Glasner has tarnished his reputation either because he is in a difficult position."

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Crystal Palace have turned down Juventus' initial approach for striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. (Calciomercato - in Italian), external

Meanwhile, Palace midfielder Adam Wharton is on Manchester United's list of targets for the summer. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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You have been reacting to Crystal Palace's 2-1 defeat by Sunderland and Oliver Glasner's comment that he feels "abandoned" by the club hierarchy.

Here are some of your comments:

Mark: After waiting so long for success, the board has taken the ground out from under Glasner for the past eight months. What are they doing? It can't be any clearer - when you get European football you have to invest to go forward. The Palace board looks set to score the biggest own goal in football history - abandon the manager and players who brought you the best year ever. I can't believe what I'm seeing. That new main stand is irrelevant if the team on the pitch isn't supported.

Les: Absolutely atrocious. No fight. No energy. No subs. No captain and manager on the way out. Where do they go from here? Glasner should be sacked now. You cannot criticise the board in public the way he has and not expect repercussions.

Rob: The talking point isn't about the game but Glasner speaking out and, like many, I'm glad he has, but I can't see him being at Palace come Monday lunchtime...

Matt: You're not committed. Don't stay till the end of the season - get out of our club.

Ron: I feel very sorry for the Palace squad, playing for a manager who doesn't want to be there and a board only interested in money. Glasner should go now - how can he get a depleted team motivated? Having supported the club for 76 years, I also feel let down. I think they played the best they could under the dire circumstances they find themselves in.

Ian: Anyone thinking of employing Glasner, beware. He's great for a while, but once he decides to move on, he blames everyone else and wrecks morale. Palace should sack him now. He's gone from being a massive asset to a massive problem.

Gary Rose
BBC Sport journalist

Speaking after Crystal Palace's limp defeat at the Stadium of Light, former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given said Oliver 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."

Ex-England striker Alan Shearer, added on Match of the Day: "Very much like Enzo Maresca and Ruben Amorim before him, I would be really surprised if he is still Crystal Palace manager next weekend.

"For him to come out and say that and go against his bosses, there is only ever going to be one outcome."

Read more analysis on what Glasner said after the defeat by Sunderland here

Pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

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• Chelsea 2-0 Brentford

• Tottenham 1-2 West Ham

• Nottingham Forest 0-0 Arsenal

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner speaking to BBC Match of the Day after the 2-1 defeat by Sunderland: "I've seen a team that is leaving their heart on the pitch. As you have seen we couldn't make a sub, we had no one on the bench. I feel we are being abandoned completely. Because I can't play many players. They did everything they could and this has been going on for weeks and months now. And 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 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, but I can't because I have to defend these players.

"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 tonight."

Who specifically has abandoned Crystal Palace? "It's pretty clear, yeah? It's pretty clear. Again, I didn't sell anyone. If you get your heart torn out twice this season, one day before a game, it was with Eze in summer, it was with Guehi now, you know? 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, today it was not easy with all the circumstances going here with 12 players from the squad, and yes then you have 15, 20 minutes when you are under pressure, you concede the goal, 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."

Have you told the board your frustrations? "Of course they know it, we're talking all the time. But again, talk does not win the game."

On whether he would leave this month: "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 their disappointed and I know how hard they are working, I see how hard they are fighting at the end. Never, no chance."

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Before Saturday's game at Sunderland, Oliver Glasner said he wanted Crystal Palace to show the same energy and spirit they had displayed in training on Friday - the day he informed his players he will leave at the end of the campaign.

Palace, who were without outgoing club captain Marc Guehi at the Stadium of Light, certainly competed well in the first half and fashioned the better opportunities before the interval, but a combination of Sunderland goalkeeper Robin Roefs and the offside flag prevented them from leading at half-time.

Jean-Philippe Mateta - who has also been linked with a move away from Palace this month - was thwarted in a one-on-one with Roefs after latching on to a through-ball from Pino, who had intercepted a stray pass from Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka.

Mateta was denied again by Roefs moments later - although the linesman's flag was eventually raised for offside - before having a magnificent half-volley from the edge of the penalty area disallowed, again for offside.

Pino's eye-catching finish did put Palace in front on the half-hour mark, but it proved to be the last of the visitors' two efforts on target.

Sunderland raised their game after restoring parity but despite creating little in the final third in the second half, Brobbey's late winner was no less than they deserved.

With no win in their last 10 in all competitions - a run that includes their embarrassing FA Cup exit at the hands of sixth-tier Macclesfield - Palace have their work cut out to ensure Glasner's final campaign in charge doesn't end in disappointment.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Sunderland's performance

What did you make of Crystal Palace's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Regis Le Bris makes four changes to the Sunderland team that started their FA Cup third-round tie at Everton.

Reinildo makes his first start for the club since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations, with Omar Alderete, Dan Ballard and Brian Brobbey also coming in.

Dennis Cirkin, Luke O'Nien, Simon Adingra and Eliezer Mayenda drop to the bench.

Sunderland XI: Roefs, Hume, Mukiele, Ballard, Alderete, Reinildo, Le Fee, Xhaka, Sadiki, Mundle, Brobbey

Subs: Patterson, Cirkin, Neil, Geertruida, Rigg, Mayenda, O'Nien, Isidor, Adingra

Oliver Glasner makes two changes to the Crystal Palace team that drew with Aston Villa in their last Premier League game.

Jefferson Lerma returns after suffering a head injury against Newcastle two weeks ago, while Chris Richards is also restored to the side.

Jaydee Canvot is named on the bench, with Marc Guehi unavailable as he finalises a move to Manchester City.

Crystal Palace XI: Henderson, Lerma, Lacroix, Richards, Devenny, Wharton, Hughes, Mitchell, Johnson, Pino, Mateta

Subs: Matthews, Benitez, Uche, Clyne, Canvot, Sosa, Imray, Riad, Drakes-Thomas

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

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• Leeds v Fulham

• Liverpool v Burnley

• Sunderland v Crystal Palace

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Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

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Crystal Palace have not won any of their past nine games in all competitions and their FA Cup defeat at Macclesfield was a huge embarrassment.

Eagles boss Oliver Glasner made changes for that tie which did not work and the squad depth is clearly not there to cope with this busy time of the season.

Looking at Sunderland's results, they were not exactly in great form either before they beat Everton in a penalty shootout to reach round four.

The Black Cats are without a win in five league games but the difference with Palace is that they drew four of them and, importantly, they also played well in most of those matches too.

Regis le Bris' side have been so strong at home that, along with Palace's poor form, I really have to back them here.

As their fans keep on pointing out, I've not done too well at predicting Sunderland scores this season, but I will get one of their results right soon... surely!

Sutton's prediction: 1-0

Read the full predictions and have your say

Ellie Killick
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Saturday, 17 May, 2025. The best day in Crystal Palace's history. Cheers rang around Wembley as Joel Ward and Marc Guehi lifted the FA Cup on the hallowed turf.

Fast forward eight months and the past week has been among the worst of our history. A humiliating cup defeat as holders by sixth-tier Macclesfield was followed by confirmation that both Oliver Glasner and Guehi are leaving the club. It is safe to say it has been a rollercoaster of emotions being a Palace fan this past year.

Neither departure truly shocked me.

Guehi was basically as good as gone in the summer transfer window, so that always felt like a waiting game, and with a board that consistently lacks ambition in every department, it is difficult to blame Glasner for seeking bigger challenges.

Still, that does not take away the sadness and worry that the news brings. Glasner, amid all his experience, brought something even more transformative - belief. I never thought Palace would win a major trophy, let alone be anywhere near Europe, but he made both of those things possible and instilled a new sense of hope.

What does hurt is the manner of Guehi's exit. Allowing one of England's best defenders and our captain to join Manchester City for a reported £20m is beyond appalling and feels like a major step in the wrong direction which seems poor business for the club and the fans.

Winning a major trophy should be the start of something great, but instead we seem to be going backwards rather than forwards. The timing of Glasner's announcement also raises question marks over the remainder of the season and how the squad will navigate that.

I will forever be grateful for what the pair did for my club, but sadly it is rather a bleak time to support Crystal Palace.

Find more from Ellie Killick at Eagle Eye View, external

Matt Jones
BBC Sport journalist

After being on the wrong end of the biggest FA Cup shock in history last weekend, followed by news on Friday that their manager and captain are both set to exit the club, Crystal Palace's next assignment is Sunderland - with their formidable home record - in the Premier League.

The Eagles were well below their best at the Moss Rose as they succumbed to sixth-tier opponents Macclesfield in embarrassing style, and a trip to the Stadium of Light is a tough follow-up.

Sunderland closing on home record

Sunderland have not lost in front their own fans since their return to the top flight and beat Everton in a penalty shootout in the FA Cup last weekend.

With survival already surely secured, Sunderland can shift their focus towards grander ambitions this term. If they are to finish in the top half - perhaps even seize a European place - then their home form will be key.

Head coach Regis le Bris has steered his team to 10 games without defeat on home soil in the Premier League this season. They can equal Ipswich Town's record run for a promoted side if they can extend that streak on Saturday.

Sunderland have not won in their past five Premier League games but a drop-off was to be expected. The Black Cats had six players at the Africa Cup of Nations, more than any other team in the league. They go into the weekend in 10th spot, albeit within three points of Brentford in fifth.

Troubles piling up at Palace

It has been a rough few weeks for Palace and the issues appear to be piling up.

Palace are without a win in nine games and the squad appears to be creaking under the weight of their European commitments. The Eagles have more injuries than any team in the top flight, with up to 10 players out; they have also made just 22 changes to their starting XI this season, nine fewer than any other team.

Cracks are appearing at both ends of the pitch too. They have been remarkably vulnerable from set-pieces, with nine of their past 11 goals conceded in all competitions coming from dead-ball situations.

Up top, manager Oliver Glasner will hope to see some key men rediscover their scoring touch with Ismaila Sarr still at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Yeremy Pino found the net at Macclesfield with a superb free-kick and all four of his goals for the club have come away from Selhurst Park.

Jean-Philippe Mateta will be back in the squad after he was rested for Macclesfield. The Frenchman has eight goals this season but just one in his past 10 games.

Mateta has also been profligate with his opportunities, with Bournemouth's David Brooks the only player to underperform their Premier League xG more.

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

A deal between the clubs was reached on Thursday night with Oliver Glasner updated on developments.

Glasner and Marc Guehi spoke at the club's training centre on Friday morning when the player's intention to join Manchester City was confirmed.

And in a dramatic morning at Palace's HQ, Glasner also confirmed to the squad in a private meeting just before noon his decision to step down as head coach at the end of the season.

BBC Sport understands work on identifying Glasner's replacement is already under way.

Glasner was keen for Guehi to stay until the end of the season but he has been powerless to prevent Palace from striking a deal with City for the England star.

While Glasner had decided a number of months ago that he would be leaving, the Guehi deal is thought to be the catalyst to him deciding to make his announcement on Friday.

Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner sat down with Kelly Somers for the Football Interview, just over a week before announcing he is going to leave at the end of the season.

In a wide-ranging interview about his life, did he drop a hint about his future plans?

Watch the full interview on BBC iPlayer

Read more about Glasner's background and career in football