The last 15 months have been something akin to a fever dream for fans of Crystal Palace. Having not won a single major trophy in the entirety of our history, last May’s FA Cup final triumph over Manchester City saw multiple generations of the club’s fanbase realise lifelong dreams, standing shoulder to shoulder beneath the sunshine at Wembley Stadium.
With that victory came the prospect of a European tour: a challenge the club had never faced before, but one we passed with flying colours. Palace went on to win the Uefa Conference League, defeating Rayo Vallecano at Leipzig’s Red Bull Arena at the end of last season.
Oliver Glasner was the architect of those successes. Parachuted into the role in February 2024 to replace an ailing Roy Hodgson, Glasner immediately set about altering what the players, supporters and owners of Crystal Palace believed was possible.
From the moment the former Eintracht Frankfurt manager set foot in south London, he forced everyone to ask: “What if?” While that felt like something of an alien concept at first, it has since shown everyone of a red-and-blue persuasion that there is no harm in aiming for the stars.
Sage was a surprise candidate to take over (Photo: Getty)With Glasner having decided as far back as October 2025 that he would not renew his contract at Selhurst Park beyond this summer, the club’s board faced the unenviable task of replacing the man who had made our collective dreams come true.
It was not until a week or so ago that a genuine frontrunner emerged: Pierre Sage, a 47-year-old Frenchman whose managerial career has already produced some remarkable results.
Who is Pierre Sage?
At Lyon, he guided the club from relegation danger to a sixth-place finish in Ligue 1, winning 15 of his 20 league games at the end of the 2023-24 season. He then took Lens to second place behind the might of Paris Saint-Germain last season, while also securing the club’s first ever Coupe de France trophy with a 3-1 victory over Nice in May.
Naysayers are bound to barge their way into the discussion surrounding the appointment, raising concerns over Sage’s relative lack of experience and readily telling anyone who will listen that he is unlikely to replicate Glasner’s remarkable achievements. As supporters, however, we must be realistic about our expectations.
We have had the time of our lives over the past year or so and have another European tour to savour next season. We would, of course, love another piece of silverware, but progress cannot be defined solely by the promise of a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow.
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Daniel Storey: My day with Iran fans ‘behind enemy lines’ at the World Cup Mark Douglas: £14 beers and ludicrously priced footballs – my day at the World Cup fan zoneThe new man at the helm represents the definition of a calculated risk. It would have been easy for the board to plump for someone such as Sean Dyche or Thomas Frank: familiar Premier League figures who might have provided stability without necessarily pushing boundaries.
In Sage, however, Palace have chosen a manager whose hunger and recent track record suggest he will not use his time at Selhurst Park simply to make up the numbers.
For supporters of clubs such as ours, the existence of hope is what keeps you coming back for more. All too often, fans are told to exercise pragmatism but once you have been shown that the path less travelled not only exists but is accessible to us when everything clicks into place, it becomes almost impossible to extinguish the flames lighting the way.
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