For Palace fans, the only certainty of the next twelve months is that any day, any time, Steve Parish can stop work for a minute, stick his head in our brand new trophy box and lift the one and only FA Cup. It’s ours. To hold on to.
Will our “identity” change?
Certainly. Crystal Palace are winners!
Never in the fascinating history of our club has there been a moment like this. “They” say there’s no ceiling! Is Palace ready for life beyond glory?
“This can be the start of something very special in SE25. There is a time to revel in this achievement, but also there’s no reason next year can’t bring another memorable season,” says Steve Parish.
“Four competitions, four titles to win, let’s go for every single one,” says Oliver Glasner.
Will Palace really fog up another summer window?
Clarity is what we crave now. Manchester City and Liverpool openly start the summer with a shopping list, a realistic budget and determination to get business done fast, a clarity that gives the coaches precious time with the new season’s group all together in pre-season. The only time Palace came close to this was in 2021. Remember how well that worked out….
| Palace Paid (€m) | Palace Sold For (€m) | Value Today (€m) | |
| Olise | 9.3 | 53.0 | |
| Andersen | 17.5 | 29.5 | |
| Guehi | 23.3 | 45.0 | |
| Hughes | 7.0 | 7.0 | |
| Edouard | 16.3 | 9.0 | |
| TOTAL | 73.4 | 82.5 | 61.0 |
All values shown as per Transfermarkt at 5 June 2025.
Summer Window 2021 gave the club its money back in three years, plus a few million profit AND Palace still possess the contracts for Marc Guehi, Will Hughes and Odsonne Edouard, whose current combined value is calculated to be over €60m. That’s the way to do a window!
On the other hand, if clarity is fogged, we get the dreaded hindsight. Like, if only signings had been made sooner in 2024, if only, if only ….. Palace really might’ve have really had a chance of winning a Champions League spot. Winning the FA Cup has of course only raised window expectations – not just in the fan base, but also in the dugout, the dressing room and, we hope, the boardroom.
For Steve Parish and Oliver Glasner, it’s make or break this window. Last summer, maybe the owners thought they knew better than the manager when bringing new players in too late, but Glasner has since reacted negatively in public. The price paid by the club is clear. With more than just three points from those first eight games, Palace would have finished top half of the Premier League, as well as FA Cup holders. And several million prize money better off.
At least by end-June some facts will emerge from the fog. We might learn if you can fry an egg on Glasner’s head, because he’ll be fuming if the first signings on his target list have not arrived by the end of June. We’ll also have that odd mid-June experience. After weeks of little to no input, we get a deluge …. the fixtures – “information overload” flashing, quickly replaced this time by “information incomplete” as we must wait until 29 August to discover where the first steps of our European tour will take us.
Is the European tour on or off?
Palace have been cheated of European football before – in 1991, we earned a European spot, but it was given to Liverpool instead. I see there is a question mark now over Palace’s Europa League spot, that it might be given to Lyon instead. The oldest friend I have is a Lyon supporter from childhood. And the two clubs are pitched against one another over a single spot in Europe? Really? The curse of Palace isn’t about to return…..surely? Think positive because…..
What do we need this window?
More games next season inevitably mean more injuries, more suspensions. Squad depth may be tested most in central midfield, where the sharp teeth of Glasnerball lie in wait, and stars in red and blue regularly tread the yellow card line.
Still, squad strength is growing. Do you remember a time with so many genuine candidates for the Player of the Year award? The starting XI against Wolves was 6 first team players short, we lost an early goal, yet we still won fairly easily. 2 valuable squad additions incoming are Cheick Doucoure and Chadi Riad. And don’t forget the loan players returning. They’ll add either to the squad or to the bank balance.
Backing Glasner now with hard cash is vital. If last summer’s lesson truly was learned, Steve Parish will now fulfil as many Glasner demands as he can. Clickbait currently has Glasner seeking anything from two to six new players. Glasner’s needs will of course depend on how many leave, and there’s no doubt big offers are incoming this summer for more than one or two Palace stars. Looking ahead positively, Glasner’s playing style is ingrained in this group, so it should be easier to continue progress and to integrate new faces this summer.
What would we like?
Young, special talent signing for Palace. Well, it’s clear that anyone wanting to play for England now knows they should join Palace ….. proof lives not just in the five young men who’ve become real England players since arriving at Selhurst, although Henderson is now pushing to be England’s number one, Ebere Eze is at the top of his game, and only Cup Final injuries kept Guehi and Adam Wharton out of the current England squad. It’s obvious Tyrick Mitchell should be there too. And two more of the current England squad (Connor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah) got there following successful Palace loan spells.
Palace now have the very best proven pathway into the England team – no other club can match it.
How far can Glasnerball take Palace?
Glasner the magician has twice pulled off an amazing trick. For a second year running, Palace ended the season racking up wins and scoring goals so beautiful they shocked neutrals. Again, by season’s end, Glasner had his Palace team purring.
What does this mean for twelve months’ time? A spectacular season climax? It depends largely on Parish playing Palace cards right, now.
Where can Glasnerball take us?
Glasnerball enables Palace to set new records. Among the torrent of new Palace facts and stats, 3 stand out as particularly symbolic of Glasnerball and what it does:
- Since Forest away seven months ago, Palace have produced a better playing record than we’ve ever seen: P37 W20 D10 L7 F 62 A44 Pts70 (average points per game 1.89)
- 8% of English league clubs saw their cup hopes ended by Palace last season, and we knocked Aston Villa out of two cups.
- The goal that won the FA Cup with such a stunning flourish was signature Glasnerball, involving half the team – Chris Richards to Jean-Philippe Mateta to Daichi Kamada to Mateta to Daniel Munoz to Eze.
Supporters and opponents know Glasnerball is a proven winner which, if allowed to continue development, will generate performances and points to break more records. It’s a tribute to every player that they need the heart for it, 100 minutes every match. Kamada and Maxence Lacroix are the veterans, having played Glasnerball at their previous clubs. And it shows. Once settled, both achieved rapid improvement, and Kamada has recently become quietly effective every game. He knows where to be, and he has the heart to keep going.
In fact, during first half domination at Anfield, Palace played Liverpool the Palace way – from Mateta oozing excitement and anticipation in a wild-eyed pre-match tunnel TV close-up through to another goal of simple beauty, precision and speed. At the end, Glasner was disappointed we hadn’t won.
Maybe his post-match criticism was understandable. If you invent a way of playing football that leaves the Premier League champions guessing as to how on earth they can score, perhaps it’s only fair to criticise players if they don’t produce.
The public tears of Romain Esse were surprising, particularly after his dazzle instant right in front of the Palace fans. Baffling Real Madrid-bound TAA must’ve excited the young man. It certainly made us gasp. Unfortunately, Esse’s next decision to beat one more player could be viewed as costing two points, as Liverpool went down the other end and scored. The game had been there for the winning, with the champions’ attack strangled in the first half hour amid Palace enterprise and speed that opened them up several times.
How does Oliver Glasner view beating Man City and Liverpool?
It’s a measure of the man that Oliver Glasner truly expected Palace to beat City and Liverpool, both away from Selhurst, both in the same week when both opponents desperately wanted to win. Glasner expected two out of two victories!!!
Will Glasner stay?
Glasner looked in the eyes of Palace passion during our celebrations, and he looked ecstatic seeing what an explosion in the hearts of success-starved thousands can do. We all want him to stay for years, and instinct says he’ll stay – but maybe only for one more season. I hope I’m wrong, but here’s why.
So far as a manager, Glasner’s a two-year man – two at Wolfsburg, two at Eintracht Frankfurt. Plus, in recent interviews, both he and Parish have emphasised the two-year commitment of his contract. I think Glasner is honourable, a gentleman who will fulfil his contract.
Certainly, in his moment of extraordinary triumph at Wembley, Glasner was pure class – humble, gracious, calm and totally at one with Palace fans. A special man of amazing intensity, an ambitious football coach with deep-seated belief and a genuine ability to out-think opponents.
Perhaps that’s why Glasner is such a demanding manager – and we do see our players truly work very hard, every game. We can be sure his demands are felt in boardrooms too.
Media reports suggest Glasner left Wolfsburg due to strained relationship with their sporting director and left Frankfurt because they wouldn’t invest in a squad too thin for his liking. Of course, these might be just stories, but what really matters is ….. what happens when Glasner leaves a club? Neither Wolfsburg nor Frankfurt has come close to winning anything since he left.
The solution is plain – let’s all do all we can to keep this Manager happy!
How long before the glow goes?
The Saturday after the Cup Final, my wife popped an awkward question. Awkward, because it was about Palace, plus I didn’t know the answer!
She asked: “When does the glow go?” Not sure, but the glow is still here! So it’s a valid question.
For the players, the glow may have evaporated in the Anfield dressing room, when they got the Austrian hairdryer for not having won to rain on the Champions’ party.
The glow I feel from winning the FA Cup continues to be a fabulous experience, fully shared over these few weeks with every Palace fan, who each felt it differently. When Eze scored, I giggled. When the Munoz “goal” induced Palace decibel counts that broke records, I giggled again.
As those last ten minutes ticked by, I felt my heart beating out of my chest. When the final whistle blew, I cried. Then I laughed. Then I cried. Now I glow. The lasting feeling of pinch yourself, we won. With a super goal, not a lucky fumble like the goal that won Spurs this year’s Europa League. I’ve asked around how long before the glow goes, but nobody I know has an answer.
Nobody I know has ever waited this long to win a major trophy.
