Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish praises Pierre Sage and staff’s ‘remarkable work’ | OneFootball

The designated successor to Oliver Glasner on the Crystal Palace bench, Pierre Sage has faced a few difficulties at the start of his English adventure. Between the turmoil of the transfer window, players returning late from the World Cup and a Premier League campaign that began with two defeats, the former RC Lens manager has weathered some rough patches. But two months after taking charge of the Eagles, the French manager now seems to have found his feet and is starting to string together some encouraging results.

Something that Steve Parish, the London club’s chairman, has been keen to acknowledge in an interview with The Athletic. “After quite a lot of upheaval, it feels OK,” he says. “We’re all still on high alert, but it feels quite good.”

As a newcomer to the English league, Sage has had to adapt to a new club, a new city and a new way of life. Parish is well aware of this and praises his manager’s work.

“There’s a huge amount (to learn) when you come to a new country,” he says. “His English is better than he thinks it is, but he’s taking English lessons and his family are still mainly in France.”

“After seven matches, three wins, three defeats and a draw are by no means a bad start. When you consider everything he’s had to deal with, he’s done really well. It takes time to find your feet in the league. We’re never complacent – it’s not about being relaxed or complacent – and everyone is currently getting used to how the others work.”

Pierre Sage has done “outstanding work” since his arrival

And whilst there have been rumours of possible internal tensions regarding the handling of certain players, including Jaydee Canvot (20), Parish dismissed them with a wave of his hand.

“I can’t control what people gossip about or what they write. We’re just as we always are: fully focused on moving the club forward together and having a good season. Everyone’s pulling in the same direction, and we’re looking ahead.”

Emphasising that the players “enjoy” playing under Sage, Parish points out that “managers get input from everyone else, but in the end they make the decisions.” As for the Frenchman’s decisions, “they look like good ones.”

“You’ve got a brand new manager, a very fractured pre-season and lots of new players. There wasn’t anything we could have done about it, though. The players were at the World Cup for longer and we were very fortunate and proud, but it wasn’t helpful for preparation. Pierre, his staff and everybody have done really, really well to get us to this point so far,” he concludes.

GFFN | Léo Aschi