How surviving life-threatening brain injury led Oliver Glasner to teach Crystal Palace stars to play without fear
WHEN Oliver Glasner took over at Crystal Palace, his first message to the squad was simple, “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”The Austrian boss sees football for what it is, a game built on errors and believes that only when players are freed from fear can they truly thrive.The nasty head injury that ended Oliver Glasner’s playing career.Credit: SportfotodienstOliver Glasner could now defy the odds and win the FA Cup with Crystal PalaceCredit: GettyOliver Glasner has transformed striker Jean-Philippe MatetaCredit: ReutersThat philosophy stems from a life-changing ordeal. Glasner’s own playing career was cut short by a brain haemorrhage after a head collision during a top-flight Austrian game. He needed emergency surgery that saved his life. So when he turned to coaching, he made himself a promise, this wouldn’t just be a job, it had to be a joy.Kennedy Boateng, who starred under Glasner during his first managerial role at LASK in Austria, recalls how the gaffer transformed a modest side into European contenders.READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSHe exclusively told SunSport: “He was a different person on the pitch. “He spotted the smallest things. But in the canteen, he was like a father. He got to know our backgrounds and understood us as people.“I think when you come from Africa, you want to have a father figure, and for those of us who were in Europe for the first time, that was really important.“He didn’t treat us all the same. He tailored our games to who we were as individuals. Not everyone did the same thing, but everyone felt involved.”Most read in FootballBEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UKGlasner hasn’t changed a bit. At Palace’s Beckenham training ground he still champions self-expression and insists on effort from everyone — players, staff, even kitchen workers.The team comes first is his mantra.’Got to be higher than that’ gasps Jack Grealish after seeing England team-mate Ebere Eze’s EA FC 25 ratingWolfsburg strugglesSuccess in Austria earned Glasner the top job at Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, a big leap, and not without bumps and real challenges.He delivered results, Europa League qualification in year one, and the Champions League in year two. But he struggled with dressing-room discipline. Things eventually exploded, and Glasner walked.When he left, Wolfsburg skipper Josuha Guilavogui didn’t hold back, telling reporters: “I’m happy he’s gone.”But Glasner took the hit and learned. German football journalist Tom Desborough told SunSport: “It was such a strange ending to a very good time. “On the pitch, he did well, but he had problems with Jorg Schmadtke, who went on to hire Mark van Bommel as his replacement, and it was an absolute mess.“He also had issues with the club captain Guilavogui but that was because he always left him on the bench.”I guess there were lessons in all of that, which he took with him to Eintracht Frankfurt.”Crystal Palace fans enjoying life under Austrian manager Oliver GlasnerThe non-negotiablesFrom that moment on, Glasner made a vow, respect and freedom, yes, but discipline is non-negotiable.Speaking on The High Performance Podcast, he said: “In life, if you invest in something and stay focused, you get the reward. “Everyone has an ego. I tell my players, use it for the team. If it’s against me, fine. Against the team? That’s not acceptable.”That new steel worked wonders. Glasner led Eintracht Frankfurt to Europa League glory, knocking out teams like Barcelona and West Ham along the way.Before the final, sources say he spent time with every member of the squad, even the kit men telling them they’d already won by getting there.For him it was more about the journey than the final destination, about the culture and environment he had managed to create.Crystal Palace chairman has been blown away by the job Oliver Glasner is doingCredit: GettyThe South London jobWith just three games for LASK and over 500 for SV Ried, Glasner’s CV raised a few eyebrows in South London.But when he arrived at Palace, he made his mark early.There was a high-profile incident where he reportedly promised defender Rob Holding minutes against West Ham but had to change his plan as the Eagles went 2–0 down.Holding didn’t take it well. After the game, he refused to warm down with the rest of the squad, and Glasner wasn’t having it.First, Holding was made to train alone. Then, when no apology came, he was banished him to train with the academy.Asked about the incident in a press conference, Glasner said:“Rob is training individually at the moment. We will talk together, he knows the reason. But it stays between us.”Insiders say the boss stood firm even when the board tried to step in. He knew one thing back down and the dressing room was lost.Sebastian Rode won the Europa League with Oliver GlasnerCredit: GettyWhat working with Glasner is likeSebastian Rode, Glasner’s captain during that historic Europa League triumph with Eintracht Frankfurt, said:“It was a dream. “He opened our eyes and made us believe. The squad was a family-he found a way to get us not only to understand what he wanted but to believe in everything he told us.”Kennedy Boateng also highlighted a key aspect of Glasner’s approach.He said: “For young players, his approach is very good. He is close to his players and allows them to make mistakes.“That freedom is good it allows us to learn without the fear that usually comes with making mistakes.”Glasner has turned things around after a tough start to the seasonCredit: RexWhere he goes when he needs helpBehind the scenes, it’s his wife Bettina Glasner who keeps him grounded, the same woman who, in a twist of fate, had to give the emergency go-ahead for his brain surgery.The procedure was done at the same hospital where Christian Eriksen would later be treated for a heart attack.On the pitch, Glasner surrounds himself with trusted allies from his LASK days, Michael Angerschmid, Ronald Brunmayr, and Palace coach Paddy McCarthy who sources say, has been selfless in backing the boss.The rough start to this seasonAfter a rocky start to the season and no wins in his first eight games, Glasner has led Palace to their first FA Cup final since 2016. He’s also secured a 13th straight Premier League season, and even won over notoriously hard-to-please chairman Steve Parish who said Glasner “made all of us think differently”Read More on The SunThe man who once faced death is now breathing life into the Palace. And one thing is clear, he isn’t just here to survive, he’s building something unique. More
