Crystal Palace win Conference League: How Oliver Glassner led them to success

It was only a few weeks after beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley that Palace were hit with a defensive punch.

It was early July and South London was eagerly anticipating that Selhurst Park would host Europa League football for the first time.

But after UEFA deemed Palace in breach of multi-club ownership rules – American businessman John Tector owns stakes in the Eagles and French side Lyon, as well as French side Lyon, which has already qualified for the Europa League – Glasner’s side were relegated to the Conference League.

The shock verdict sparked fears that it could take the life out of Palace’s success before the start of the new season, with Parish calling the case “probably one of the biggest injustices ever to happen in European football” before finally appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

After waiting for their first major trophy in 120 years, it was going to take more than that to dampen Palace spirits.

The Eagles showed no sign of feeling out of sorts in the Wembley area as they kicked off the new season with a win over Premier League champions Liverpool in the Community Shield.

But the turmoil continued with the departure of talisman Iberechi Eze, who joined Arsenal for a record fee after five years at Selhurst Park.

And had Glasner not stepped in, they would have had to deal with the loss of star defender and captain Mark Guhi.

The England international is set to rubber stamp his move to Liverpool.

After the failed move for Guhi – which cost Palace more than £35m for the player in the final 12 months – the line between Glasner and Parish appeared blurred.

The Austrian manager, who is in the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park, is reportedly considering leaving Parish if Guhi gets permission to move to Merseyside.

Glasner is frustrated that as they prepare for their first European campaign – which will include at least six more games in the competition – they seem more willing to punish departures than retain and strengthen their existing squad.

It was clear that tensions were running high behind the scenes at Selhurst Park.