CRICKET LEAVES OLIVER STUMPED
CRYSTAL PALACE boss Oliver Glasner feels at home in London but the prospect of watching cricket may be a step too far for the sports-mad Austrian.
Basketball fanatic Glasner, an accomplished golfer, tennis player and highly proficient skier, spent last week in the US watching the NBA play-off between the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks with Palace co-owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer.
Recent wins over Liverpool, West Ham and Newcastle have rejuvenated Palace but Glasner has no intention of being hooked by bat and ball, despite the Eagles’ training ground being next door to Kent’s HQ. He said: “I enjoy London, everything but the traffic. But this is a great city and what I enjoy is that you can walk around anonymously.
“It was different in Frankfurt – a smaller city. There it was a lot of people wanting selfies, which is nice.
But sometimes you just want to have 10 minutes where you don’t have to pose.
“But London is so big and there are a lot of possibilities. Recently my wife and children were here and we had a nice time and a good dinner. There are lots of nice restaurants.
We spoke about cricket in the office the other day and I said maybe it is the only sport where I don’t understand the rules. “I have never watched a game but I know it is very popular over here. But if you don’t understand the rules, it would be terrible to watch a game for five days. “So it won’t be my favourite sport. “Would I think about going? No, I really don’t think so.”
Glasner can make history at Selhurst Park tonight by becoming the first Palace boss to complete a Premier League season-double over Manchester
United and will be boosted by the returns of England duo Eberechi Eze (left) and Marc Guehi from injury.
With his side picking up three wins in four games including a last-gasp 1-1 draw at Fulham nine days ago, Glasner has challenged his side to remain unbeaten until the end of the season.
“We hope that we can keep this momentum, it is up to us how we work during the week,” he added.
“The players look ready, I could see how focused they are in training. We’re four games unbeaten and the goal is staying unbeaten until the end of season.”