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Oliver, you said the best was yet to come and it arrived tonight. Congratulations. Yeah, thank you very much. But I have to forward it to the players, to the team because it was the game how we expected it, but I think we played incredible uh 15 minutes after halftime where we scored the goal where we could have decided it and then at the end we defended so well and uh so yeah, fantastic evening and I think it's really this group of players, this club, these fans deserve uh to win the Conference League. That's why I'm really pleased tonight. I think um when you came in you mentioned in the meeting about investment and how much you invest is what you get out and to come on a journey with you um to work as hard
as we can as players. This group have done that and this is the icing on the cake for you. Um I think you gave me the honor of the lifting the FA Cup and I think this is for you and your send off and all that you've achieved at this club as well. Yeah, thank you very much. And I see myself as part of this groups because I always as a manager, you can't do anything alone. You need a great staff behind you, but especially you need great football players and great people and this is what this group is. And uh because they always stick together and they always, as you mentioned, they work hard. And I think this is what we started from day number one to create the mindset where we
say everything is possible if we work hard. If we invest in training and that's just my mindset in life. If you invest in something you get something back and this is in your job, in sports, in your family, in your friends, in your kids. Uh and and today, yeah, we had pay off and what has been the hardest probably season the club has ever faced. The amount of games, 60 games. I mean, to keep players fit, to keep players fresh, it was like they were getting stronger throughout the game, especially into the second half. It's a credit to like you say the team that and the operation around it. Oh yes. It's a fant fantastic stuff and um providing everything the players need but at the end it's always and you
know it uh it's the players responsibility. You have to take advantage of all everything you get offered and they really I remember I think it was on Monday it was 34° in London. Uh we had uh Sunday game against Arsenal. Now I think I left at 5:00 in the afternoon and JP Meta and uh Titchel just came back from the cryo uh and this just shows the mindset the other players they are really investing so much and again and that's why we can lift another trophy. Oliver, we saw tonight before the trophy lift a bit of a slip and slide. We saw it before you lifted the Europa League trophy. We saw it again tonight. Is that a Glasna special now? Yeah, to be honest, I thought this is a class 9
Frankfurt special, but Dachi Kamada asked me to do it. Uh, the pitch needed a bit of water, didn't it? Yes. So, they watered it. I think Dai told them before. I see I'm still very quick. So, it's good for a almost 52 year old. Oliver, we spoke last week and you said you'll always be associated for these fans with the best nights of their supporting Crystal Palace life. Now you've done it again tonight and the curtains closing on your career at Crystal Palace. What has this chapter meant to you?
A lot. As I told the players, I think it was today in the meeting because we always we hear a lot when the fans say thank you to us for giving them the best day of their life and all these emotions. And I say thank you to the players because it's the same for me. the players, our fans, they give me and my family who is here today uh also great incredible days in my life. Uh and that's that's what I really uh appreciate and uh that they always listening. They were always listening. They were always supporting me. They trusted in me. They believed in what I told them. Uh and they work so hard for getting this. Yeah. And I can be very demanding as knows this. So if things don't work really if players don't work hard
so I think you know it quite early. So um yeah huge thank you to the players huge thank you to everyone and the staff who supported me and of course huge thank you to our fans. They were incredible tonight. I don't know how many have traveled from England here to Lipik and I think they will have a great party night as well and we will join them. Yeah. seeing what it means to them, seeing your players with their family. Does it make it a harder or an easier goodbye?
Well, right now it's I can't even believe that this was the last game and uh but yes, I took this decision and I it's it's a chapter. It's it's I think it's it's a good chapter to read uh in the Crystal Palace book, but uh other chapters will follow. And and it's the same um I said to the players get now what you deserve with uh after winning the FA Cup there that's the Europa League. So I think now it's was one year delay the club the fans the players did they get what they deserve after winning the Europa League. So and sometimes okay you have to take um how do you say a road around a round trip and now we are there Crystal Palace is there where they should be.
Thank you. I'm sure there's lots of palace fans who will gladly be thanking you for writing the best days in their history. Thanks. Thank you very much. You deserve your time off. Go and enjoy yourself and go
