Pierre Sage has asked Crystal Palace supporters to trust him after the Eagles suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Tottenham, while admitting that his future at the club is beyond his control.
Palace were comfortably beaten at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Jean-Philippe Mateta was sent off early in the match. Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke scored for Spurs as they took advantage of the numerical advantage, leaving Palace with a third consecutive league defeat.
The result leaves Sage under growing pressure, with Palace in the relegation zone after winning just one of their opening nine league matches. The manager said he understands the seriousness of the club’s position, but insisted that he would continue working as hard as possible for as long as he remains in charge.
Sage said his focus was on improving the team on the training pitch rather than trying to influence decisions over his job. He added that he wanted to be the first person at training on Monday and would give everything he could whether he had only an hour left in the role or many more years.
The Frenchman also acknowledged that relegation would be a disaster for Palace, while accepting that the club’s position was the consequence of poor performances. He said the team needed to take more initiative with the ball, after being impressed by Tottenham’s approach, and admitted that the display did not match his own footballing convictions.
