Oliver Glasner has described Crystal Palace supporters as wanting honey again, in remarks that stood out from what is typically a routine pre-match press conference. The Austrian manager made the comments ahead of Palace's Conference League semi-final second leg against Shakhtar Donetsk, according to BBC Sport, which described his answers as unusual.
The precise context of the honey remark was not elaborated upon in the wire, but it appears to have been one of several unorthodox responses Glasner gave when facing questions from journalists before the fixture. Whatever the metaphor was reaching for, it carried enough novelty that BBC Sport flagged it as the defining note of the session.
Palace's presence in the last four of the UEFA Conference League represents a significant moment for the south London club. European football at this stage is unfamiliar territory, and the weight of the occasion has generated considerable attention both domestically and on the continent. A two-legged semi-final against Shakhtar Donetsk — a club with deep continental experience, currently operating without a permanent home ground in Ukraine due to the ongoing war — is a substantial test of where Palace stand as a developing European side.
Glasner has been a steady and measured presence since taking charge at Selhurst Park, and his press conferences have occasionally produced moments that resist easy categorisation. Whether the honey comment was a deliberate attempt to ease tension in the camp, a cultural turn of phrase that lost something in translation, or simply a manager in good spirits before a big fixture, the wire does not say. What BBC Sport does make clear is that it was notable enough to lead their coverage of the session.
The second leg will determine whether Palace progress to the Conference League final, a prospect that would have seemed remote to most observers not long ago. Shakhtar arrive with experience of navigating European knockout rounds, and the tie remains open. Glasner's task in the days ahead is practical rather than poetic: preparing a squad for the demands of continental semi-final football, whatever sweetness may or may not follow.