Palace co-owner Steve Parish: I maybe lost sight of being a fan in early days at the helm

BY ANDREW MCSTEEN

After being part of the consortium which took Crystal Palace out of administration in 2010, co-owner Steve Parish has reflected on his journey with the SE25 side ahead of their FA Cup final today.

Speaking to the ‘It’s Called Soccer!’ podcast, he outlined how he has trodden the line between fan and chairman in the 15 years since becoming involved on the business side of the side from SE25.

“When I came into it, I was so hard-nosed about it, and so determined not to be beguiled by any of it, that I think maybe I lost sight (of being a fan),” he explained.

“It was all about not being in administration again, and trying to consolidate the club and build the infrastructure. Now, I’ve probably gone a bit the other way and got a bit more excited about putting a better team on the pitch and going up the division and winning trophies and trying to get into Europe.

“I tried to tune in a bit more to what is the mentality of a fan. What do they desire? What are they looking for? What builds a football club? The point of attracting people to it, more fans, more excitement, more enjoyment.

“Fans would quite like to win something, to win on Saturday. As Oliver (Glasner, manager) said, when he looked up into the stand at the FA Cup semi-final, and you see the joy on all those people’s faces, you have to remember that is what you’re there for as well, you know you’re there to do that.”

Parish was full of praise for the Austrian manager for not only inspiring him personally, but for leading the club to just their third FA Cup final and potential record Premier League points tally, with two games remaining.

“This manager comes in and gives you a lift because of his mentality and his positivity,” said Parish about the 50-year-old Glasner.

“He certainly helped me a lot in terms of how I think about the club and the game. I love the club, so the first thing for me is, while I’m in a situation that I think we’re doing the right things and the club’s going in the right direction, there’s an obligation, it’s not just a question of what I feel like doing or what I fancy.

“I’ve still got the same appetite for it because I feel like I’m still needed, in a way. You know, as long as that continues, then I’ll continue doing it.

“For now, things are fine. But I won’t be here forever, and at some point, we’ll have to think about succession planning.”

That succession planning is also underway to replace sporting director Dougie Freedman, who left the club earlier this year.

A legend on the pitch for the Eagles, Freedman was also fundamental in helping Parish find his feet in the football world as well as completely transforming the club recruitment policy and.

The Scot was responsible for attracting players such as Ebere Eze, Marc Guehi, Adam Wharton and Michael Olise to the club.

“Dougie is a big loss to the club, there’s no point pretending any different,” said Parish.

“He’s been a massive impact on the club, and I worked really, really well with him and enjoyed it very much. There’s a job to be done there. There’s a bit of a vacuum there that we have to fill, probably after the summer.”

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD