Pressure mounts on Pierre Sage as Crystal Palace fans turn on boss after Newcastle defeat
Sage insists 'there is no noise inside the club'
Pierre Sage has said the rumours about his future are "just noise" after Crystal Palace's 2-0 home defeat by Newcastle United, a result that was greeted with boos from the Selhurst Park crowd.
"Oliver Glasner achieved some amazing things, and now I have to do the same," Sage said after replacing the man who delivered an FA Cup, a European trophy and the Community Shield during two years in charge at Selhurst Park.
Four months into a three-year contract, the Frenchman is already under heavy pressure. Sunday's defeat was the fifth in eight Premier League games and left the Eagles in the bottom four. Palace have failed to win their past four matches, and the boos came after a 5-0 humiliation at fierce rivals Brighton the previous weekend.
"There is no noise inside the club," said Sage when asked about his future in his post-match media conference. "The boos are normal because we don't have the result. The noise is the consequence of the result of the team, and at the moment we don't have what we expect."
He added: "Inside, we are just really focused on solutions. How to be better, how to create the conditions to compete, and we will continue our work, and there's no noise inside."
Asked about the boos, Sage accepted the reaction was expected. "It's normal that people lose patience when you lose, because everybody wants to win. Today it was not the case."
A run of poor results
Palace have taken just seven points from their first eight league games in the post-Glasner era. After losing to Everton and Manchester City in their opening two matches, they won at Fulham before losing at home to newly promoted Ipswich. A goalless draw at Leeds was followed by a comeback win over Nottingham Forest at Selhurst Park on 11 October, which remains their last victory.
Since then they have lost at his former club Lyon in the Europa League and at Brighton, before drawing 2-2 with Besiktas in Istanbul on Thursday. Palace also have the worst defensive record in the Premier League, having conceded 19 goals in eight games.
Fixtures ahead
Palace's next Premier League match is at improving Tottenham next Saturday, before they host Liverpool on 8 November going into the international break. Their first game back is at fellow strugglers Coventry City on 21 November.
Too nice to succeed?
French football expert Julien Laurens said Sage needed to be more ruthless. "He's a lovely guy. He's maybe a little bit too nice at times," Laurens told BBC Radio 5 Live. "You don't feel sorry in this league. This Premier League is ruthless. It's the top, top level."
Laurens pointed to Palace's first win of the season over Fulham, when he said Sage felt sorry for the opposition. "You can't feel sorry for the opposition you have just beaten, especially when this is your first win and you needed it badly."
Former Manchester United and England forward Dion Dublin said Sage needed to be tougher. "It's no good being lovely with everything. Things can't be lovely when you are a Premier League manager. You will just lose games and get sacked."
Former Leeds United forward Lucy Ward added: "He has proved himself at Lyon and Lens. Being a little bit too nice doesn't help."
Goals against and a stylistic question
Crystal Palace have conceded 50 Premier League goals in 2026, the most of any club. Sage's Lens side, which finished second in Ligue 1 and won the French Cup in 2025-26, were built on aggressive pressing and quick attacks after winning the ball back. Opta data showed Lens made 426 high turnovers during the 2025-26 season, producing 69 shots and seven goals from those moments. Palace have struggled to replicate that threat under Sage.
"He needs to do things slightly differently," Laurens said. "There is pressure everywhere in the Premier League."