Assistant manager Roberts praises 'leader' Vieira
Crystal Palace assistant manager Osian Roberts praised manager Patrick Vieira in the club's pre-match press conference ahead of the Manchester United game.
Roberts took the press conference as Vieira was absent due to personal reasons. He said he will speak with Vieira later today (Friday) and expects the manager to be back "later today or tomorrow morning".
The assistant manager was then asked to explain why he joined Palace this summer, and what it is about Vieira that encouraged him to join.
"[Working here] has been a joy. I’ve really enjoyed every minute working alongside Patrick with the other staff members. We built a team behind the team.
"Patrick I’ve known for a long time but not worked together on a daily basis. When he invited me to come in I had no second thoughts – he’s a person I respect greatly. So far it’s gone well, the team behind the team has gelled. Everyone working closely and hard to make sure we prep the team as best we can for each game."
He then explained how the coaching staff and players have adapted to continue their "seamless" preparation before a huge test against United.
"I’m here just trying to make sure collectively as staff – we have great staff here - that we’ve rallied round to make sure the transition has been seamless," he said. "The players as usual have been professional in the way they’ve applied themselves and we had a good session this morning.
"It makes a big difference when Patrick is not here. He’s our leader, the manager, and you always want him at the helm leading matters. We have a responsibility in this unfortunate circumstance we do everything correctly."