THERE is a new sheriff in town at Selhurst Park and his name is Pierre Sage.
is no stranger to being underestimated, overlooked or simply not taken seriously.
But the Frenchman has made a career out of defying expectations and proving his doubters wrong.
Unlike his predecessor Oliver Glasner, who arrived in South London with a respectable playing career behind him and a Europa League triumph with Eintracht Frankfurt on his CV, Sage has always been something of an outsider.
And the 47-year-old is determined to prove his miracle season at Lens was no flash in the pan.
His start to life in South London has offered plenty of encouragement, even if results have not always gone his way.
But away from the touchline, it is his human touch that is beginning to make an impression.
Sources at Palace say Sage has shown a remarkable understanding of his players’ individual circumstances, knowing when to be a manager, a father figure or simply a big brother offering a reassuring arm around the shoulder.
Take star man Ismaila Sarr, for example.
after his dream move to Liverpool collapsed during the summer transfer window.
Rather than simply demanding that he put the disappointment behind him, Sage has given the winger time and space to recover, both physically and mentally, as he works his way back into regular first-team football.
Sources close to Sarr have expressed surprise at the level of compassion shown by the Palace boss, particularly after it became clear the player would be staying at Selhurst Park.
And he has extended that same understanding to other members of the squad, reassuring those who needed convincing that there was still plenty to play for if everyone pulled in the same direction.
On Sunday, there was perhaps the clearest sign yet that his message is beginning to get through.
, now managed by Glasner, handed Sage his first home Premier League win and gave the Selhurst Park faithful a glimpse of what might lie ahead.
In many ways, the Frenchman is attempting to recreate the magic he worked at Lens last season.
Few expected the unfancied club to challenge the established powers of French football when he took charge in the summer of 2025.
Yet Sage guided them to second place in , finishing just six points behind the mighty and securing a return to the .
Even more remarkably, he led Lens to their first-ever French Cup triumph, ending a 120-year wait for the famous trophy.
It was a season that transformed his reputation and left a lasting impression on those who worked under him.
Former Chelsea defender , who played for Sage at Lens, believes Palace supporters will soon discover what makes their new boss special.
He told The Sun: “You will see, slowly the fans will begin to love him.
“He doesn’t like to show too much emotion but he sees everything. Last year he managed to create a brilliant atmosphere with a clear playing style that we all enjoyed.
“I think he will try and do that again in the Premier League. He has a good way of getting players to play for him and normally that is very important, so let’s see.”
Sage has also brought a philosophical approach to his new surroundings, shaped by a journey that could hardly be more different from that of the average Premier League manager.
And perhaps the clearest insight into his thinking came during the summer transfer window, when supporters were crying out for fresh faces and big-money reinforcements.
Rather than complain about the club’s spending power, Sage drew on lessons learned from watching his parents run a restaurant in Belley, a small town in eastern France.
He told The Guardian: “I’m not frustrated, we are not a bank.
“We do with what we have. My parents had a restaurant and I prefer every day there’s a lot of clients but it was not the case sometimes and we have to deal with that every day. In football it’s the same.”
It was a refreshingly grounded response from a man who knows what it means to work his way up from the bottom.
Unlike most Premier League bosses, Sage never played professional football.
He once dreamed of becoming a goalkeeper but never progressed beyond the amateur ranks.
Instead, he began coaching youngsters at just 16 and spent years learning his trade far away from the bright lights of Europe’s biggest stadiums.
He also helped with his parents’ restaurant business and, during his time coaching Annecy’s Under-19s, even drove the team minibus to and from matches.
There were no glamorous surroundings, enormous budgets or superstar players to manage.
Just a young coach with an appetite for learning and a stubborn determination to reach the top.
And as the saying goes, hang around a barbershop long enough and eventually you will get a haircut.
For Sage, the years spent studying the game, working behind the scenes and waiting patiently for an opportunity eventually paid off.
His coaching journey took him through ‘s youth set-up and a spell working under former Newcastle defender Habib Beye at Red Star.
He later returned to Lyon as academy director before an unexpected opportunity changed his career.
When Fabio Grosso was sacked in November 2023, Sage was handed the first-team job on an interim basis.
Lyon were in desperate trouble, sitting bottom of Ligue 1 and staring at the prospect of a humiliating relegation battle.
But Sage inspired a remarkable turnaround, guiding them to sixth place and European qualification.
His reward was a permanent contract running until 2026, although the fairytale ended prematurely when he was dismissed in January 2025 following a disappointing run of results.
For some managers, such a setback might have proved difficult to recover from.
For Sage, it became the beginning of another extraordinary chapter.
Lens came calling after Englishman Will Still departed for Southampton, having guided the club to eighth place.
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What followed was a season few associated with the French club will ever forget.
Malian midfielder Amadou Haidara, who played under Sage at Lens, told The Sun that his former manager’s ability to build trust within the dressing room was central to his success.
He said: “He’s a clever manager.
“I think he has a good relationship with the people he works with and the trust he builds reflects in the game.
“I think he will do well in the Premier League because he has all the ingredients.”
Of course, the jury is still out on whether Sage can reproduce those remarkable achievements in English football.
Since taking the reins at Selhurst Park, he has recorded four wins, one draw and three defeats across his opening eight competitive matches.
But Sunday’s victory over Forest, led by the very man he replaced at Palace, felt like more than just another three points.
It was a statement of intent, a reminder that Sage is capable of finding a way even when the odds appear stacked against him.
And for a manager who has spent much of his career waiting for people to believe in him, that kind of victory can breed something even more valuable than confidence.
It could be the spark that turns a flickering flame into an inferno.
