The heartbreak of missing out on selection for your national team just weeks before your country hosts the European Championships would be a terminal blow for many players’ careers.
“When you get the chance to play for your country, it’s the best feeling, it makes you so proud.
“I had been in the squad until six weeks before the championships and then the manager dropped me because I had a great season at Austria Vienna but then all of a sudden our manager left. For the last few games of the season we got a new manager who was now manager of Austria and he didn’t let me play the last few games.
“It was hugely disappointing. It was always a big dream to play in the European Championships.”
Lesser players would have let the disappointment haunt them, but not Johannes Ertl. Instead, he turned it into a positive by taking the opportunity to realise his dream of playing in England.
“The thing is, if I had been in the squad for the European Championships then there would have been no possibility to go to England and Crystal Palace so one door closes and another one opens.”
“One of my goals was always to move to a different country and my main goal was always England. Football is booming here in my opinion, you can see the big stadiums and crowds, like we played against Derby and there’s 30,000 people coming to watch, that is unbelievable.”
Ertl was out of contract at Vienna and had been dropped from the national side, but the call he took from his agent was to prove the turning point in his career.
“My agent called me and he asked whether I would be interested in Crystal Palace and some other clubs in England, to which I replied, listen if there’s a flight in two hours I will jump on the plane and I am off to England.”
After spending four days at the training ground running through drills and exercises with Mick Jones and Keith Curle, Johnny received the news that he would be offered a contract.
“I was really proud of it. I had achieved one of my main goals to play in England and the Championship is a great league, it’s so big it’s unbelievable.”
It wasn’t just his ability on the field that was being scrutinised by Neil Warnock however. The Austrian’s personality also came under the microscope but this was never going to be a problem for such a grounded, amiable and ever so slightly eccentric character.
“Everyone was watching my performance but also how I fit personally in the team, it was very important that you were the right character aswell because when you come from abroad you’ve got to adapt to the football, the game itself and of course to the mentality because I think in my opinion if you come from abroad and you’re not imitating the mentality of the club where you play you don’t feel really comfortable.”
Though, despite this, settling into his new environment proved more of a challenge for a man, for which this was his first time living abroad.
“All of a sudden you are here and there is a different system and mentality and at the beginning you’ve got to cope with it. You can’t call your friends and go out for a drink, you are completely alone.”
Just as difficult was the task of adapting to English football as the differences between England and Austria became more and more apparent.
“It took me a while to be honest, to adapt to British Football because compared to Austria football it is far bigger here. Winning is everything and the passion for the game is huge and I think the biggest thing is the intensity of the game.
“It also took me a while I think because I was physically below the rest of the players. It was a huge difference, the physical game, between the Austrian League and the Championship. So I worked loads of times by myself in the gym and on the training ground on Sunday just to show them that a player from abroad wants to play.”
Another way in which this intensity manifested itself was the sheer level of commitment on the training field and the Austrian can remember one particular incident that still brings a smile to his face.
“Once I can remember Darren Ambrose coming up to me and saying ‘Johnny, Curlie’s (Keith Curle) just banned tackles above knee height, how did they tackle before?’ and I just said don’t worry you will get used to it.
“So it was a big, big challenge but I was always up for this challenge, it made me stronger both as a person and a player.”
Two years on and the self-proclaimed Austrian ambassador is revelling in his new life in England. He has become a popular figure amongst Palace fans thanks to his passionate, hard working performances and selfless versatility in the face of what has been a testing season for Crystal Palace.
Going into administration and all the uncertainty that brings would be enough to unsettle most players but Ertl is able to look at the situation from a better perspective than most after his first club in Austria, Sturm Graz went into administration in 2006.
“It was a nightmare compared to here in England.
“This administration we are going through now is relatively easy-going in my opinion in comparison to my first administration. I didn’t see some money and stuff like that and was really, really poor. But here there was just a delay and the club mentioned it to players and that’s alright, so everyone can sort themselves out with their mortgage and everything”
While not as bad off-the-field, Ertl admits that the points deduction was harder to swallow and required the team to change their mentality.
“All of a sudden we got off the plane at Newcastle and all the lads receive text messages from the missus, agencies or whatever saying ‘The club is in administration and you are 21st’ and it becomes a psychological thing because when your pushing for promotion, you’re going onto the pitch with a different feeling.
“We had some great games and played some good football at Selhurst but then we conceded at crucial moments all because we are down there in the relegation zone. It would have been different if we were pushing for promotion but that’s football, so it’s now just about your nerves and your ability to keep calm.”
“But I am convinced we are staying up because of the characters in our team and the strong bond we have.”
The character of the squad has shone through this season as no matter what has been thrown at them; Ertl insists that the players have still managed to enjoy it.
“Loads of things have happened in this season; we’ve sold players and lost a manager and everything but it has been a great season, very enjoyable. So many things have been thrown at us but all of the lads have really enjoyed the season so far.”
The cup run was particularly special for the midfielder as his personal high this season came at Selhurst Park where he opened the scoring in the first-leg against Premier League giants Aston Villa.
“The Aston Villa home game was very special, it was just electric because when you’re coming out at Selhurst Park you can see the Holmesdale crowd on the right hand side and when you can see it is packed full it’s the best feeling as a football player.”
But while he will remember the day for the rest of his career, there is one part of the game he will regret for some time. Was it a mistake for a goal, perhaps a missed opportunity? No, with a sly grin creeping across his face, he reveals that it was in fact his rather ‘un-cool’ goal celebration that he most regrets.
“I was so disappointed because I think my goal celebration was really bad. I scored the goal and the lads were jumping on my back and I’m thinking I’ve got to do something; sliding on my knees to the supporters or something cool but in the heat of the moment I completely forgot about everything.”
But this game held even greater significance for Ertl as it was one of the first opportunities for people back home in Austria to see him play in England.
“They broadcasted the game in Austria and many places in the world. I received some text messages from home after the game saying ‘Johnny we are now Crystal Palace supporters’.”
Now Palace enjoy a growing Austrian fanbase and ‘Johnny’ has been overwhelmed by the dedication and support he has received from his compatriots.
“A huge Palace supporter from Austria texted me three weeks ago and he said ‘its really tough times for Crystal Palace, I’ve got to come to London’ and he flew over for the QPR game.
“Then straight after that game he booked another flight to Sheffield Wednesday and I think that’s great so the last time I got him a shirt and showed him the training ground and he was so proud to meet the likes of Danny Butterfield, Clint Hill and Paddy McCarthy.”
Like many others, Ertl’s contract expires in the summer and when asked whether he would like to stay, his answer is an unequivocal “Yes!”
“My main focus is to stay here if there is a possibility because it is a great club and I really feel comfortable. London is a good place for me with music all over the place and also I am not far from Austria to see my family.”
However like Sean Derry, Clint Hill, Danny Butterfield and Matt Lawrence there remains no-one to talk to with regard to securing a new deal with the club. This isn’t something that is worrying Ertl very much though as he looks at the situation with his usual sense of perspective.
“That’s just the way it is, I just want to stay in this league and then after the 2nd May we can start thinking about these things.”
It is this strength of character that Crystal Palace have been lucky to have during such a turbulent chapter in the club’s history and that will stood them in good stead for what was one of the most nerve-wracking 90 minutes in the clubs history at Hillsborough on Sunday.
