After much chasing around it was a welcome relief to finally grab a few moments with Crystal Palace utility man Johannes Ertl on Tuesday, as he patiently waited to board a plane to Newcastle ahead of the club's latest fixture.

The Eagles were, after all, in a fine run of form and were pushing hard for a play-off place in the Championship.

The club's financial troubles were well documented, and no-one was under any illusion that life at Selhurst Park was as comfortable as it could be, but they appeared to be triumphing in the face of adversity.

Ertl: Battling on bravely

With Neil Warnock at the helm few would have expected anything less, with the experienced coach not known for suffering fools lightly.

However, fast forward 24 hours and the outlook at Palace is considerably bleaker.

Storm clouds have rolled in and the bright blue sky which once illuminated the capital club has now turned a rather depressing shade of grey.

The club slipped into administration on Tuesday afternoon, moments after I bid farewell to Ertl, and the full repercussions of such a dilemma are yet to be revealed.

A 10-point deduction looms large and if implemented any hopes of staging a dramatic return to the Premier League would be dashed.

All of a sudden a season which promised so much could be left in tatters, with a basement battle rather than a promotion push taking centre stage.

For now life at Selhurst Park remains a cacophony of ifs and buts, but the doom-mongers have already begun clearing their throat.

A mass exodus of top talent, led by teenage prodigy Victor Moses, is expected, with Warnock admitting that he has already braced himself for a busy week before the transfer window comes to a close.

In truth he would be best advised to turn his phone off, as every call could hammer another nail into Palace's coffin.

Those in and around the camp are doing their best to keep their heads up, though, with the club's plight hardly coming as a massive surprise.

When chatting to Ertl it was apparent that the players are doing all they can to avoid being dragged into the off-field shenanigans, even if the events did see their salary payments delayed at one point this season.

The Austrian is a happy-go-lucky character by nature, though, and from speaking to him it is difficult to imagine that anything would ruffle his jovial attitude to life and his career.

Focus

Others may not be embracing his 'the glass is always half full' approach at present, but Ertl is adamant that the Palace playing staff will not allow themselves to become bogged down in monetary matters and will leave the task of resolving the ongoing issues to those higher up the Eagles' chain of command.

"The players are aware of the financial situation, but as a professional football player you have to try and avoid it," he said, unaware that the Eagles were teetering on the edge of collapse as we spoke.

"We have to focus on our job, which is to play football and get a result. I am just focusing on my job, and everyone else is enjoying playing football, so we are not distracted in any way. We are focusing on what we have to do on the field."

Ertl is also adamant that Palace's young stars, of which there are plenty, have taken the recent turmoil in their stride.

"It can be good for them and the club," he said.

"We have a lot of young boys who are having a chance to come to training and we now know each other really well. It is not a big thing to give a young player time in the first-team because we have all gelled quite well.

"We don't have a big squad, but the unity in the squad is really good. That's important and we, as the senior players, have to help the younger lads through things."

The 27-year-old is also of the belief that in Warnock, Palace have the ideal man at the helm to guide them through troubled waters.

He said: "Our manager has great experience and he is working brilliantly. I am really enjoying my time at Crystal Palace working under him.

"He is really passionate and he is a great motivator. Even if you are doing well he makes sure you are ready for the next game.

"Everyone knows what they have to do for the team and we are always well prepared. I think that's good, and it is down to the manager."

Ertl has yet to be touted as one of those possibly heading to the exits before 1st February, and the defender-cum-midfielder hopes that remains the case.

Having joined Palace from Austria Vienna in the summer of 2008, he has settled quickly into life in England.

He has become a regular feature of Warnock's first-team plans and admits he now feels at home at Selhurst Park.

Passion

"I have been here one-and-a-half years and I feel really comfortable now in England," he said.

"I can remember reading about the game over here before I came, and it is so passionate and the fans are great. There are so many skilful players over here as well, including many below us in the youth team at Crystal Palace. They are always coming up and they will get their chance. It looks really good for the future.

"The main difference, though, between here and Austria is the game is much more intense.

"England is the place to be as a football player, because there is so much passion. I really like it and I am enjoying it.

"I don't mind where I play - midfield or defence. Wherever the gaffer wants me to play, I am ready. I just hope to play many more games. I know I am quite versatile and I hope that helps me."

Ertl is also delighted to be flying the flag for his country in the English game.

Austrian players have not always been given the attention they deserve over the years, with Europe's top divisions slow to recognise the nation as a hot-bed of potential talent.

Times are changing, though, and the likes of Middlesbrough skipper Emanuel Pogatetz - a school friend of Ertl - and Wigan midfielder Paul Scharner are helping to raise Austria's profile.

Ertl hopes there will be opportunities for many more stars to shine in the future, and is keen to play a leading role in helping the next generation of Austrian talent to prosper.

"I would say that when there is an Austrian playing abroad it is always nice to see," he said.

"It is great to see a player establish himself in a big league. We don't have that many players who can do that, because we are such a small country - compared to England.

"It is great to see players going abroad and playing week in, week out - like Paul Scharner, Emanuel Pogatetz. We have other players who are doing really well in Italy and Germany at the moment as well.

"In my opinion it is really important to have these players so that scouts go to Austria to watch the players.

"Hopefully some of the younger players can then get the chance to move abroad and get experience. We are getting better all the time in all areas and I hope that continues."

For now Ertl has more important things to worry about, like whether he will still have a club for much longer, but his attitude, in this era of multi-millionaire prima donnas, is refreshing to say the least.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Palace and all those connected with the club, but if the characters in their first-team squad, and in the dug out, are anything to go by, expect them to bounce back stronger sooner rather than later.

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