Former Oldham Athletic, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Coventry City and Queens Park Rangers manager Iain Dowie will be announced as Phil Brown's replacement this morning. Talking on Sky sports, where he was a pundit at the Championship fixture between Preston and Sheffield Wednesday last night, the ex-Newcastle assistant said:
"There's been a little bit of contact, asking for my CV to be sent, other than that, that's where we are.
"I wouldn't be standing here if I was about to get the job."
Dowie continued: "Obviously I am a coach and therefore of course it possesses an interest, but an interest and getting a job is a lot different, to be fair."
The appointment of Dowie would be a slap in the face for many Hull City fans. It was rumoured that when Dowie was offered the manager's position at the KC Stadium prior to the appointment of Phil Brown in December 2006, he said joining Hull City would be a "slap in the face to his family". He also allegedly said he "wouldn't inflict Hull on his wife."
However, it is his managerial record that is the main focus of fear for Hull City fans. Since starting his managerial career with Oldham Athletic he has only had one period in his career with any sustained success. Whilst in charge at Selhurst Park with Crystal Palace he took a strugging Palace side sitting in 19th place in the Championship to sixth place and won promotion to the Premiership via a victory in the play-off final.
Dowie's disciplined approach was attributed as the reason for the massive upturn in Palaces fortunes. It is also speculated that the emergence of Andy Johnson, who seemed to be scoring goals for fun and ended the season on an impressive 32 goals, was the main reason for Palace's success.
It is interesting to note that the following season Palace managed to have a chance of Premier league survival right up to the last game of the season, in part due to the 21 goals that Johnson scored for the Eagles.
With relegation to the Championship, Dowie had to let Johnson go and despite reaching the Championship play-off positions again the club's lack of a goal scorer was evident,as they lost heavily to eventual play-off winners Watford. After missing out on promotion with Palace, Dowie and Simon Jordan, the Palace owner and chairman, decided to end Dowie's contract by mutual consent.
Six weeks later Dowie was installed as Charlton Athletic's new manager. Jordan issued a writ claiming that Dowie had lied to be able to be released from his contract at Selhurst Park. After going to the High Court in London, The Hon. Mr Justice Tugendhat ruled that Dowie had lied when negotiating his way out of his contract.
After only 15 games in charge and spending more money on players than any other Charlton manager in their history, a disasterous series of results saw Charlton sitting in the relegation places. Dowie was released from his contract. It was now that Hull City offered Dowie a chance to move to East Yorkshire, that he is rumoured to have so rudely rejected.
In the intervening years Dowie has had little success as a manager, seeing Coventry City just survive in the Championship in 17th position under his aegis. He was then appointed the manager of QPR only to see himself fired after only 15 games with them in 9th place in the Championship.
However, with his appointment at Newcastle United as an experienced assistant to Alan Shearer he would have hoped to resurrect his career but unfortunately for Dowie it wasn't to be, as Newcastle United were relegated to the Championship with the Tigers surviving at their expense.
If Adam Pearson does appoint Ian Dowie as the new manager and he can galvanize the inconsistent Tigers in the final nine games of the season it will be a tremendous feat. In helping the East Yorkshire side to another season in the Premiership he will have deservedly earned the one million pounds that is reported to be the bonus for Premier League survival.
However, if he fails to keep the Tigers in the top flight it will be Adam Pearson who will be one of the biggest losers. He has been seen as a messiah-like figure having previously saved the club from the the oblivion of relegation from the Football League proper and bankruptcy.
If his gamble of replacing Brown with Dowie fails, a tactic which seems to be driven by the media's hunger for anything negative to do with Brown, it will be a cold day in hell before a lot of Hull City fans follow Pearson again.