Premier League strugglers Hull City have confirmed the appointment
of Iain Dowie as their new manager.
The Tigers parted company with Phil Brown earlier this week
and Dowie emerged as the leading contender after several other
reported targets ruled themselves out of the running.
Bookmakers stopped taking bets on Dowie as the former Crystal
Palace and Charlton boss, who was working as a pundit on Sky
Sports, emerged as the number one contender.
Dowie will have just nine games to save the Tigers from
relegation.
They acted quickly to appoint a new manager after deciding to
dispense with the services of Brown on Monday.
Four successive defeats have left City 19th in the table and
three points adrift of safety.
Chairman Adam Pearson believes taking such decisive action
now gives the club their best chance of survival.
Pearson said on Tuesday: "We feel that we've got a quarter of
the season to go with some winnable games within that.
"It's not a fixture list that's packed full of 'top four'
games, it's a fixture list with games where we would expect to get
some points.
"We feel that we're best served by making the change now.
That will bring a fresh face in, some new impetus and some new
focus to get those 14 or 15 points that we're going to need."
Dowie's Hull reign starts with a trip to bottom side
Portsmouth on Saturday.
Dowie, who will be assisted by Steve Wigley and Tim Flowers,
has been out of the game since leaving Newcastle where he was
assistant to Alan Shearer following the Magpies' relegation.
