Hull City played their final card in the battle against relegation from the Premier League on Wednesday, appointing Iain Dowie on a short-term deal until the end of the season.
Dowie, who will be assisted by Tim Flowers at the KC Stadium, has nine games in which to keep the Tigers in the top division and by all accounts, save their skin financially.
Vital Coventry looks back at Dowie’s first nine games in charge of the Sky Blues.
Having turned down the chance to join Hull in December 2006, something he was reminded of at his press conference on Wednesday, Dowie teamed up with Coventry City the following February after the sacking of Micky Adams.
‘Iain was incredibly impressive on the occasions we met and there is no doubt that he was by far the strongest candidate in all the criteria we set,’ said managing director Paul Fletcher at the time.
As with his new job his brief was to guide a side away from the relegation zone and to that end he made an immediate impact.
A home win against Southampton marked his bow and in Dowie’s first nine games, the Sky Blues were on the losing side just twice.
Home form was particularly strong with the Saints victory followed by wins over Hull, Wolves and Barnsley.
Michael Mifsud played a starring role in a number of those games, teaming up well with Dele Adebola, who was fulsome in his praise for the new manager.
Although results tailed off towards the end of the season, hopes were high that Dowie was the man to lead City out of the doldrums.
It never happened of course although the man himself could point to the severe financial constraints he worked under for most of his time at the Ricoh.
A repeat of his first nine games however will do very nicely for Hull!
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