Iain Dowie
Iain achieved one of the most unexpected promotions of all time when he led Crystal Palace into the Premier League in 2004. The 59-cap former Northern Ireland striker played for five league clubs and has also managed five in gaining experience at all levels.
An ex-Palace player, he returned to Selhurst Park in December, 2003 with the team in 19th place and fighting relegation to the third tier. They finished sixth after winning 17 of 23 games. This extraordinary transformation saw Palace into the play-offs where they beat another of his old clubs, West Ham, 1-0 in the final. Palace were relegated from the top flight the following season. However, Dowie had built on the reputation he began forging at Oldham Athletic in taking the Lancashire club to the play-offs in the face of a financial crisis. He has had subsequent spells in charge of Charlton, Coventry and Queens Park Rangers. Dowie, born in Hertfordshire in 1965, has a Master's degree in engineering. He worked for British Aerospace while launching his playing career in non-league with Cheshunt, St. Alban's and Hendon.
As a big, old fashioned centre forward, he went on to serve Luton, West Ham, Southampton, Crystal Palace and QPR. It was while still a player at Loftus Road that Iain cut his teeth in coaching. He managed the reserve team and was briefly the club's caretaker boss between the reigns of Ray Harford and Gerry Francis.
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