So, it's Iain Dowie. An underwhelming appointment to most, but then again despite Premier League status, we're still Hull City and the biggest out-of-work names (ie, Mark Hughes and Alan Curbishley) will not be interested in us.
It's hard to accept that sometimes, but it really is that simple.
As for Dowie himself, he is immediately being knocked by less cerebral elements within the Tiger Nation, but more for what he isn't, rather than what he is. A closer look at his managerial record suggests it is a fair one. His life in the top tier isn't fantastic, but he is a thinker and a learner who surely will take the harsh lessons of seeing Crystal Palace narrowly relegated under his stewardship and use them to the Tigers' benefit.
Dowie has everything going for him over the next nine matches, which is all he has signed up for thus far. More than that, he has everything going for him as far as this Saturday's trip to Portsmouth is concerned. The players, not all of whom were enamoured with Phil Brown, will enjoy the new direction and fresh faces on the training ground and Portsmouth themselves have had their relegation sealed via the nine-point deduction on the same day as Dowie's arrival. Therefore, he could be preparing a buoyant team to take on one with a sense of wonder at what the point of it all is. It's all about the timing.
It's very sad to see Brian Horton, twice over a Tigers icon now, leave the club as part of Dowie's arrival but, like Brown, he will be regarded as a legend of Hull City for as long as the club is with us. Yet the club is that which matters most, and so Dowie is our man. He deserves everyone's support.
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