Crystal Palace poised to name Iain Dowie as new manager

Iain Dowie is an increasingly strong candidate to become Crystal Palace’s next manager with an announcement on an appointment expected this week.

Dowie was interviewed last week but has not heard from the Palace hierarchy since. However Tony Pulis’s wage demands are understood to be prohibitive, while it is understood that the former Stoke City manager does not believe Palace can avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The compensation being requested by Dynamo Moscow for another Palace target, Dan Petrescu, is also a problem for their owners.

Palace still hope to confirm a new manager before their players return to training tomorrow. Last week Petrescu had appeared the favourite after impressing the club’s chairman Steve Parish in talks. Palace are still investigating whether they can persuade the Russians to accept a lower amount of compensation or, instead, spend the money by matching the high salary wanted by Pulis who is a free agent after leaving Stoke City in the summer.

Dowie is also out-of-contract and it is understood that he held talks with Parish last weekend, which were also positive.

Palace are determined to have a new manager in place before next weekend’s Premier League match against Hull City, Dowie’s former club.

It may well be that because of his ready availability and because it would not be as expensive as attempting to hire Pulis that Dowie will be hired.

Dowie, a former Palace striker who also led the club to their last promotion to the Premier League in 2004, would be a controversial choice for many supporters given the circumstances under which he left the club in 2006 to take over at Charlton Athletic. Dowie was sued by Palace’s former chairman Simon Jordan for the manner of his exit.