Crystal Palace's protracted pursuit of a successor for Ian Holloway appears finally to be nearing a conclusion, with the south London club addressing a three-man shortlist comprising their former manager Iain Dowie, Dynamo Moscow's Dan Petrescu and Tony Pulis.
It is more than three weeks since Holloway tendered his resignation and the side, having picked up a solitary point since, find themselves cut adrift at the foot of the Premier League, six points from safety. The Palace hierarchy, led by the co-chairman Steve Parish, have sounded out a few prospective candidates in that time, as well as conducting formal interviews, and a final decision is to be made over the weekend.
Dowie, 48, is favourite to take up the position, even if his candidacy is controversial given the acrimonious nature of his departure from the club in 2006, after two and a half years in charge following a Championship play-off defeat by Watford. The Palace owner at the time, Simon Jordan, accepted his manager's resignation in the belief that Dowie, whose family were living in the north-west, wanted to return north, only for him to be appointed at Charlton Athletic a few days later. That prompted a lawsuit lodged against the manager, which culminated in Dowie reaching an out-of-court settlement with Jordan in 2008. His managerial career has arguably never recovered.
Having been sacked at The Valley after 15 games, Dowie has had unsuccessful spells with Coventry, QPR, Hull and as part of Newcastle's backroom staff under Alan Shearer. He has not worked at a club since leaving Hull in 2010.
Yet he represents the simplest – and, admittedly, the cheapest – option for Palace, who would offer him terms initially until the end of the season in the hope he can have an instant impact on the side, as he did in 2003 when he took Palace from the relegation places to promotion in six months. The former Northern Ireland international is eager to return to top-level management at the club, for whom he played in the Premier League.
A final decision will be taken before next week, with a view to making an appointment for the visit to Hull next Saturday. Petrescu, arguably a more progressive appointment, has interviewed impressively but is under contract at Dynamo and compensation would need to be paid. to the Russian club to release him That could amount to up to £2m, for all that the former Sheffield Wednesday and Chelsea defender is keen to work in London, where his daughter is at school.
Pulis, too, is a complicated option given he was earning a far heftier salary in his last role, at Stoke City, than would normally be on offer at Selhurst Park. The Welshman was interviewed early in the process having been recommended by Holloway, who had restored the club to the Premier League after a nine-year absence, but it is understood no one, as yet, has formally been offered the role.
Other candidates consulted included Chris Coleman, who signed a new contract with Wales this week, and the former Real Madrid No2 Aitor Karanka, who has since joined Middlesbrough. Martin O'Neill was also interviewed but is now coaching the Republic of Ireland.