Dowie hopes to put brakes on Hull's downhill descent

A skiing lesson booked for tomorrow was the unexpected, though somehow appropriate, answer from a man who had just taken charge of a club that had been going downhill fast in recent weeks courtesy of a four-game losing run.

Phil Brown paid the price for that slump on Monday, the City board feeling recent performances together with a record of having won just seven of 58 top-flight games were sufficient grounds for dismissal.

Dowie, who ironically spent Tuesday afternoon at a charity racing event with Brown, is the man Hull have turned to in an attempt to arrest the slide – hence the need for a hasty cancellation of tomorrow's skiing lesson at an indoor centre near Manchester.

Speaking to the Yorkshire Post after being confirmed as Tigers' new manager until the end of the season, the former Northern Ireland international said: "It is great to be back, though it does mean the skiing lesson is off.

"My wife is delighted as she now says she will be the only good skier in the house, which is probably true anyway. To be honest, I had only had three lessons but I did think I had almost got it last week.

"I have already broken the speed record a couple of times – going backwards – and I did find it thrilling."

Swapping the thrill of the slopes for the nail-biting tension of a relegation battle may not sound the most attractive of moves, but it was clear after just a few minutes in Dowie's company yesterday that he could not be happier.

He has been out of the manager's chair since being sacked by Queens Park Rangers in October, 2008, despite the Londoners sitting seventh in the Championship table at the time.

Before accepting the poisoned chalice that was until recently the Loftus Road job, Dowie had led both Oldham Athletic and Crystal Palace into the play-offs – the latter ending in promotion to the Premier League and the coining of a new word, bouncebackability, in an attempt to explain how the Eagles soared from 21st on his appointment in the December to finish the in sixth place. Relegation followed 12 months later before a short stint at Charlton preceded Hull's first attempts to lure the former striker to the KC Stadium after Phil Parkinson had been sacked towards the end of 2006. Pearson failed to get his man – mainly due to the club's playing budget not being sufficient to lure Dowie back north – and instead turned to Phil Brown.

It proved an inspired appointment with City going on to win their fight for survival in the Championship before ending a 104-year wait for top flight football.

Dowie, who went on to manage Coventry City and then assist Alan Shearer at Newcastle United last term, admits to being impressed by the strides taken by Hull since his path briefly crossed that of Pearson and insists it is something he can build on.

The 45-year-old, whose contract with Hull is heavily incentivised financially towards keeping the club up, said: "Phil got this club to the top tier of English football. I did that with Crystal Palace so I understand what an achievement it is but it is important we now look forward rather than back. I don't see myself as a gamble. You look at my record and it is fairly productive. I have had success with Oldham, taken Palace up and kept Coventry up."

Dowie will be assisted by Tim Flowers and Steve Wigley at the KC Stadium, Brown's right-hand man Brian Horton having left yesterday and coach Steve Parkin understood to be still considering his future.

The new management team will take training for the first time today as the countdown continues towards Saturday's vital trip to Portsmouth, the first of nine remaining games that will decide City's fate.

In trying to inspire a turnaround in results, Dowie will lean on the experience gained last term when working as Shearer's assistant at Newcastle.

The pair were unable to keep the Magpies up, but Dowie is adamant Hull can still kick off next season in the top flight.

He said: "It is probably a similar challenge to Newcastle. They are two clubs supported by passionate fans and, like Newcastle last year, Hull fans will expect to be in the Premier League next season.

"The difference is that my neck is on the line here. It will be my selection and my tactics. This is the biggest challenge of my managerial career and I can't tell you how excited about it I am about starting.

"There are games that whet the appetite, they will almost be gladiatorial."

Referring specifically to Newcastle's failure to stay up, he added: "Every experience is a good one, you shouldn't be worried about the bad ones. Sometimes they make you a stronger person and these have steeled me for what is ahead."

With Saturday's trip to Fratton Park being followed by home games against Fulham and Burnley either side of an Easter trip to Stoke, the next four games could have a huge bearing on how the season pans out.

Dowie, for one, is determined to prove his skiing lessons – and particularly his new-found ability to slam the brakes on when careering downhill – have not gone to waste.