Dowie set to sign new deal

Last updated : 17 September 2004 By Nik Taylor

Eagles manager Iain Dowie is poised to commit his future to Palace by signing a four-year deal.

Dowie’s future has been the subject of intense speculation over the last couple of weeks, with the manager strongly linked with the Blackburn Rovers job.

Now that post has been filled, Dowie has confirmed he has every intention of staying at Selhurst.

"My commitment is unequivocal and will continue to be," said Dowie. "People have said I was being mischievous but I never had any problem signing the contract, there's just some issues that need to be addressed. There's nothing Machiavellian about it, that's for sure.
"It is all speculation about who had a meeting with Blackburn. The word was that I was one of them but that never occurred. There was never any conversation between Blackburn and our club. It never got to that situation.

"The chairman went to our reserve game and asked me if I had had any contact. I said I hadn't and that if I did he would be the first to know. That's the way it was. It's a very honest relationship."