Former Caretaker Manager, Ian Dowie Turns 41 - (Ex-West Ham, Crystal Palace, Luton, Southampton, Oldham & Ireland),

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Ian Dowie Turns 41
Born January 9, 1965
Perhaps not a great signing as a player, but as a coach and manager, clearly very much a case of "one that got away." A reserve team coach under Ray Harford, when Harford resigned, the QPR Board turned to Ian Dowie to be caretaker manager rather than to the expectant Vinnie Jones.
The Board eventually decided to appoint Gerry Francis manager, with Dowie as his assistant. When Francis resigned, the Board interviewed Dowie but eventually decided on Ian Holloway.
Dowie's actions at Oldham and Crystal Palace clearly show his talents.
As a player, Dowie played for among clubs, Luton, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Southampton, QPR and Northern Ireland.

See: http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=622

Dowie Profiled in Wikipedia
Iain Dowie, (born January 9, 1965 in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England), is a former professional football player who is currently manager of Crystal Palace F.C. He was also a Northern Ireland international, winning 59 caps.
His playing career, where he played as a striker, included spells at Luton Town, West Ham Utd, Southampton, Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace.
His first managerial role was at financially troubled Oldham, a club he led into the Second Division play offs. Dowie was then appointed manager of Crystal Palace in the middle of the 2003-04 season, inheriting a squad with low morale and in nineteenth place in the First Division. However, under his leadership, the club went on an impressive run that included 17 wins from mid-December 2003, enabling the club to finish in sixth place in the Nationwide First Division, just scraping into the Premiership promotion play-off places. This feat was attributed to complete change in the atmosphere and training regime at the club, including a tougher disciplinary regime, introduced by Dowie. After beating Sunderland in the semi-final of the promotion play offs in May 2004, the club beat London rivals West Ham by a single goal in the final for a place in the Premiership. Unfortunately, the club lasted only one season there, being relegated on the final day of the season.
Dowie, however, impressed as a manager. But he remained at Palace when the club was relegated to the Championship despite rumours that he was approached by other Premiership clubs.
In 2004, when discussing Crystal Palace's start to the Premiership season, he coined the word bouncebackability in discussing their ability to bounce back from the adversity during their Division one season and their habit of conceding early goals. This word gained cult popularity within the footballing world ....http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Dowie