Post by QPR Report on Dec 29, 2008 8:21:59 GMT
Sky
Iain Dowie has no regrets about leaving QPR, because he was not in complete control of the club.
The former Northern Ireland international left the Championship club in October with just 12 games gone and Rangers sat in eighth place in the table.
He has been replaced by Paulo Sousa and the club are now one place worse off, despite the wealth of owners Gianni Paladini and Flavio Briatore.
But despite feeling he was not given enough time, Dowie looked back on his reign with fondness - and admitted his departure was inevitable.
"I have to say, from minute one on the training ground, I couldn't have enjoyed it more.
"The lads were ultra-responsive, me and Tim sat down in the summer, felt they probably needed a little bit of tightening at the back. WE ended up with the third best defensive record in the league when we left.
"It's not too often you get removed with a 53 per cent win percentage, so we can't have been that bad - and we were in the last 16 of the cup.
"But I'm not a bitter person, I don't have time for that. You've got to move on and wish them all the best. There's still some great lads at the club and I wish them all the success but he's entitled to run it absolutely how it wants it.
Decisions
"Flavio was fine with me for lots of the time and then it just became a situation where I felt I had to be very much in control of my own destiny.
"I had to look the players in the eye and know that the decisions that were being made, were being made by me."
Rumours of Briatore picking the team himself seem to be exaggerated, but Dowie did reveal more and more of his work was taken out of his hands.
He and fellow Goals on Sunday guest and coaching colleague Tim Flowers both lamented the way modern management is going, insisting that the foreign set-up of a directors of football and the like does not necessarily work in this country.
And Dowie believes that he should have been left to do things his way, with the high-profile QPR board remaining in the background.
"You don't have to do it all by yourself," he said.
"You have a scouting network in place and a database you work from, and if a player is tagged up three times the manager goes to see him himself.
"But the board always have the final say and that's got to be the way for me. That was very much the case and I have no problem with that being taken away, as long as you have the final say.
Compartmentalising
"Coaching is a big part of what I do. I've not got a problem with compartmentalising each part of the job but I just felt certainly at Championship level, you can do that."
Dowie's reign at Loftus Road lasted just five months.
And although he refuses to be bitter, he did point to the example of Mick McCarthy at Championship leaders Wolves, as to what can be achieved if a manager is given time and backing by his board.
McCarthy is approaching three-and-a-half years in the Molineux hotseat and is sitting pretty at the top of the table seven points clear - proof says Dowie, that patience is needed.
"Mick has been under pressure, but he has always been a good manager," he said.
"He's just had time to settle, he's got some good players in there and all of a sudden he's getting it right.
"Mick's slowly but surely getting Wolves where they should be. But it just shows there's no quick fix.
"I had a text over Christmas from a player at one of my old clubs and another player I'd worked with, saying I believe in you, we believed in you.
"I think that always give you faith and I think my record stands up to scrutiny."
Iain Dowie has no regrets about leaving QPR, because he was not in complete control of the club.
The former Northern Ireland international left the Championship club in October with just 12 games gone and Rangers sat in eighth place in the table.
He has been replaced by Paulo Sousa and the club are now one place worse off, despite the wealth of owners Gianni Paladini and Flavio Briatore.
But despite feeling he was not given enough time, Dowie looked back on his reign with fondness - and admitted his departure was inevitable.
"I have to say, from minute one on the training ground, I couldn't have enjoyed it more.
"The lads were ultra-responsive, me and Tim sat down in the summer, felt they probably needed a little bit of tightening at the back. WE ended up with the third best defensive record in the league when we left.
"It's not too often you get removed with a 53 per cent win percentage, so we can't have been that bad - and we were in the last 16 of the cup.
"But I'm not a bitter person, I don't have time for that. You've got to move on and wish them all the best. There's still some great lads at the club and I wish them all the success but he's entitled to run it absolutely how it wants it.
Decisions
"Flavio was fine with me for lots of the time and then it just became a situation where I felt I had to be very much in control of my own destiny.
"I had to look the players in the eye and know that the decisions that were being made, were being made by me."
Rumours of Briatore picking the team himself seem to be exaggerated, but Dowie did reveal more and more of his work was taken out of his hands.
He and fellow Goals on Sunday guest and coaching colleague Tim Flowers both lamented the way modern management is going, insisting that the foreign set-up of a directors of football and the like does not necessarily work in this country.
And Dowie believes that he should have been left to do things his way, with the high-profile QPR board remaining in the background.
"You don't have to do it all by yourself," he said.
"You have a scouting network in place and a database you work from, and if a player is tagged up three times the manager goes to see him himself.
"But the board always have the final say and that's got to be the way for me. That was very much the case and I have no problem with that being taken away, as long as you have the final say.
Compartmentalising
"Coaching is a big part of what I do. I've not got a problem with compartmentalising each part of the job but I just felt certainly at Championship level, you can do that."
Dowie's reign at Loftus Road lasted just five months.
And although he refuses to be bitter, he did point to the example of Mick McCarthy at Championship leaders Wolves, as to what can be achieved if a manager is given time and backing by his board.
McCarthy is approaching three-and-a-half years in the Molineux hotseat and is sitting pretty at the top of the table seven points clear - proof says Dowie, that patience is needed.
"Mick has been under pressure, but he has always been a good manager," he said.
"He's just had time to settle, he's got some good players in there and all of a sudden he's getting it right.
"Mick's slowly but surely getting Wolves where they should be. But it just shows there's no quick fix.
"I had a text over Christmas from a player at one of my old clubs and another player I'd worked with, saying I believe in you, we believed in you.
"I think that always give you faith and I think my record stands up to scrutiny."
