Dowie's future still unconfirmed

Iain Dowie, out of contract this summer, has confirmed there have still been no talks over his future at Boundary Park Rumours have suggested that he is on the verge of agreeing a three-year deal with owner Chris Moore but the manager denied it when he said, “It’s not true at all. There have been no discussions at any stage and it doesn’t seem urgent to him.”


Moore is adamant that Athletic will keep hold of Dowie and that they had already agreed on team strengthening plans for next season when he said, “Iain did want assurances, but that was a while ago and he is now fully aware of
the situation. My position hasn’t changed since we announced our financial problems in October and he knows I don’t have a bottomless pit of money. There’s a five-year plan and, regardless of any contracts for players or coaching staff, it shows Iain’s commitment that he is working to it."


"Maybe he was reading the headlines a bit too much because I’m with this club for the long haul – I’m not going anywhere and neither is the manager. Worrying about our financial future is missing the point because we’ve just had a very successful season and I believe we can hit the ground running next time. Iain is already going through his squad, and then we’ll see the precise amount of money that’s available. My cheque book remains on the table and, although it’s getting thinner, there’s still quite a lot for strengthening the team. We certainly need to improve our playing staff, but the books have to be balanced and our squad will be smaller next year.”