DowieGateDisgrace...........Court Day Five

Round Five - Day Five - Tuesday 15th May 2007

In Court today...

Former Crystal Palace manager Iain Dowie told a court there was nothing in the agreement he had with the club that prevented him moving to Charlton.

Giving evidence at the High Court Mr Dowie said the "compromise agreement" under which he left the club meant he gave up his claim to "a potentially large sum of money" by foregoing bonuses on player transfer profits and any claim for compensation over the ending of his contract.

He also told the court his reputation had been severely damaged by Palace chairman Simon Jordan repeatedly calling him a liar in the media.

Mr Dowie is being sued by Crystal Palace who say he made "fraudulent misrepresentations" when he left the side last summer and joined rivals Charlton Athletic.

The 42-year-old had a clause in his contract which stated if he left to join another club his new bosses would pay Palace £1million in compensation.

Palace chairman Simon Jordan said he waived the clause as a gesture of good will because Mr Dowie said he wanted to move closer to his family in Bolton.

Within days of leaving Palace he was appointed as Charlton manager, but was dismissed after just 12 matches in charge. He is now at Coventry City.

But Mr Dowie insists he never said he would be "moving back up north" nor was there any limitation in his contract on him working for any other club in the future, including Charlton.

Mr Dowie said the "new regime" he introduced after taking charge at Palace had reversed the decline in player performances and team morale, culminating in the club's promotion to the Premiership for the 2004/2005 season.

Palace were relegated on the last day of the season - after drawing 2-2 with Charlton - and, in the 2005/06 season the club almost made it back into the Premiership after qualifying for the play-off semi-finals, before losing out to Watford.

Mr Dowie said the club had benefited financially since his arrival, including an extra £25million in TV revenues and about £7million in "parachute" payments from the Premiership.
He also said "he had improved player performance, making them more valuable."

Mr Dowie claims he was contacted by Charlton chairman, Richard Murray, on May 17 last year but he did NOT believe it was until May 22 - after he had signed the compromise agreement to leave Palace - that they had "contact regarding the Charlton Athletic job".

Mr Dowie told the court: "I believe that I have acted properly and honestly at all times. I entered a compromise agreement and waived very significant salary, bonuses and benefits under my contract in return for Crystal Palace waiving a compensation clause payable if I joined another club."

"There were no restrictions in that compromise agreement on where I could work and I found a new job at Charlton Athletic. I did not make any representations to Simon Jordan, false or otherwise, that I would only work in the north of England, or that that was the only reason why I was leaving Crystal Palace."

"He knew this was not the case."



Tale of the Tape: Dowie 6, Jordan 6
Temperature: Dull but getting progressively warmer 20*C


The case continues...