Ian Dowie is familiar with trying to save a club from relegation.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ian Dowie was hired as manager Wednesday by Premier League struggler Hull to save the club from relegation.

Hull is three points from safety and Dowie has nine matches to keep the northeast club in the top division, starting with a crucial meeting with last-place Portsmouth on Saturday.

Hull said Dowie has been appointed on a "short-term contract" and will be assisted by Steve Wigley and Tim Flowers.

After firing Phil Brown on Monday following four straight losses, Hull had put Brian Horton and Steve Parkin in temporary charge, but needed less than two days to find a permanent replacement.

"We feel that we're best served by making the change now," Hull chairman Adam Pearson said. "That will bring a fresh face in, some new impetus and some new focus to get those 14 or 15 points that we're going to need."

The 45-year-old Dowie had a spell on the Newcastle coaching staff last season but could not help the club -- then managed by Alan Shearer -- avoid relegation from the Premier League and left at the end of the season.

Dowie, a former Northern Ireland striker, endured ill-fated spells as manager of Charlton, Crystal Palace and Queens Park Rangers.

"We feel that we've got a quarter of the season to go with some winnable games within that," Pearson said. "It's not a fixture list that's packed full of 'top four' games, it's a fixture list with games where we would expect to get some points."