Released after having been on schoolboy terms at The Dell, Iain Dowie decided to get some qualifications while on the non-league circuit. As he explained in a 2018 interview “I was a missile engineer. I did engineering and did a Masters in mechanical so that was what I stumbled into. They sort of sponsored me to go through uni which was nice and then I came in and I was an environmental engineer. That was, for example, when you go to Iraq or wherever on the Tornadoes, there would be missiles hanging from the Tornado. What I would have to do was a test that during the flight it wasn’t going to drop off orbits in the missile weren’t going to break loose. I had to replicate what could happen to that missile during an air flight, during freezing cold weather, rain, bumped landings, etc.”

Having scored 47 goals in 87 games for Hendon, he was persuaded back into full-time football by Luton and by the time Ian Branfoot paid West Ham half-a-million to bring him back to The Dell, three years later, Hertfordshire-born Iain had been capped seven times by Northern Ireland, the country of his father’s birth. In order to free Alan Shearer from the seldom-scoring role he had performed as Chris Nicholl’s target-man,

Branfoot needed a tough hold-up player who would help Shearer run the channels.

Dowie had the ruggedness and commitment to do that – and still weigh-in with the occasional goal of his own. All of which suited Shearer, even if it meant that a “Branfoot purchase” like Iain was viewed with suspicion among the new manager’s many critics. When Shearer left, Dowie survived the profligate purchase of David Speedie and Kerry Dixon and started far more games than most in 1993-94, even as Alan Ball succeeded Branfoot. But then Ball bought Neil Shipperley and sold Iain to Premiership Palace.

He didn’t feature a whole lot there, but still had 100 League games left in him, spread between top-flight West Ham (again) and second-tier QPR. And all the time, he was winning caps, eventually totaling 59, for 12 goals. Having begun to coach while still playing at QPR, lain then had a brief spell working in the media before becoming Mick Wadsworth’s assistant at Oldham. He soon succeeded him and enjoyed a successful debut-season, as the Latics reached the play-offs. With half of the 2003-04 season gone, he took over at Palace, who were struggling in the second tier. A spectacular run got them into the play-offs which they won. When they came to St Mary’s, the following season, Iain explained to the programme’s editor that this had required ‘canny care’.

But Palace went straight back down – accompanied by Southampton – and an acrimonious row with his Chairman precipitated Iain’s move to Charlton. That lasted only 15 games and was followed by further short stints at Coventry and QPR. He now reunited with Shearer, who had become caretaker-manager at Newcastle. But they could not stave off relegation and Iain was again out of work. He returned to the TV studios until Hull turned to him in March 2010. Another struggle for Premiership survival was soon lost and it was back to the pundit’s chair with Sky TV’s Gillette Soccer Saturday. 

In December 2020 he joined a Burnley law firm as its new business director having spent the previous four years involved in conveyancing.