Iain Dowie has answered Hull City’s SOS and has vowed to keep the Tigers in the Premier League cage following Phil Brown’s sacking.

Brown was dismissed after a 2-1 home defeat by Arsenal which left the tame Tigers second from bottom of the table and in a perilous position.

Former Crystal Palace and Charlton manager Dowie has nine matches to save Hull, who are currently three points from safety, from relegation.

“It’s a city that has a ferocious fan base, the infrastructure is here,” said Dowie at his unveiling yesterday. “It’s an area that can more than justify having a Premier League team.

“I think there is some value in the team. I think it’s a working-class area that deserves a team that reflects that - a team that plays with a bit of tenacious endeavour, that is aggressive on the field and also pass the ball a bit.”

Dowie failed to keep Newcastle in the top flight when he worked as No.2 alongside Alan Shearer at St James’ Park for the final eight games of last season.

But Hull chairman Adam Pearson believes the club have a fighting chance of survival in the top flight with Dowie in the hotseat.

“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 points.”

Dowie’s reign will start on Saturday with a trip to bottom side Portsmouth, who had a nine-point penalty for going into administration confirmed yesterday, leaving them with little realistic prospect of avoiding the drop.

Fabio Capello may well have a World Cup headache at left back as well as on the right side of midfield after his attempt to persuade Wayne Bridge to reconsider his self-imposed international exile took a hit.

Manchester City yesterday confirmed the full-back will be sidelined for a month after undergoing a hernia operation.

Bridge, who only returned to action in February after a knee injury suffered in December, was forced off after aggravating the long-standing injury in the first half of City’s 1-1 draw at Sunderland on Sunday.

It means Capello, who earlier this week lost David Beckham for the summer showpiece, could be struggling for a left back with No.1 pick Ashley Cole in a race against time to recover from a broken ankle.