Jon Brodkin talks to Iain Dowie about life in the Premiership with struggling Charlton

As Iain Dowie discusses the disappointing results that have left Charlton Athletic second from bottom of the Premiership, he is not afraid to point the finger at one particular individual. "I think far too often people say: 'It wasn't me'," he reflects. "I am very happy to take the blame for the start of the season because I am the manager."

From the training ground where Dowie arrives at about 7.30am, it is plain he is also happily doing everything in his power to trigger a change of fortune.

Five defeats from six Premiership matches was hardly the opening the 41-year-old had expected. It never promised to be easy for Dowie on taking over from Alan Curbishley, given his predecessor's history of overachieving and a need to freshen a squad which had been sliding and quickly integrate signings. A long injury list has not helped but Dowie's initial look is always at himself.

Dowie is placing more emphasis than Curbishley on individual training, and hopes the video of this afternoon's game at home to Arsenal makes pleasant viewing. The following two matches, at Fulham and at home to Watford, look ones from which Charlton must take points. "Sooner or later we need some results," says Dowie. "The longer it goes the more nervous everyone gets and the more tension there is around."

With Charlton having bitten into next season's budget and taken on far greater debt than usual to help fund signings, Dowie knows relegation is unthinkable. "That's why there is added pressure," he says.

Adversity only strengthens his resolve. "A couple of times I have been out for dinner and my wife says: 'What's on your mind? What are you thinking?' It's something I need to be better at, getting away from it all, but it's the way I am - I can't change that. Even some of the staff here have said: 'Bloody hell, how do you keep that intensity for the time you do?' I have got the passion for it. It's a great job. I would be doing this if I weren't getting paid. I would be playing on a Sunday morning maybe, because I can still run about a bit, and I would like to be managing at non-league or something like that."

The testing start at Charlton contrasts with the instant impact Dowie made in his previous job at Crystal Palace. He notes he inherited a settled squad at Selhurst Park but also acknowledges making mistakes in his current role. That honesty is equally plain when he says he "should have got more out of" Palace last season because the squad was "good enough to go up".

"There are things I have done wrong, absolutely," he says of his time at Charlton. "Things I have done right? Absolutely, and there have been some big positives in the games. With hindsight I would probably have gone with two up front against West Ham earlier with 10 men. I probably would have been a lot more defensive in terms of my set-up against Manchester United, shoring up the midfield. Plus we may have not introduced the new signings as early."

Souleymane Diawara and Andy Reid suffered hamstring injuries, though Dowie emphasises tests suggested they were ready. Criticism of his purchases is strongly rejected. "I think we have made good acquisitions," he says. "This wasn't back-of-a-fag packet stuff, I was much more focused on who I wanted to get. I look at the main players I signed - Faye, [ Djimi] Traore, Diawara, Reid, [ Jimmy Floyd] Hasselbaink and [ Scott] Carson - and I think they have brought certain standards."

Though always complimentary about Curbishley, Dowie says "we needed a bit more athleticism and creativity and I tried to address that".

Dowie is restricted in what he can say about a forthcoming court case with Palace's chairman, Simon Jordan, who has accused him of misrepresenting his reasons for leaving Selhurst Park, an allegation Dowie denies. He insists the legal action was "disappointing" but "has not been the slightest distraction". He adds: "For 98 per cent of the time I had a fantastic working relationship with Simon."

That survived Palace's relegation from the Premiership in 2005. Dowie says: "I have learned more from that period than probably the promotion period, such as how you can shape a club, how you need to address issues, how you need to deal with players when things aren't going well, how you need to lead players, care for players, empathise with players and also have a strong hand with players."

He is also determined to ensure those lessons for a relegation battle remain in storage.

Guardian Service