Paul Hart today embarks on his latest rescue act hoping his experiences at Portsmouth will serve him well after taking over at Crystal Palace.
Hart was yesterday unveiled as Palace's successor to Neil Warnock, who has upped sticks from down-at-heel Selhurst Park and headed for billionaires' row across London at QPR.
Managing a cash-strapped club holds no fear for Hart, who was appointed less than 24 hours after being contacted by Palace's administrators.
In fact it was the wealthy west London club which suited Hart the least after he quit the Loftus Road hot-seat in January - barely a month into the job.
Palace are above the drop zone on goal difference alone with 14 games remaining - the same number of matches Pompey had left when Hart guided them to safety in 2009.
"There are many similarities to Portsmouth," he said.
"There are 14 games left, there's an experienced squad who can play, and I feel with a few tweaks we can get there.
"I think it's quite obvious I like a challenge, and this is a big one, but I felt that the support would be there.
"The club were in contact with me on Monday evening. I asked a few questions and I felt the conditions were fair and that I could succeed."
Hart has been given a contract until the end of the season, and is joined by ex-Palace stars Dougie Freedman and John Pemberton in a new-look managerial team.
With Palace currently looking for new owners, another 'Great Escape' would put Hart in pole position for a longer deal but the 56-year-old is not looking beyond May 2.
"There's only one objective and that is to stay in this division," he added.
"This club deserves to be in this division, there's been a lot thrown at it in the last six months and the players don't deserve to go down."
