Laws takes over as Sheff Wed boss

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Sheffield Wednesday have appointed Brian Laws as their new manager after luring him away from Scunthorpe United.

Laws brings his Glanford Park assistant Russ Wilcox with him and both have signed deals running until the end of the 2008/2009 season.

"I'm very excited by the prospect of coming to Sheffield Wednesday, it's a huge club with huge tradition," said 45-year-old Laws.

"The club couldn't have asked for a more hungry manager than myself."

<a onClick="javascript:launchAVConsoleStory('6122452'); return false;" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/video_and_audio/help_guide/4304501.stm">Interview: Sheffield Wednesday manager Brian Laws</a>

The former Nottingham Forest defender had been in charge of Scunthorpe since February 1997, and twice led them to promotion to League One.

The board are currently considering the longer-term position regarding the management structure at the club Scunthorpe Utd statement

"I'm very much up for this job," added Laws. "I believe that I'm ready for it and that I have the necessary qualities to drive it forward.

"The most important thing is that we all pull together. We have to be in the same boat, grab an oar and start pulling as hard as we can to get the club where it should be - into the Premiership as soon as we can."

Laws was the fifth longest-serving manager in the League, after Crewe's Dario Gradi, Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson, Hereford's Graham Turner and Arsenal's Arsene Wenger.

He was briefly sacked in 2004 following a boardroom battle, but then reinstated three weeks later.

A Scunthorpe statement read: "We are obviously very sorry to lose Brian and Russ at a time when the team are riding high in League One.

"But we felt that it was right to give Brian the opportunity to talk to Sheffield Wednesday, because it is a club with such huge potential and offers him the opportunity to further his career.

606: DEBATE <a class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A17090309">The decision to replace Sturrock with Laws just doesn't make any sense</a> SO <a class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/606/default.stm">606: Have your say</a>

"Disappointingly the talks took much longer than we had anticipated - which was totally beyond our control.

"Nigel Adkins will assume immediate control of the first team, and Tony Daws will take control of the reserve team. Nigel will be assisted by Andy Crosby and Ian Baraclough.

"The board are currently considering the longer-term position regarding the management structure at the club."

Former West Brom manager Bryan Robson had earlier ruled himself out of the running for the vacant post at Wednesday.

The ex-England captain said: "I was shortlisted but after careful consideration I've decided it's not the right challenge for me at this moment."

The Owls had suffered several other setbacks in their hunt for a permanent replacement for Sturrock, while academy manager Sean McAuley was in caretaker charge.

Former Hillsborough player and Norwich boss Nigel Worthington declared he was not interested in the job, while Barnsley and Burnley refused Wednesday permission to approach Andy Ritchie and Steve Cotterill respectively.