Clarets set to unveil old boy Laws

Last updated : 12 January 2010 By Tony Scholes
It's not the first time Laws has been linked with the Burnley job. In 1996, following the departure of Jimmy Mullen, he was a front runner but was beaten on that occasion by Adrian Heath.

He was at Grimsby then but in 2007 we approached Sheffield Wednesday for permission to speak to him when we were looking to replace Steve Cotterill. Had that permission been granted then he would have been in the Turf Moor hot seat then.

This time, with Coyle having gone to Bolton, he's always been in the running and for the last day or so has certainly appeared to be in the top two after impressing in an interview in a Manchester hotel on Sunday.

This afternoon though it looked very much as though Doncaster boss Sean O'Driscoll had landed the post. It is being reported that Burnley could not come to an agreement with the Yorkshire club board with them believed to be looking for £1 million in compensation.

That meant Laws and unless there is a big u-turn he'll become our new manager tomorrow.

He started his playing career with the Clarets and made his debut in the last game of the 1979/80 season in a 4-0 defeat at Watford. From then he was virtually an ever present at right back before moving on to Huddersfield early in the 1983/84 season.

He also played for Middlesbrough and of course, in his most successful spell, with Nottingham Forest before going to Grimsby as player boss. An incident with Ivano Bonetti was the start of the end for him at Blundell Park and he signed for Darlington as a player.

His return to management was with Scunthorpe where he had two spells before he landed the Sheffield Wednesday job in 2006.

The reaction has not been positive from Burnley fans who were hoping for something better than a manager recently sacked by a club in a Championship relegation position, but one thing Laws does have is a good Turf Moor record as a manager. He's brought teams to Burnley six times and has won three of those games and drawn the other three.

Last season his Wednesday side took six points off us and scored no less than eight goals.

A former team mate of Martin Dobson and Vince Overson, there will be familiar figures when he walks into Turf Moor. He'll almost certainly bring Russ Wilcox with him as assistant but there is no news on any other backroom staff.