Alan Irvine named as new Sheffield Wednesday boss

He has signed a three-and-a-half year deal with the Owls who are currently four points adrift of safety in the Championship relegation zone.

""I am delighted to take up the position of manager at Sheffield Wednesday," said Irvine. "It is a club with great traditions and a brilliant outlook for the future.

"While the league table shows us that there is a lot of hard work in front of us between now and the end of the current season, it is a challenge I am relishing and I believe the squad here at Hillsborough is more than capable of pulling away from the current situation at the bottom of the Championship.

"Sheffield Wednesday has made excellent progress off the pitch in the past 12 months and it is now my job to make sure that progress is mirrored on the pitch," he added.

"I am really looking forward to starting work with the players and I can't wait to get out on the training pitch to start preparing for the vital matches we have coming up this month."

Chairman Lee Strafford, who has spent the last month seeking a replacement for Brian Laws, said: "He is a high calibre manager, respected throughout football, who has proven he can make a team competitive at this level, and we feel very fortunate to have secured his services.

"When the manager's position became vacant at Sheffield Wednesday we did not expect him to be available because of the commitment he had to his previous club."

For full story read tomorrow's Yorkshire Post.