His time in charge may have been short, but it has provided lessons that will last a lifetime. BOB STEELS finds out from Tony Daws why the Iron's new manager will have his work cut out when it comes to attracting new players to Glanford Park.

JUST under two weeks in the hotseat at Scunthorpe United has seemed like a lifetime for caretaker manager Tony Daws.

It has come at one of the most hectic periods of the season, just before the final transfer deadline at a time when the Iron have been desperately trying to strengthen their squad for one last stance in their battle against relegation.

He has learned a lot in a short space of time about how difficult it is to bring in new players.

He came up trumps with two loan signings, bringing former Iron left-back Marcus Williams back from Reading and snapping up Leeds United's Honduras international striker Ramon Nunez.

But the deadline passed before Scunthorpe could succeed in their renewed attempts to bring in winger Chris Taylor from Oldham, with a view to a permanent deal this summer.

And United were also chasing another striker on deadline day.

Daws was thrown into the managerial deep end when Ian Baraclough was axed after the last home game which produced a 3-0 defeat against bottom-placed Preston.

Working alongside chief scout Lee Turnbull, he has been working 15 hour days to try to prop up the fort while a new permanent boss comes in.

"You literally do not get a minute from 8am in the morning when the phone first starts ringing, until 11 o'clock at night when you are wanting to go to bed," he declared.

"But I must say, I have loved every minute of it, it has been really good.

"The thing to focus on first was coaching the lads who were already here and getting them ready for the game at Ipswich.

"But we were also trying to bring new players in before last Thursday's transfer deadline.

"I never realised how difficult it was to bring players in.

"Obviously I have looked at Nigel (Adkins) and looked at Bara and seen them stressed and wound up.

"I never really understood why – but I do now.

"You have no perception of how many different directions you can get pulled in when you are trying to bring someone in.

"There is so much to do and so many people each wanting their own slice of the cake.

"It is a really time-consuming and difficult job. There is not just the player and his manager to deal with, but also his agent and often too, the other club's chief executive.

"And I have quickly learned that if you are wanting a player for one particular position then it is no good just targeting one, you have got to look at five or six.

"You can't afford to put all your eggs in one basket. If you do that, you can think you have a good chance of getting your man, only for something to go wrong at the last minute.

"That happened to me with a player on transfer deadline day.

"When that happens, you are back at square one – unless you have got something else lined up.

"It's a bit like a game of pool really, you have to have all your shots lined-up over the pocket hoping that you can pot one or two."

Daws has quickly learned the frustrations of being a manager at an unfashionable club in relegation trouble.

"Having Lee (Turnbull) alongside me has been a massive help, and I have learned a hell of a lot in a short space of time," he confessed.

"It has certainly opened my eyes.

"You have an idea of the type of player you want to bring in and then you scour the lists at Premier League and Championship clubs and the like to see who is not in the team and who might be available.

"You make countless phone calls trying to contact different people. I would say we have looked at between 30 and 40 players during the period leading up to the transfer deadline.

"You have got your favourites, the ones you really want to bring in and who you feel you have a good chance of.

"You build your hopes up, but then his manager says he might not be in the team but he is still in his thoughts – and the door is shut.

"I had no idea how difficult it was to bring players in. It is certainly not as straight forward as people might think."

Daws believes Scunthorpe not having a permanent manager might also have been a factor in putting some players off a loan move.

"It is a difficult period for the club between Bara leaving and a new man being appointed," he confessed.

"Maybe that is one reason why some players have been a little hesitant, wanting to wait and see who the new manager here will be."

This article was first published in Monday's Scunthorpe Telegraph.