Lawrie Sanchez has long been proud of his uncanny ability to upset the natural order of things in the world of football.

During his playing career at Wimbledon, he headed the winner in the 1998 FA Cup final defeat of the mighty Liverpool. Then 11 years later, he once again defied the odds to manage unfashionable Wycombe Wanderers to the semi-final of the same competition, only for the Anfield Reds to exact their belated revenge.

At the inception of the Northern Ireland hot seat as head coach in 2004 he promised three things – a pledge to score a goal, a promise to move up the rankings and a determination to win a game.

That all were achieved in just over two months into his tenure spoke volumes of the renewed vigour he brought to a team low in confidence and bereft of goals. Not only that, but he took Northern Ireland to within 90 minutes of a third place finish in their World Cup qualifying group.  He left Northern Ireland in an amazing 97 places higher up in the FIFA rankings than when he started.

He was capped three times for Northern Ireland in the late 1980s by Billy Bingham during a playing career which began with non-league Thatcham Town before joining Reading and the aforementioned ‘Crazy Gang’.

Managerially he cut his teeth with Sligo Rovers in the League of Ireland, taking them to the last four of the FAI Cup.

Lawrie recently took up his dream of a Premiership job when he moved to Fulham in May 2007.

Lives
Although Lawrie was born in Lambeth, London, his mother was born and bred in Belfast. He now lives in Reading.

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