Lawrie Sanchez facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lawrence Sanchez | ||
| Date of birth | 22 October 1959 | ||
| Place of birth | Lambeth, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1974–1976 | Southampton | ||
| 1976-1977 | Thatcham Town | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1977–1984 | Reading | 262 | (28) |
| 1984–1994 | Wimbledon | 270 | (33) |
| 1994 | Swindon Town | 8 | (0) |
| 1994–1995 | Sligo Rovers | 18 | (1) |
| Total | 558 | (62) | |
| National team | |||
| 1986–1989 | Northern Ireland | 3 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1994–1995 | Sligo Rovers | ||
| 1999–2003 | Wycombe Wanderers | ||
| 2004–2007 | Northern Ireland | ||
| 2007 | Fulham | ||
| 2011–2012 | Barnet | ||
| 2013–2014 | Apollon Smyrni | ||
|
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Lawrence Sanchez (born 22 October 1959) is a football manager and a former international footballer. He played for Northern Ireland but is originally from England.
He is most famous for scoring the winning goal for Wimbledon in the 1988 FA Cup final. This was a huge surprise, as Wimbledon beat Liverpool, one of the biggest teams at the time.
As a manager, Lawrie Sanchez also had many great moments. He led Wycombe Wanderers to the FA Cup semi-finals. He also helped the Northern Ireland improve their world ranking a lot. During his time, they had amazing wins against teams like England, Spain, and Portugal.
Contents
About Lawrie Sanchez
Lawrie Sanchez was born in London. His father was from Ecuador, and his mother was from Northern Ireland. He went to school in Reading, Berkshire. He also studied management science at Loughborough University while playing for Reading F.C.. He was married and had a son named Jack. In 2004, he became a supporter of a cancer charity in Northern Ireland.
Lawrie Sanchez's Playing Career
Playing for Clubs
Lawrie Sanchez started his football career as a midfielder. He joined Reading in 1977 and played there until 1984. Then, Wimbledon bought him for £30,000. He quickly became a key player for Wimbledon. In May 1986, he scored the goal that helped Wimbledon get promoted to the top division of English football.
His most famous moment happened in 1988. He scored the winning goal with a header in the 1988 FA Cup final against Liverpool. This was a huge upset! Liverpool almost scored before him, but their goal was disallowed. Later, Liverpool had a penalty kick, but Wimbledon's goalkeeper, Dave Beasant, saved it. This helped Wimbledon win the FA Cup.
In the 1993–94 season, Sanchez left Wimbledon. He joined Swindon Town, a newly promoted team. However, Swindon Town had a tough season and were relegated. Sanchez only played eight games for them. After a few months, he left to become a player-manager for Sligo Rovers in Ireland. He scored his last professional goal in December 1994.
He is also known for being one of the first players to be sent off for a "professional foul." This happened in 1982 when he deliberately handled the ball in a game.
Playing for His Country
In 1977, Lawrie Sanchez played for England Schoolboys. He played in a match against Scotland.
Later, he played three international games for Northern Ireland. He could play for them because his mother was Northern Irish. He also had the chance to play for Ecuador, because of his father. But he chose not to, mainly because of the long distance.
Lawrie Sanchez's Managerial Career
Sligo Rovers
In 1994, Sanchez became the player-manager for Sligo Rovers in Ireland. In his first season, he led them to the semi-finals of the 1995 FAI Cup. He also managed them in a European competition called the Cup Winners' Cup.
Wimbledon (Coach)
In 1995, he returned to Wimbledon. He became the manager of their reserve team. In his first year, his team won the Football Combination league. After two years, he became a first-team coach under manager Joe Kinnear.
Wycombe Wanderers
Lawrie Sanchez became the manager of Wycombe Wanderers in February 1999. The team was in danger of being relegated, but he helped them avoid it. In 2001, he led the club to their best moment ever. They reached the FA Cup semi-finals, where they played against Liverpool. Wycombe lost 2–1, but they played very well. During this time, Sanchez famously signed a player named Roy Essandoh. Roy helped the team win a famous game against Leicester City.
After a few good seasons, the club faced financial problems. Sanchez was sacked by the club in September 2003 after a difficult start to the season.
Northern Ireland National Team
In January 2004, Sanchez was chosen to manage the Northern Ireland. At that time, the team was ranked 124th in the world. They hadn't scored a goal in a very long time and hadn't won a game in almost three years.
Under Sanchez, Northern Ireland improved a lot. When he left, they were at the top of their Euro 2008 qualifying group. They also reached their highest-ever world ranking of 27th. They had amazing wins, including a 1–0 victory against England in a World Cup qualifier. They also drew 1–1 with Portugal. Other big wins included beating Sweden 2–1 and Spain 3–2. In the Spain game, David Healy scored three goals!
Fulham
While still managing Northern Ireland, Sanchez also became the temporary manager of Fulham in April 2007. His job was to keep Fulham in the Premier League. He succeeded, and then he was given the manager's job full-time. He had to leave his role with Northern Ireland to do this.
He signed four Northern Ireland players for Fulham. These included David Healy, Steven Davis, Aaron Hughes, and Chris Baird. However, he was sacked in December 2007 after a home loss that pushed Fulham into the relegation zone.
Barnet
In 2011, Sanchez joined Barnet as a football consultant. He helped them avoid relegation from the Football League. In May 2011, he was appointed manager of Barnet. The team struggled in the 2011–12 season. Sanchez was sacked in April 2012 with three games left in the season.
Apollon Smyrnis
On 17 November 2013, Sanchez became the head coach of Apollon Smyrni, a team in Greece. During his time there, Sanchez expressed concerns about the fairness of the Greek league.
In April 2014, Apollon Smyrni was relegated from the top Greek league. They finished 17th, just two points away from safety. Sanchez decided not to sign a new contract and left the club. The fans were sad to see him go. He wrote a letter to the fans, explaining his thoughts. He made it clear he was unhappy with the legitimacy of the Greek league. He famously said, "In the Magic Kingdom that is SuperLeague even a Magician can only have so many powers."
Honours
- Wimbledon
- FA Cup: 1987–88
- Football League Second Division promotion: 1985–86
- Reading
- Football League Fourth Division: 1978–79
- Football League Fourth Division promotion: 1983–84
Managerial statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Sligo Rovers |  |
2 September 1994 | 14 August 1995 | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 39.13 |
| Wycombe Wanderers |  |
5 February 1999 | 30 September 2003 | 255 | 87 | 71 | 97 | 34.12 |
| Northern Ireland |  |
21 January 2004 | 11 May 2007 | 32 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 34.38 |
| Fulham | |
11 April 2007 | 21 December 2007 | 24 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16.67 |
| Barnet | |
13 May 2011 | 16 April 2012 | 57 | 17 | 13 | 27 | 29.82 |
| Apollon Smyrni |  |
17 November 2013 | 22 April 2014 | 27 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 29.63 |
| Total | 441 | 145 | 119 | 177 | 32.88 | |||
See also
In Spanish: Lawrie Sanchez para niños
