Who is Lawrie Sanchez?

The Irish Football Associaton insist it is a temporary appointment and are desperate to keep the man who has led their unlikely bid for Euro 2008 qualification.

However, Fulham would love to lure Sanchez into full-time charge at Craven Cottage after his extraordinary recent success.

Sanchez played over 250 games for Reading before joining Wimbledon, where he spent 10 years between 1984-1994. He is most famous for heading the only goal in the 1988 FA Cup final, which saw the tiny South London club topple mighty Liverpool. The son of an Ecuadorian father and Northern Irish mother, he played three times for Northern Ireland.

After a brief spell in Ireland with Sligo Rovers, Sanchez returned to Wimbledon, where he took charge of the reserves for four years before being snapped up by Wycombe Wanderers. His best moment with the Chairboys came in 2001, when they knocked out Premiership Leicester City on their way to the FA Cup semi-finals, where they went down 2-1 to Liverpool.

Sanchez was surprisingly appointed Northern Ireland boss in 2004. Despite an unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign, he masterminded a famous 1-0 win against England at Windsor Park. The Euro 2008 qualifiers have brought still more glory, with wins against Spain and Sweden sending them top of their group. Striker David Healy is currently the top scorer in Europe with nine goals.

The temporary appointment by Fulham will spark fears that Sanchez, who has been subject to media harassment, might quit his post for a return to club football.