Lee McCulloch facts for kids
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McCulloch playing for Rangers in 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lee Henry McCulloch | ||
| Date of birth | 14 May 1978 | ||
| Place of birth | Bellshill, Scotland | ||
| Height | 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m) | ||
| Playing position | Centre-back, midfielder, winger, striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Jerviston Boys Club | |||
| 1991–1993 | Rangers SABC | ||
| 1993–1994 | Motherwell | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1994–2001 | Motherwell | 124 | (21) |
| 1994 | → Cumbernauld United (loan) | ||
| 1995 | → Carluke Rovers (loan) | ||
| 2001–2007 | Wigan Athletic | 224 | (44) |
| 2007–2015 | Rangers | 209 | (52) |
| 2015–2016 | Kilmarnock | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 558 | (117) | |
| National team | |||
| 2003 | Scotland B | 1 | (0) |
| 2004–2010 | Scotland | 18 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2016 | Kilmarnock (caretaker) | ||
| 2017 | Kilmarnock | ||
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Lee Henry McCulloch (born on May 14, 1978) is a Scottish football coach and former player. He was most recently an assistant manager for Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian.
McCulloch played for the Scotland national football team eighteen times. During his club career, he played for Motherwell, Wigan Athletic, Rangers, and Kilmarnock.
He is known as a utility player. This means he could play in many different positions on the field. He played as a centre-back, defensive midfielder, and striker for Rangers. At Wigan, he played as an attacking midfielder and winger.
Towards the end of his playing days, McCulloch became a coach at Kilmarnock. He was a temporary manager there in 2016 and 2017. In June 2017, he became the permanent manager but left in September 2017. Later, he joined Dundee United as a coach. In August 2020, he became assistant manager at Heart of Midlothian, staying until April 2023.
Contents
Lee McCulloch's Club Career
Playing for Motherwell
Lee McCulloch started his football journey as a forward at his hometown club, Motherwell. He came through their youth system. He had also played for Rangers SABC, a boys' team linked to Rangers.
After recovering from a broken ankle, McCulloch got to play in a European competition. This was the 1995–96 UEFA Cup. He scored 27 goals in 147 games for Motherwell. His first game was against Raith Rovers in August 1996. He scored his first two goals in a game against Hibernian in January 1998.
After scoring many goals for Motherwell, other clubs started to notice the talented young striker.
Playing for Wigan Athletic
In March 2001, McCulloch joined Wigan Athletic for £700,000. This was a record signing for Wigan at the time. Wigan was in the third tier of English football but wanted to move up. They saw McCulloch as part of their future plans.
He played his first game for Wigan against Swindon Town in March 2001. He scored his first goal for them four weeks later against Wycombe Wanderers.
At Wigan, McCulloch often played as a left midfielder. He played this role a lot during Wigan's first season in the Premier League in 2005–06. He scored five league goals and helped Wigan finish 10th. He also played in the 2006 Football League Cup final.
In January 2007, Rangers tried to buy McCulloch for £750,000, but Wigan said no. In May 2007, McCulloch said he would love to play for Rangers. Wigan's new manager, Chris Hutchings, said he could leave to go back to Scotland. In June, Rangers offered £1.5 million, but Wigan wanted £2.5 million. McCulloch had scored 46 goals in 241 games for Wigan.
Playing for Rangers
On July 11, 2007, Rangers signed Lee McCulloch for £2.25 million. He signed a four-year deal. McCulloch scored a goal in his very first game for Rangers. This was a 2–0 win against FK Zeta on July 31, 2007. On October 2, 2007, he scored a header in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League. This goal helped Rangers win 3–0 against Lyon.
In December, McCulloch was sent off in a game against Aberdeen. Later that season, he played in three big finals: the 2008 UEFA Cup Final, the 2008 Scottish League Cup Final, and the 2008 Scottish Cup Final. Rangers lost the UEFA Cup Final but won two domestic cups.
In his second season at Ibrox, McCulloch had some injuries. However, he also played as a central defender and a defensive midfielder. In the 2009–10 season, he scored a great long-range goal against Falkirk. He also scored his first goal in the famous Old Firm derby against Celtic. McCulloch became a regular central midfielder from 2009–10.
In August 2010, McCulloch signed a new contract with Rangers until 2013. He played 27 times in the 2010–11 season. After an injury, he needed surgery on his knee. McCulloch was a very flexible player, playing in attack, midfield, and defense. He played very well as a powerful striker when Rangers had few players.
He always showed great commitment to the club. He made it clear he would stay at Ibrox no matter what happened. When Rangers faced financial problems, many players left. But McCulloch was one of the few senior players who stayed. Rangers had to start again in the Scottish Football League Third Division. This was the fourth tier of Scottish football.
He scored in extra time to help Rangers win 2–1 against Brechin City in July 2012. McCulloch became the team captain in September 2012. In October, he signed a new contract until 2015.
On March 12, 2014, McCulloch scored three goals against Airdrieonians. This 3–0 win helped Rangers win the Scottish League One championship. In March 2014, McCulloch was added to the Rangers F.C. Hall of Fame. This is a special honor for great players.
In December 2014, McCulloch became a player/coach for Rangers. In July 2015, McCulloch left Rangers when his contract ended. He said the 2014–15 season was his worst in football. The team did not get promoted, and off-field problems affected their play.
Playing for Kilmarnock
McCulloch joined Kilmarnock as a player/coach in July 2015. He said he didn't expect to play many games. His main job was to help younger players improve. He played only one game that season, starting in a league match against Ross County.
Lee McCulloch's International Career
McCulloch was first called up to the Scotland national football team in 2004. He made his first appearance as a late substitute in a 1–1 draw with Moldova.
He played in Scotland's famous 1–0 win over France in October 2006. He also played in the return game, which Scotland also won 1–0.
He scored his first goal for Scotland in a Euro 2008 qualifying win over Ukraine. It was the second goal in a 3–1 victory in October 2007. McCulloch stopped playing for Scotland in September 2008 to focus on his club team. He returned to the national team in September 2010 for a game against Lithuania.
Lee McCulloch's Coaching Career
Coaching at Kilmarnock
McCulloch became the temporary manager of Kilmarnock in January 2016. He managed two games: a draw against his old team Rangers and a 2–0 win over Motherwell. He went back to his coaching duties after Lee Clark became the permanent manager.
In February 2017, McCulloch was again put in temporary charge of the team. This happened when Lee Clark left Kilmarnock. He stayed in charge until the end of the 2016–17 season. Kilmarnock finished eighth in the league. McCulloch was made the permanent manager of Kilmarnock on June 5, 2017. However, after the team didn't win any of their first eight league games, McCulloch left Kilmarnock on October 1, 2017.
Coaching After Kilmarnock
In January 2018, McCulloch became assistant manager of Polish club Lechia Gdańsk. He worked under Adam Owen, who used to be a fitness coach at Rangers. He left Lechia Gdańsk seven weeks later when Owen was no longer manager.
In January 2019, he became a strikers' coach at Dundee United. In June 2019, he was promoted to assistant head coach. In August 2020, he became assistant manager at Heart of Midlothian. McCulloch left Hearts in April 2023.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Motherwell | 1995–96 | Scottish Premier Division | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1996–97 | Scottish Premier Division | 15 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |
| 1997–98 | Scottish Premier Division | 24 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 2 | |
| 1998–99 | Scottish Premier League | 27 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 4 | |
| 1999–2000 | Scottish Premier League | 30 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 12 | |
| 2000–01 | Scottish Premier League | 26 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 9 | |
| Total | 124 | 21 | 15 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 147 | 27 | ||
| Wigan Athletic | 2000–01 | English Second Division | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 3 |
| 2001–02 | English Second Division | 34 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 6 | |
| 2002–03 | English Second Division | 38 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 6 | |
| 2003–04 | English First Division | 41 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 7 | |
| 2004–05 | English Championship | 42 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 14 | |
| 2005–06 | English Premier League | 30 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 5 | |
| 2006–07 | English Premier League | 29 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 5 | |
| Total | 224 | 44 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 241 | 46 | ||
| Rangers | 2007–08 | Scottish Premier League | 22 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 46 | 7 |
| 2008–09 | Scottish Premier League | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | Scottish Premier League | 34 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 47 | 7 | |
| 2010–11 | Scottish Premier League | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
| 2011–12 | Scottish Premier League | 26 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 5 | |
| 2012–13 | Scottish Third Division | 28 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 38 | 26 | |
| 2013–14 | Scottish League One | 34 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 46 | 18 | |
| 2014–15 | Scottish Championship | 32 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 46 | 6 | |
| Total | 209 | 52 | 27 | 4 | 22 | 7 | 45 | 8 | 303 | 70 | ||
| Kilmarnock | 2015–16 | Scottish Premiership | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Career total | 558 | 114 | 47 | 9 | 39 | 10 | 48 | 6 | 692 | 143 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 2004 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2007 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2008 | — | ||
| 2009 | — | ||
| 2010 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 18 | 1 | |
- Score and result list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after McCulloch goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 October 2007 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland |  Ukraine |
2–0 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
Managerial Statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Kilmarnock (interim) |  |
31 January 2016 | 15 February 2016 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 33.33 | |
| Kilmarnock | |
15 February 2017 | 1 October 2017 | 27 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 29 | 38 | −9 | 25.93 | |
| Total | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 32 | 40 | −8 | 26.67 | ||||
Honours and Awards
Wigan Athletic
- Football League Second Division: 2002–03
- Football League First Division promotion: 2004–05
- Football League Cup runner-up: 2005–06
Rangers
- Scottish Premier League: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11
- Scottish League One: 2013–14
- Scottish Third Division: 2012–13
- Scottish Cup: 2007–08, 2008–09
- Scottish League Cup: 2007–08, 2009–10, 2010–11
- UEFA Cup: Runner-up 2007–08
Scotland
- Kirin Cup: 2006
Individual Awards
- Rangers Player of the Year: 2013
- PFA Scotland Third Division Team of the Year: 2012–13
- PFA Scotland League One Team of the Year: 2013–14
- Rangers Hall of Fame Inductee: 2014
See also
In Spanish: Lee McCulloch para niños
