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 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Position(s) | 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) | |
| International career | |||
| 2003 | Scotland B | 1 | (0) |
| 2004–2010 | Scotland | 18 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2016 | Kilmarnock (caretaker) | ||
| 2017 | Kilmarnock | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Lee Henry McCulloch (born 14 May 1978) is a Scottish football coach and former player. He was most recently an assistant manager for Heart of Midlothian.
McCulloch played for the Scotland national football team 18 times. During his club career, he played for Motherwell, Wigan Athletic, Rangers, and Kilmarnock. He was known as a "utility player" because he could play in many different positions on the field. These included centre-back, defensive midfielder, striker, attacking midfielder, and winger.
Towards the end of his playing career, McCulloch also became a coach at Kilmarnock. He was the temporary manager there in 2016 and 2017. He then became the permanent manager in June 2017, but left in September 2017. Later, he worked as a coach for Dundee United and then as an assistant manager for Heart of Midlothian.
Contents
Playing Career
Starting at Motherwell
Lee McCulloch began his football journey as a forward at his hometown club, Motherwell. He came through their youth program. He had also played for Rangers SABC, a boys' team linked to Rangers, alongside Barry Ferguson.
After recovering from a broken ankle, McCulloch got to play in a European competition, the 1995–96 UEFA Cup. He made his first team debut in August 1996. He scored his first goals for Motherwell in January 1998. Overall, he scored 27 goals in 147 games for the Steelmen, which is Motherwell's nickname. His strong performances caught the eye of other clubs.
Moving to Wigan Athletic
In March 2001, McCulloch joined Wigan Athletic for £700,000. This was a record signing for Wigan at the time. Wigan was playing in the third division of English football, but they had big plans to move up. McCulloch made his debut for Wigan in March 2001 and scored his first goal a few weeks later.
During his time in England, McCulloch started playing more often as a left midfielder. This was his main position when Wigan played in the Premier League in the 2005–06 season. He scored five league goals and helped Wigan finish 10th. He also played in the 2006 League Cup final as a substitute.
In 2007, Rangers tried to sign McCulloch. Wigan turned down their offers. McCulloch told BBC Sport that he would love to play for Rangers. After scoring 46 goals in 241 matches for Wigan, he was ready to move back to Scotland.
Time at Rangers
On 11 July 2007, Rangers signed McCulloch on a four-year deal. The transfer fee was £2.25 million. McCulloch started his Rangers career with a goal on his debut in a 2–0 win against FK Zeta on 31 July 2007. He also scored an important goal in the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League against Lyon, helping Rangers win 3–0.
Later that season, McCulloch was sent off in a match against Aberdeen. He also played in 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 faced some injuries. However, he also played in central defence and as a defensive midfielder. In the 2009–10 season, he scored a long-range goal against Falkirk and a header against Hearts. On 3 January 2010, he scored his first goal in an Old Firm game against Celtic, which ended in a 1–1 draw. He became a regular central midfielder from that season onwards.
In August 2010, McCulloch signed a new contract to stay with Rangers until 2013. He played 27 times in the 2010–11 season before needing surgery on his knee. McCulloch's ability to play in different positions was very helpful. He played as a powerful striker when Rangers had fewer players available.
When Rangers faced financial difficulties and had to start over in a lower league, McCulloch was one of the few senior players who chose to stay. He showed great commitment to the club. Rangers entered the Scottish Football League Third Division, which was the fourth tier of Scottish football. McCulloch was made captain on 1 September 2012. He signed a contract extension until 2015.
On 12 March 2014, McCulloch scored three goals in a 3–0 win against Airdrieonians. This win secured the Scottish League One championship for Rangers. In March 2014, he was added to the Rangers F.C. Hall of Fame, a special recognition for great players. He left Rangers in July 2015 when his contract ended. McCulloch later said that the 2014–15 season was his toughest in football.
Playing for Kilmarnock
In July 2015, McCulloch joined Kilmarnock as a player/coach. He said that his main role would be to help develop younger players, and he did not expect to play many games himself. He made only one appearance for Kilmarnock that season, starting in a league match against Ross County.
International Career
McCulloch first played for the Scotland national football team in 2004. His debut was as a late substitute in a 1–1 draw against Moldova. He played in several matches under manager Walter Smith.
He was part of Scotland's famous 1–0 wins over France in October 2006 and again in 2007. He scored his first international goal in Scotland's Euro 2008 qualifying win against Ukraine. This was the second goal in a 3–1 victory at Hampden Park in October 2007. McCulloch decided to retire from international football in September 2008 to focus on his club team. However, he was called back to the national team in 2010 and played in a qualifier against Lithuania.
Coaching Career
Coaching at Kilmarnock
McCulloch became the temporary manager of Kilmarnock on 30 January 2016, after the previous manager resigned. He managed two matches: a draw against his former team Rangers in the Scottish Cup, and a 2–0 win over Motherwell in the league. He then went back to his coaching duties when a new permanent manager was appointed.
In February 2017, McCulloch and Peter Leven were again put in temporary charge of the first team. McCulloch continued as interim manager until the end of the 2016–17 season. Kilmarnock finished eighth in the league. On 5 June 2017, McCulloch was appointed Kilmarnock manager on a permanent basis. However, after the team did not win any of their first eight league matches in the 2017–18 season, McCulloch left Kilmarnock on 1 October 2017.
After Kilmarnock
In January 2018, McCulloch became an assistant manager for the Polish club Lechia Gdańsk. He worked under Adam Owen, who had been a fitness coach at Rangers when McCulloch played there. He left Lechia Gdańsk seven weeks later when Owen was no longer manager.
In January 2019, he was appointed strikers' coach at Dundee United. He was later promoted to joint assistant head coach in June 2019. In August 2020, he became assistant manager at Heart of Midlothian. McCulloch left Hearts in April 2023.
Honours and Achievements
Team Honours
Wigan Athletic
- Football League Second Division: 2002–03
- Promoted from Football League First Division: 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
- Inducted into the Rangers F.C. Hall of Fame: 2014
Images for kids
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McCulloch playing for Rangers in 2010
See also
In Spanish: Lee McCulloch para niños
