_(cropped).jpg) McCulloch playing forRangers in 2010 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Lee Henry McCulloch[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1978-05-14)14 May 1978 (age 46)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Bellshill, Scotland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back,midfielder,winger,striker[1] | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Jerviston Boys Club[3] | |||
| 1991–1993 | Rangers SABC[4] | ||
| 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 professionalfootball coach and former player who most recently served as assistant manager ofScottish Premiership clubHeart of Midlothian.
McCulloch was capped on eighteen occasions by theScotland national football team. At club level, he played forMotherwell,Wigan Athletic,Rangers andKilmarnock. Towards the end of his playing career, McCulloch was appointed a coach atKilmarnock. He was appointed interim manager in January 2016[5] and February 2017.[6] He was appointed manager on a permanent basis in June 2017, but left in September 2017.
He is a prime example of autility player in football, having played in multiple outfield positions, fromcentre-back,defensive midfielder andstriker at Rangers toattacking midfielder andwinger at Wigan.
In January 2019, McCulloch joinedDundee United as strikers' coach, before being promoted to assistant coach in August 2019. In August 2020, he joinedHeart of Midlothian as assistant manager, a position he held until April 2023.
McCulloch started his career as a forward at hometown clubMotherwell,[7] graduating from theiryouth system having previously played at Rangers SABC (a boys' team affiliated toRangers) alongsideBarry Ferguson. Upon recovering from a broken ankle suffered during a loan spell withCarluke Rovers,[3] McCulloch had an early experience of European football in the1995–96 UEFA Cup[7] under managerAlex McLeish, and went on to score 27 goals in 147 appearances for theSteelmen after making his debut againstRaith Rovers on 24 August 1996.[8] He scored his first and second goals in a league match againstHibernian on 31 January 1998.[9]
After netting 12 and nine goals in consecutive seasons for Motherwell, along with some impressive performances, other clubs began to take notice of the young striker.
McCulloch signed forWigan Athletic in March 2001 for £700,000,[10] (a then club signing record) on the same day as Motherwell teammateSteve McMillan.[10] Wigan at this point were plying their trade in the third tier of English football, but were strongly ambitious, and saw the young Scotsmen as part of their long-term plans. McCulloch made his debut againstSwindon Town on 3 March 2001[11] and scored his first goal for the club four weeks later, in a 2–1 win away toWycombe Wanderers.[12]
During his English league career, McCulloch found himself increasingly operating in a leftmidfield role, and this is the position he mainly played in during Wigan's first season in the Premier League in2005–06. He weighed in with five league goals in thirty appearances, helping Wigan to a 10th-place finish, and appeared as a substitute in the2006 League Cup final.[13]
In January 2007, McCulloch was the subject of a £750,000 bid by Rangers. It was turned down by Wigan and labelled "derisory" by managerPaul Jewell.[14] In May 2007, McCulloch told BBC Sport that he would relish the opportunity to play for Rangers, and the new manager at Wigan AthleticChris Hutchings advised him that he may leave to move back to Scotland.[15] On 23 June, Rangers had a bid of £1.5m rejected with Wigan said to want £2.5m for McCulloch, who had scored 46 goals in 241 matches for them.
On 11 July 2007,Rangers signed McCulloch on a four-year deal with a transfer fee of £2.25m.[16] McCulloch started hisRangers career with a goal on his debut in a 2–0 victory overFK Zeta on 31 July 2007.[17] On 2 October 2007 in the2007–08 UEFA Champions League, he scored the first goal, a header from a corner byDaMarcus Beasley in Rangers' 3–0 victory at theStade de Gerland againstLyon.[18]
On 23 December in a match withAberdeen, McCulloch was sent off after 37 minutes after jumping at Aberdeen'sScott Severin as a mass brawl started, after Aberdeen'sChris Clark had scythed down Rangers defenderAlan Hutton. McCulloch was the only player to be dismissed in theheated match. Later that season McCulloch played in the2008 UEFA Cup Final, the2008 Scottish League Cup Final and the2008 Scottish Cup Final. Rangers lost the UEFA Cup Final[19] but won a domestic cup double.
In his second season atIbrox, McCulloch was again plagued with injuries. However, he did also manage to play for the club atcentral defence and as a defensive midfielder. In the first game of the 2009–10 season McCulloch scored a long range goal against Falkirk in a 4–1 win. The following match he scored his second goal of the season against Hearts: a header from a free kick that equalised for Rangers beforeKris Boyd scored the winner in the 89th minute. On 3 January 2010 in the secondOld Firm game of the season, McCulloch scored a header from a corner to tie the game 1–1. This was McCulloch's first ever Old Firm goal. McCulloch became a regular in central midfield as of 2009–10 season.
On 12 August 2010, Rangers announced that McCulloch had signed a two-year contract extension, keeping him at the club until 2013.[20] His first game of the 2010–11 season came against St. Johnstone in which he set up the winner. McCulloch then went on to feature 27 times until it was revealed, after limping off against Hearts, he would require surgery to cure a cyst on his knee joint.[21] McCulloch's versatility saw him play in attack, midfield and defence, and he hit a particularly good vein of form as a powerful striker as Rangers threadbare squad put together a decent run of results following the club'sentry into administration.His commitment to the cause was never under question, and he made it clear from the outset that no matter what happened to the club, he would be staying at Ibrox. The business and assets of Rangers, including player registrations, were purchased by a brand new company led byCharles Green.[22] While many players opted out of joining the new company, McCulloch was one of the few senior players who accepted the transfer.[22] Rangers entered theScottish Football League Third Division, the fourth tier of theScottish football league system. He scored in extra time to give Rangers a 2–1 victory againstBrechin City in theScottish Challenge Cup on 29 July 2012. McCulloch was given the captaincy on 1 September 2012 after the departure ofCarlos Bocanegra toRacing Santander on a season-long loan[23] and on 31 October, he signed a contract extension with Rangers committing him until 2015.[24]
On 12 March 2014, McCulloch scored a hat trick againstAirdrieonians in a 3–0 win that clinched theLeague One championship.[25] McCulloch was inducted into theRangers Hall of Fame in March 2014, along with former Rangers playersNacho Novo andFernando Ricksen.[26] His first goal this season was in the Scottish Challenge Cup againstClyde that they won 8–1 and during this game he scored twice. His first league goal was in a 4–1 victory overDumbarton, while first booking was in theScottish Challenge Cup againstAlloa Athletic. In December 2014, McCulloch was appointed player/coach for the Rangers first team after manager Ally McCoist was placed on gardening leave.[27] In a 2–2 draw againstFalkirk near the end of the season, McCulloch was jeered by some of the Rangers support after he had made an error leading to a goal for Falkirk.[28] In July 2015, McCulloch left Rangers at the end of his contract. McCulloch said after leaving Rangers that the 2014–15 season had been his worst in football, with the team failing to gain promotion and off-field issues affecting performances.[29] He also said that he had wanted to comment publicly on the club's problems, but was ordered not to by the club hierarchy.[29]
McCulloch signed forKilmarnock as a player/coach in July 2015.[30] He said after joining Kilmarnock that although he had registered as a player, he did not expect to play many games for the club and that his main responsibility would be to develop younger players.[29] He made one appearance in total that season, starting in a league match againstRoss County, being replaced after forty-one minutes.[31]
McCulloch earned his first international call-up to theScotland national side in 2004, under the then managerBerti Vogts, and made his debut as a late substitute in a 1–1 draw withMoldova,[32] a match which transpired to be Vogts' last match as manager.After the appointment ofWalter Smith in 2004, he featured in the squad intermittently. He was involved in Smith's first three matches as manager againstItaly, Moldova andBelarus and was included in theKirin Cup matches againstBulgaria andJapan. He played in Scotland's famous 1–0 win overFrance in October 2006[33] and then in the equally famous reverse fixture, which Scotland also won 1–0.[34]
He scored his first international goal in Scotland'sEuro 2008qualifying win overUkraine.[35] It was the second goal in a 3–1 victory atHampden Park in October 2007. McCulloch retired from international football on 8 September 2008 as he wanted to concentrate on his club commitments.[36] McCulloch was recalled to the national team following the appointment of Craig Levein and he made his first appearance since 2008 in a qualifier against Lithuania in September 2010.[37]
McCulloch was appointed Kilmarnock manager on an interim basis afterGary Locke resigned on 30 January 2016,[5] managing two matches; a goalless draw with his former sideRangers in theScottish Cup,[38] and a 2–0 win overMotherwell in theleague.[39] He returned to his coaching duties afterLee Clark was appointed on a permanent basis in February 2016.[40]
McCulloch and Peter Leven were put in temporary charge of the first team in February 2017, when Clark left Kilmarnock to manageBury.[6] He continued in interim charge until the end of the 2016–17 season, as Kilmarnock finished eighth in the Premiership. McCulloch was appointed Kilmarnock manager on a permanent basis on 5 June 2017.[41] After the team failed to win any of their first eight league matches in 2017–18, McCulloch left Kilmarnock on 1 October 2017.[42]
McCulloch was appointed assistant manager of Polish clubLechia Gdańsk in January 2018.[43] He became assistant toAdam Owen, who had been a fitness coach at Rangers while McCulloch played for them.[43] He left his position with Lechia Gdańsk after the sacking of Owen seven weeks later.[44]
In January 2019, he was appointed strikers' coach atDundee United under the management ofRobbie Neilson,[45] before being promoted to joint assistant head coach alongsideGordon Forrest in June 2019.[46] In August 2020, after Neilson's appointment as manager, he was appointed assistant manager atHeart of Midlothian.[47] McCulloch left Hearts in April 2023, following the departure of Robbie Neilson.[48]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other[a] | 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 | ||
| 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 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 October 2007 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland |  Ukraine | 2–0 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 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 | 033.33 | |
| Kilmarnock | | 15 February 2017 | 1 October 2017 | 27 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 29 | 38 | −9 | 025.93 | |
| Total | 30 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 32 | 40 | −8 | 026.67 | ||||
Wigan Athletic
Rangers
Scotland
Individual
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
