Lee McCulloch

[gmanhaggis 0]

I can't make my mind up! Wanna c wat fellow gers fans think.

[16WATP90 0]

Could be depending on wot he is willing to put in. Could be the Rangers Lee Naylor me thinks.

[the goal machine 7,801]

IMO, yes. He has proven that he can handle big leagues and he will chip in with the goals. He is also a bluenose and he will give 110% everytime he plays.

[papaguy51 912]

I can't make my mind up! Wanna c wat fellow gers fans think.

Welcome to the board mate.

There's a post a few down regarding Lee McCulloch, think its 13 pages long or something. Give that one a go!

[Davy 68]

Welcome to RM buddy.

Check out this thread....

http://forum.rangersmedia.co.uk/index.php?...t=0&start=0

[Stuart_RFC 41]

he will be useful...

but i still dont see the reason behind the signing. we do lack a bit of bite in the team i suppose

[Stardog 11]

Cost a million too much but he'll play well and bag some goals.

[J-Maestro 11,078]

Will be signing of the season, one of Wigan's best players and having seen Beasley last season and being a double bluenose with City don't see why we're so excited about him and not about big Lee, perfect replacement for Prso for what we could get.

[Thermopylae 15,286]

Did he really cost 2.2 million quid? To think that used to buy us Brian Laudrup .

I think the English market being enormously inflated just now is really hammering us, Souness and Walter always used to pick up a good few bargains down there before the sky money really kicked in.

[Saudibear 0]

Like most Rangers fans everywhere I'm not overly excited about his arrival but I do think he will give us his all. Maybe a bit overpriced.

[The Lad 0]

I trust in Walter, and Walter is one of the biggest and best bluenoses to grace RFC, so if he needed McCulloch for 7 months, then i'm excited that Walter got his signing.

I think Lee will make many people eat their words, and i can't wait to see him against hannover. (Unless any games before that are televised)

In Walter I Trust...

[MisterC 12,270]

Sorry but no, another mediocre player who will not improve the squad one iota, people saying the trust Walters judgement really need to be more objective. Stale Stensaas, Dale Gordon, Boli anyone? too tired and sleepy to think of more!

[Ted E Bayer 484]

Sorry but no, another mediocre player who will not improve the squad one iota, people saying the trust Walters judgement really need to be more objective. Stale Stensaas, Dale Gordon, Boli anyone? too tired and sleepy to think of more!

Not EVERY signing works dude. Every manager, player and fan knows that. At least with McCulloch what you see is what you get. Tireless worker, competant enough to play regularly for a EP team. I think he'll do well for us. :pipehorse:

[Bazza 21]

Walter has targeted him for whatever reason and must believe he can fill a void in our team. So until he proves me wrong, I'm with the Gaffer and class him as a good signing.

[Gartcosh Bear 124]

People should hold judgement until they see him playing in a Rangers jersey. The guy's not short of commitment or endeavour, has previous experience ofScottish football (albeit he's been away from Scotland for a few years) and he's a out and out Bluenose, so he'll give 110% IMO.

[wronglypenalised 14]

he's one of those types that if he was a spanish guy who'd had his experience in the wigan team we'd be a helluva lot more excited about his arrival, i've sais previously that i don't see why we are going for him, but now he's here he'll get my full support, just mind what we were saying about al hutton in september and what we are saying about him now, big lee could be the same!

[Cumbria_blue 51]

he's one of those types that if he was a spanish guy who'd had his experience in the wigan team we'd be a helluva lot more excited about his arrival, i've sais previously that i don't see why we are going for him, but now he's here he'll get my full support, just mind what we were saying about al hutton in september and what we are saying about him now, big lee could be the same!

Can't really disagree with that tbh

[Ayrshire_blue 0]

Sorry but no, another mediocre player who will not improve the squad one iota, people saying the trust Walters judgement really need to be more objective. Stale Stensaas, Dale Gordon, Boli anyone? too tired and sleepy to think of more!

There aint no manager out there who have not f*cked up on big signings.

What was wrong with Dale Gordon & I am sure Stensas was a Souness

signing.

Too tired & sleepy to think why any chunt would want to play for Rangers after

reading this shite.

[Davy 68]

Sorry but no, another mediocre player who will not improve the squad one iota, people saying the trust Walters judgement really need to be more objective. Stale Stensaas, Dale Gordon, Boli anyone? too tired and sleepy to think of more!

Obviously he's made mistakes in the past mate, everyone has.

Whilst I do question the signing of McCulloch, I trust Walter Smith.

[J_RFC87 761]

Walter and Ally were desperate to get him, they must have a good reason!

[californiadreamin52 339]

Having never seen him play and only going on what I can gather about his work rate etc could he be Walter`s new Stuart McCall? It should be noted I am not trying to make a comparison of the two players merely an observation

[BlueSuedeSambas 53,775]

Sorry but no, another mediocre player who will not improve the squad one iota, people saying the trust Walters judgement really need to be more objective. Stale Stensaas, Dale Gordon, Boli anyone? too tired and sleepy to think of more!

yeah such a mediocre player that he was considered one of, if not, Wigans most important player last year! A player who has not looked out of his depth in the Premiership for the past two seasons, a guy who has given guys like Terry, Carragher and Vidic a tough time.

People should look beyond the name IMO.

[polar bear 0]

Sorry but no, another mediocre player who will not improve the squad one iota, people saying the trust Walters judgement really need to be more objective. Stale Stensaas, Dale Gordon, Boli anyone? too tired and sleepy to think of more!

yeah such a mediocre player that he was considered one of, if not, Wigans most important player last year! A player who has not looked out of his depth in the Premiership for the past two seasons, a guy who has given guys like Terry, Carragher and Vidic a tough time.

People should look beyond the name IMO.

Agreed,but they will all be Lee McCulloch fans six months from now,and only a few will admit to being wrong,but hey! that's what being a Rangers fan on these

boards are all about now-a-days.

[Davy 68]

Sorry but no, another mediocre player who will not improve the squad one iota, people saying the trust Walters judgement really need to be more objective. Stale Stensaas, Dale Gordon, Boli anyone? too tired and sleepy to think of more!

yeah such a mediocre player that he was considered one of, if not, Wigans most important player last year! A player who has not looked out of his depth in the Premiership for the past two seasons, a guy who has given guys like Terry, Carragher and Vidic a tough time.

People should look beyond the name IMO.

Agreed,but they will all be Lee McCulloch fans six months from now,and only a few will admit to being wrong,but hey! that's what being a Rangers fan on these

boards are all about now-a-days.

I'll hold my hands up if I'm wrong about a player, no doubt about it.

[californiadreamin52 339]

True value

Billy Dodds believes the latest Ibrox recruit will bring striking qualities to the team

Sunday Herald

WALTER SMITH this week captured a player he has been after since taking up the reins at Ibrox again in January and, mark my words, I believe it will be a very shrewd signing indeed.

It has mystified me that the capture of Lee McCulloch has not been met with greater enthusiasm.

It seems there are those among the Rangers support and in parts of the press who have their doubts that he will justify the £2.25 million transfer fee. However, I see every indication that he will vindicate Walter Smith's perseverance in chasing his signature.

Smith is one of the most experienced managers around and is someone who who never panics over a signing. He has waited six months for McCulloch to be allowed to leave Wigan, which just shows that when he wants a player that he really believes will add significantly to his squad, he is prepared to wait until he becomes available rather than going and taking a gamble on someone else.

McCulloch may not end up being the kind of player who has sell-on value but he brings great versatility to the team.

If it helps bring the club success, either by winning the league or getting into the Champions League, a signing like that pays for itself.

Smith worked with McCulloch when he was Scotland manager so he knows exactly what he's getting.

He is a player who never hides on the park and has an incredible work rate. If Rangers are playing difficult matches and the manager opts to go with a 4-5-1 formation, he's the kind of player who can be relied on to get up and support the lone striker.

You can also play him up front where he's good in the air and can flick balls on, and he can hold up the ball, unlike, say, Kris Boyd. Added to that he will always chip in with goals. So in terms of his versatility there is nothing that suggests to me Smith is taking a gamble.

I see certain parallels with my own career in the sense that when I arrived at Rangers there had been speculation linking me with the club for a while and I was fairly experienced when I made the move.

Personally, if I had gone to Rangers at 24 or 25 it would have been a bigger step and maybe I wouldn't have been ready for it.

Being honest, you wouldn't have thought five or six years ago that Lee McCulloch would end up at Rangers, but a lot of Scottish players have gone down to England and failed.

He hasn't - he has been a success in the Premiership and he has become a better player and a more confident player.

When he moved to Wigan from Motherwell they were in Division Two in England but they quickly started moving up, so he knew then that he had to progress as a player to stay in the team and he managed that.

McCulloch has continually had to develop and progress and what Rangers fans will witness is the finished article. Any player going to any club has to win the fans over but Rangers are getting an established, versatile player who can score goals. I see him as the sort of guy who can be put in right on top of a full-back and cancel out that position.

I have always been impressed when I have watched him on the international stage. He is not the type of player who is going to beat a man and put a cross in because he doesn't have great pace, but what he does do very well is get up in support of the front man. He has a great engine and he covers a lot of ground.

So I am sure he will make Rangers a stronger side this season. Smith has to show that Rangers are at least closing the gap on Celtic. I'm not saying they are going to win the league this time around, but they are well capable of doing so if they achieve the right balance across the park.

What we have seen over the summer is Smith attempting to get dependable players back into the side. With many of Paul le Guen's signings Rangers were taking a gamble - it was a case of the supporters just hoping they would be decent, but too many turned out to disappoint.

I think Smith will still be looking to add to his squad before the start of the season. He has brought in the likes of Alan Gow, Kirk Broadfoot, Carlos Cuellar, Jean-Claude Darcheville, DaMarcus Beasley and McCulloch, and he might still get Steven Naismith from Kilmarnock.

Celtic have been adding quality to their ranks which they can afford to do because they had a good squad anyway, but for Smith it has been more a case of rebuilding.

Rangers have had to chase players and make sure they get the right ones. Smith has brought in a good mix so far - young Scottish players, some experience and hopefully a bit of quality in Cuellar and Darcheville.

Cuellar played against Rangers for Osasuna in the Uefa Cup and the manager knows Darcheville from his time in England, but if those players backfire or turn out not to be suited to the Scottish game, there is reliability in the side in the shape of the young Scottish players who know the league and the style of football to expect.

Looking to SPL season ahead, I think the league will be a lot tighter and Rangers will close the gap on Celtic. Smith is a manager who gets the best from his players and I expect things to be a lot more competitive.