Wigan's McCulloch a Premiership Star
Posted by liam_wafc in Lee McCulloh, Premiership, Wigan | 23 May 2006
Nearly five years ago, Wigan splashed out £1million on a Scottish striker from Motherwell with claims that he will fire us into the Championship (we were then a League 1 side). That player was Lee McCulloch, and after a very unsuccseful first season, were he not only failed to score consistently but also failed to perform at a decent level, Paul Jewell decided to make a change.
And that change, at first seemed crazy. Jewell's plan was to move McCulloch, an out and out striker and right footed, onto the left wing. He hasn't looked back since.
The meteoric transformation that Lee McCulloch has gone through during his time at Wigan is testemant to Paul
Jewells man management skills. Not only did he succesfully transform Lee Mac into a left sided midfielder, but in turn the Big Scotsman is now a key player in a Premiership team.
McCulloch has improved dramatically, not only has his goal scoring ratio been better since swapping to the left wing, he scored 15 goals in the Championship, but when he is absent from the team, we miss the aerial threat but also the balance he brings to the side.
His popularity with the fans has also gone through the roof, especially this season as he proved that he was more than capable of making the step up. His unorthodox style has also been a key aspect of our tremendous success, as many defenders fail to pick up the runs he makes from the left hand side.
The only problem with McCulloch is that he hasn't had a season with Wigan yet without picking up niggling injuries, that being down to his hard tackling persona and 100% attitude, something that Latics fans admire in him the most. For the majority of last season, it was the same midfield four who won us promotion to the Premiership (Teale, Kav, Bullard, McCulloch) and in my opinion he is the most important, as he adds abit of muscle to our otherwise weaker midfield
I've not even mentioned his goals either, a looping header against Manchester City and a 35 bullet shot against West Ham the pick of the bunch. 7 goals this season has seen him deservedly earn international recognition and along with fellow Latics player Gary Teale, he has cemented himself as a starter for Scotland.
If McCulloch continues to show the kind of progress us Latics fans have seen since his arrival, we can expect massive things from McCulloch next season.
Comments
MC CHULLOCH? You mean Mc Culloch.
Totally agree liam ;-)
