LEE McCULLOCH realised a boyhood ambition when he signed a four-year contract with Rangers on July 11 following his £2.25m move from Wigan Athletic.

Lifelong fan Lee was ecstatic to finally clinch the move he always wanted after nearly seven months of waiting.

Walter Smith had tried to bring McCulloch in January but Wigan wouldn't budge. However he finally got his man in the summer.

McCulloch said at the time: "I'm delighted to join such a massive club - a club with ambition and a club with tradition. I'm here to play for the badge.

"I have waited seven months for this to happen and it's great that it has finally happened. I had hoped I would get the move in January but Wigan wouldn't budge.

"I tried to kick up as much of a fuss as possible because all I wanted to do was come here but it wasn't to be.

"But that's all in the past now because the most important thing is that I have signed here now.

"It really is brilliant and undoubtedly one of the best days of my life. My Dad used to take me to Ibrox to watch the great standard of football and now I have the chance to play in front of the best fans in Europe in my opinion.

"Walter Smith and Ally McCoist were great with me during their period with Scotland and the fact they wanted to bring me here was fantastic."

McCulloch made a big impact in the early part of the new season, creating and scoring goals.

He set up two goals on day one of the SPL season at Inverness and then scored a vital header against FK Zeta in the qualifying phase of the Champions League.

He followed that up with a thumping header in a brilliant 3-0 victory over Lyon in France, but a series of niggling injuries caused a loss of form in the later part of the season.

McCulloch came through the ranks at Motherwell having played kids football with Rangers captain Barry Ferguson before Alex McLeish sold him to Wigan for £700,000 in February 2000.

Some saw the move as a backward step as Wigan were in League One at the time, but he learned his craft in England as Wigan came through to divisions to eventually land in the Premiership.

Since switching back north of the border McCulloch has added two medals to his name with appearances in the Scottish Cup and League Cup finals.

He has also been utilised in a number of positions by Walter Smith including turning out as a central defender for both the reserve side and the first team.

His versatility can be both a curse and a blessing as it allows him to fill a number of positions but at times has left him struggling to make any of them his own.

Continued injury problems in the 2008/09 season saw McCulloch's regular involvement with the first team again curtailed.

However he featured at Tannadice on the final day of the successful 2008/09 SPL campaign and returned to the starting line up as Rangers secured a double with a Scottish Cup win the following weekend.