Swansea have developed and stuck with Liam Cullen as a forward option since he signed professional terms almost seven years ago. With four age grade appearances from U17 to U21 he is now in line for a full cap this week - surely ?
Liam has played seventy one league games for the Swans with an eleven goal return, last season under Russell Martin he most certainly flourished having his best return in front of goal in his career. For a twenty four year old, seventy one games is nothing, and by that age you would expect a whole lot more.
Having been at the club since the age of eight Liam epitomises what it takes at times to be a success as a professional footballer. He has never been linked with off any off field issues despite being with Swansea born ‘celebrity’ Paige Thorn for around six months. That’s seems to still be the case today, as Liam who is very much settled in the area concentrates on his own football career.
Liam scored his first Swans goal in that crazy fixture away at Reading that secured a play off place under Steve Cooper, and since then has been in and around the first team squad.
It was Liam Cullen who kept the disorientated Morgan Whittaker out of the Swans starting eleven last season, scoring goals and training hard seemingly lost on some professional footballers. So much so Morgan asked not to play for the Swans as other clubs were in for him. That won’t help anyone’s cause, especially as the expectation is for these young players to make an extreme effort to be a part of a team ethic in a team sport. Joel Piroe was the other reason Morgan wasn’t getting games. Some failed to see those obvious reasons - choosing Morgan’s omission as another stick to beat the then Swans boss with.
The fact is now and was then - he wasn’t good enough, he wasn’t putting in the effort in training and he didn’t want to play for the Swans. What’s a manager got to do ? Ignore it ?
That behaviour and self agenda we haven’t seen from Liam Cullen, a diligent trainer, he has never fallen foul of the clubs guidelines on expectations of a professional footballer, he just got in with it. That hard work and effort has come to fruition, he has been a part of the last few Welsh squads, and surely come Wednesday evening Robert Page will want to have a look at him in a Wales shirt ? It’s the perfect fixture to do so. The Racecourse is a ten thousand sell out and Wales have opposition in Gibraltar who really are not in the home sides class at all. It is all looking good for Liam, the hard work is paying off, and now he is on the cusp of his first international cap.
Rob Page has selected Liam as a Wales age grade manager, and has included him on the bench in three of the last four internationals. In fact those three inclusions were qualification games for next years European Championships in Germany.
Now is the time for Liam - Surely ?