WHY ROOFE CAVED IN AT ANDERLECHT
TROUBLED GIANTS WERE WRONG CLUB AT WRONG TIME FOR IBROX STRIKER, SAYS BELGIAN ICON ALBERT
THE wrong team in the wrong league at the wrong time. With the added misfortune of injuries. When Philippe Albert reflects on Kemar Roofe’s season at Anderlecht, it is not done with any real criticism of the player. Just recognition of a situation that ultimately benefited neither Roofe nor a fallen giant of Belgian football.
Anderlecht are not what they were in the title-winning days of the mid-1990s, when Albert strode adventurously out from defence prior to joining Kevin Keegan’s Entertainers at Newcastle United. An air of crisis has settled over this proud institution.
Now an analyst on Belgian television, Albert felt a £3.5million move to Ibrox — and a return to British soil — was a perfect remedy to enable Roofe to flourish again.
He wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest to see the 27-year-old establish himself as a key component of Steven Gerrard’s Rangers team in the weeks ahead.
Roofe led the attack in the 2-0 win over Hamilton that preceded the international break. He may well do so again when Dundee United visit Ibrox tomorrow.
With Alfredo Morelos still the subject of transfer speculation and both Cedric Itten and Jermain Defoe edging towards full training after injuries, greater responsibility is likely to lie on the shoulders of the former Leeds United man as Rangers seek to maintain their unbeaten Premiership start.
It was Roofe’s excellent form at Elland Road that persuaded Anderlecht to shell out a fee in the region of £5m for his services in the summer of 2019.
Expectations were high. Signs of hope are sorely needed in Brussels after a sharp decline since 2017. An ankle issue delayed Roofe’s introduction, but five goals in his first seven appearances eventually went down as a positive start.
Anderlecht, though, remained a toiling force overall. Stuck in mid-table, Vincent Kompany stepped back from his role as player-coach. When Roofe then succumbed to a calf injury at the turn of the year, it ended his involvement in a disappointing campaign. Anderlecht were eighth — 27 points behind winners Club Brugge — when the 16-team Jupiler Pro League was halted by coronavirus in March.
Albert watched that curtailed season closely and felt some sympathy for Roofe, believing the environment simply didn’t suit.
‘It wasn’t easy for him because he came to a club that used to be the best in Belgium, but over the past four years it has been very difficult for them,’ he told Sportsmail. ‘They haven’t been champions. Other clubs are financially a lot better than them as well.
‘Even so, you could still see the qualities Roofe has. He is very quick and sharp, but probably needs some space to play his game.
‘The pressure was on him straight away because the fee was high. People around Anderlecht were expecting something very special. But that is football nowadays.
‘The fee paid doesn’t bring any guarantee any more. When Newcastle signed Alan Shearer for £15m, you knew you were getting 20 or 25 goals a season. It’s not like that these days. Really, I just think the British game suits Roofe more. We could see that from Leeds and hopefully now at Rangers. In Belgium, the level is not always good, but the teams are all very well organised tactically. The space isn’t there.
‘The injuries were a bad thing for him. When you are not able to help a club that’s in deep trouble, it becomes very complicated. With the virus as well, the league was finished at the start of March.
‘But I think he will enjoy himself at Rangers. As I said, the English and Scottish leagues are made for him.
‘He still managed to score a few goals in Belgium before being
injured, but he played alone in the attack. I think he is better with players closer to him.
‘If he plays alongside or behind a real No9, someone who can hold the ball and provide a focal point, I think he can be very effective and good.’
Itten or Morelos, if he stays, could potentially provide that foil, with Roofe having also been used in a deeper role in his initial Rangers appearances. Those options were thin on the ground at Anderlecht, but does Albert feel his old club might have been too quick to sell?
‘No, I think it was the right time for him to go,’ added the 53-year-old. ‘Firstly, because it had been difficult for him. And, secondly, because the young striker Landry Dimata is back from injury after 18 months. He has been called up by Roberto Martinez to the Belgium squad and is very good.
‘He’s only 23 with a lot of talent. There is also a teenager, Antoine Colassin, and the mentality of Vincent Kompany is always to try and bring through young players. That’s why Roofe was sold.’
Capped 41 times by Belgium, including appearances at two World Cups, Albert admits it pains him to see Anderlecht’s recent fall from prominence. Like Rangers, they are trying to haul themselves back towards past glories. As it stands, however, the chances of success appear higher in Glasgow than in Brussels.
‘Rangers have had it tougher than Anderlecht overall because they were relegated down the divisions, but the public have stayed with them all the time,’ said Albert.
‘At Anderlecht, it’s a bit different. It’s only really been the last four years or so, but it’s always sad to see big clubs I played for no longer being successful.
‘In the 90s, Newcastle could compete with Manchester United for the title. At Anderlecht, every second year they would be champions.
‘Now all these other clubs are better than Anderlecht and they have to work extremely hard. Financially, things are not good, either.
‘It used to be that Anderlecht could buy the best players from other teams in Belgium. Now they can’t spend two or three million euros for a player. Can you imagine that? The best club in Belgium?
‘They spent money on Roofe, but now the troubles are deeper. It’s really sad to see because we need clubs like Anderlecht to be at the top to give a better image of the Belgian league.
‘It’s the same in Scotland. If Rangers are not competitive, Celtic will always be champions. That’s not good for Scottish football.’