I’M HERE TO THE JOURNEY’S END
Roofe determined to help Rangers complete their recovery mission by stopping Celtic’s quest for history and bringing the title back to Ibrox
BREATHING life into fallen giants is an exhausting, often painful, pursuit. Kemar Roofe has learned that the hard way in the last few years of his career. Only this time, the 27-year-old is determined to make sure he sees the rehabilitation of Rangers right through to the bitter end by reclaiming their former status as champions of Scotland and a team known for performing at the very highest level of the European game.
Recapturing old glories is a subject Roofe is well versed in. For three seasons, he was entrusted with providing the goals required to help Leeds United achieve their dream of returning to the promised land of the English Premier League.
By the time they ended their 16-year absence from the top flight this summer, he had gone.
His own experience of getting so close to scaling that particular mountain is one of residing hurt and disappointment.
Last May, his 14 goals had propelled the Elland Road side to third in the Championship and into the play-offs. He then scored the winner in the first leg of the semi-final against
Derby away from home only to see a calf problem scupper his hopes of playing in the return, which ended in a 4-3 aggregate defeat.
The Anderlecht side he went on to join were another club feeling the weight of history bear down on fragile shoulders. Past winners of the UEFA Cup and Cup Winners’ Cup in addition to boasting a record 34 Belgian titles, they had just finished sixth in the Jupiler League and brought back prodigal son Vincent Kompany as player-manager.
To say it worked out badly is an understatement. Following the worst start to a season in over 20 years, Kompany stepped down as head coach to focus on his on-field duties. Another club legend
in Franky
Vercauteren was brought in during October to try to steady the ship.
Roofe, his ankle damaged in a pre-season friendly, had been injured pretty much until that point. Anderlecht ended up finishing eighth.
With a respectable seven goals to show for the 16 games he did play, Roofe had been out of action again for an extended period by the time lockdown put paid to the campaign.
In truth, it seems everyone felt open to the approaches of Rangers when they appeared with an estimated £3.5million offer. Roofe knows he has jumped out of the fire
and into the frying pan with Celtic going for 10 in a row and the Ibrox side yearning to end a near 10-year wait for a major trophy.
However, it is a challenge he is eager to take on and an objective he is desperate to fulfil after growing to understand the particular pressures of operating at big clubs with big ambitions and an often suffocating expectation to return to where they believe they belong.
Asked if he is eager to see through the journey Rangers are currently on after jumping ship from Leeds and Anderlecht, Roofe replied: ‘Yeah, of course. I’m playing football because I want to win games, be successful and get better.
‘Every club is always on a journey. There can only be one winner in all divisions.
‘For anyone who doesn’t win, they’ll be disappointed and want to keep improving and I am part of that.
‘I’ve been fortunate enough to play for Leeds and Anderlecht, who are massive in Belgium. ‘I have had good experiences of big clubs where I have had to understand the culture and what it means to the area and to the fans. As soon as you understand what it means to the supporters and earn their respect, that’s huge.
‘I know how big Rangers are because I grew up in England watching football as a kid.
‘It’s not common if you don’t know who Celtic or Rangers are — even if you don’t watch Scottish football. Everyone knows who these clubs are, so I know it’s massive.
‘I also know players I have played with who are from Scotland or have played with Rangers or Celtic. They’ve told me a lot about it.
‘The attraction of coming here was a bit of everything for me. There is not one thing I can put my finger
‘I KNOW THAT IF YOU’RE SECOND, YOU’RE NOWHERE IN GLASGOW. THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE WINNER’
on. It’s the opportunity, the players, the fanbase, the history of the club — everything.’
Roofe is already up to speed on what the need to stop Celtic creating history with that 10th successive title means. He insists, though, that he sees no worth in getting too hung up about the unique pressures likely to unfold as this season progresses.
‘It’s all about Rangers and what we do,’ he said. ‘How we prepare for games and us trying to win as many games as possible. I never focus on anything else that I can’t control.
‘I know that if you’re second, you’re nowhere in Glasgow. But that’s the case everywhere.
‘It was the same at Leeds for me and in Belgium with Anderlecht. At Anderlecht, if you don’t win in style, it means nothing. Every club has a way of seeing things.’
The opportunity to work under a former England captain in Steven Gerrard also holds particular appeal for Roofe. He has spoken in the past about how the influence of maverick Argentine Marcelo Bielsa during his last year at Elland Road changed his entire outlook on football thanks to his ruthless ‘murderball’ training sessions and his tactical acumen.
The Walsall-born forward wants to soak in the experience Gerrard has in the game. Wants to grow as a player under his tutelage. And wants to repay him for a real show of faith in his ability.
‘What he said to me was simple. He wants me to play my normal game,’ said Roofe. ‘He wants me to help the team win. It’s pretty straightforward.
‘I need to do what I’ve been doing to get myself here and I can’t wait to start.
‘When I retire, I’ll have not a bad CV having worked with guys such as Bielsa, Kompany and Gerrard.
‘They’re massive names. Gerrard and Kompany were top, top players in their day, who are now transitioning into being managers.
‘Bielsa is a well known top manager, so working with these people can only benefit me.’
Of course, Roofe’s name was mentioned last summer before his move to Belgium materialised. He claims he knew little about it. Whatever the reality, it is not something he sees worth in revisiting.
‘Players are always the last to know about links to clubs,’ he said. ‘That’s what agents and directors of the clubs are there for — for them to talk and leave us players out of it to concentrate on the football.
‘I don’t know what happened a year ago with Rangers. That’s in the past. I’m here now.’