3 days ago
Kemar Roofe couldn't take constant Rangers questions anymore as he reveals the story of woe fans don't know
The Jamaica international had been playing through the pain barrier for the Ibrox cause.
It got to the point where Kemar Roofe just couldn't take it any more.
The questions were constant and it was the same one over and over again.
'When will you be back fit?' That's all the Rangers fans - and staff - wanted to know.
It was his third season at the club, working firstly under Gio van Bronckhorst and then Michael Beale.
Previously, the striker had been Gers' top scorer in their 2021 title triumph.
The following year, he'd scored another 16 goals in 40 appearances - and helped them get to the Europa League Final in Seville.
But the truth is, the Jamaica international had been playing through the pain barrier for the Ibrox cause.
Roofe was taking injections and disguising injuries in a desperate bid to win silverware for the club.
Even in that Europa Final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, he was in AGONY while scoring Gers' fifth penalty in the shoot-out.
So it's no wonder the 2022/23 campaign was a miserable one when, at times, he couldn't even bear to watch games at Ibrox for fear of being bombarded with queries on his fitness.
He managed just six games for Rangers that year, scoring twice.
One of those goals was a vital winner against Aberdeen in the League Cup semi-final - only for Roofe to then damage his shoulder and spend more time on the sidelines.
Roofe endured tough times at Rangers through injury.
But he insists it was largely due to him putting his body on the line for the club - and says he has no regrets.
In the second part of Record Sport's exclusive interview with the former Rangers front-man, he said: 'That 2022/23 season was annoying.
'Because I had kept playing through injuries, I never had a period of time where I could just strip it back to basics.
'I didn't get the chance to go through all the steps and stages of rehab to get 100 percent fit.
'I was coming back sooner than I should have - just because I didn't want to miss any more games.
'I played games for Rangers when I had injury issues. And it was only a matter of time before my body couldn't take it any more.
'I got silly injuries. I came off the bench against Aberdeen in that semi-final to score the winner.
'But then I fell on my shoulder and tore the ligaments. How can you predict those things?
'I should have had an operation which would have been three or four months out.
'Instead, I just strapped it up, took injections and played with it. I was effectively playing with one shoulder.
'These little things have a knock-on effect on the rest of your body.
'The amount of times I got injured just to play and win - I sacrificed myself to win games and I'd never change that.
'If I took the correct time out, I wouldn't have achieved certain things or scored certain goals for Rangers.
'I wouldn't have made certain finals.
'When I eventually did it and had my hip operation, I hardly played any games.
'So it's a Catch 22. Do you take the time out and miss games or keep trying to go through it?
'It got to the point where I HAD to have surgery.
'Thankfully, my big strength is my mental strength and handling disappointments.
'I use it to fuel me. The only thing I hated and struggled with was when people kept asking me: 'When are you going to back'?
'That's when I started not going to Ibrox and I started just watching the games at home.
'I was trying to avoid people and those questions.'
That campaign might have gone better for Roofe if he hadn't been so determined to play in the Europa League Final a few months earlier.
He had scored the extra-time winner against Braga in the quarter-final that was vital in getting Rangers to Seville.
But an injury against Celtic in the Scottish Cup semi-final win at Hampden meant he was a major doubt.
Incredibly, Roofe made it on to the bench against Eintracht and was introduced late on.
He set up a golden chance for Ryan Kent to win it but the winger couldn't convert - then he stepped up in pain to score in the spot-kick defeat.
Roofe loved the European nights at Ibrox more than anything and he's still devastated he didn't get a winner's medal from that sensational run to the final.
He said: 'I was just returning from an LCL knee injury.
'I rushed back to make the final but every time I kicked the ball I was in agony.
'I didn't really train before Seville. I was in a lot of pain.
'My brain knew I was going to be sore before I received the ball. Even taking that penalty was painful.
'I scored but it meant nothing because we didn't win.
'That run in 2022 was special. For me personally, playing in Europe is just the best.
'It's a different feeling to anything else, especially at Ibrox.
'The atmosphere, the buzz, everything about those games - it's hard to explain.
'You can only understand it if you're actually on the pitch playing in it. I'll never forget it.
'We just kept going that year with the fans behind us.
'The only disappointment was getting to Seville, having a really good chance to win - but then losing it.
'We probably won't ever have that chance again.
'I'm just gutted that we couldn't take advantage.
'I was put on for the last few minutes but I felt if I'd been given more time, I could have had a bigger influence on the game.'
When Roofe was fit, he thrived in the big games.
His Rangers career had got off to a flying start with a league title win under Steven Gerrard - and an Old Firm brace in a 4-1 victory over Celtic at Ibrox.
Injuries curtailed him after that but he still relished derbies against Gers' bitter rivals.
And even after having played for the likes of Leeds United and Anderlecht, Roofe says no atmosphere comes close to an Old Firm.
He said: 'The Old Firm games were even more special than I thought they would be.
'They were just hectic, 100mph, you got no rest.
'There was football being played but it was just so quick and intense.
'Everyone has to be at it in those games. And the noise levels are incredible.
'I like watching games I've played when I get home to listen to what the commentators are saying.
'But I remember putting Sky on after one of the Celtic games and I couldn't hear what they were saying because the fans were so loud - even on TV.
'I've never experienced that before.
'The Old Firm games and European nights were the best atmospheres I've ever played in during my career.
'Leeds was good as well at Elland Road. But the extra 20,000 or so at Ibrox really makes a difference.
'The way I play football is that I'm all in. I was gripped by Rangers from minute one.
'I can never play half-hearted or not try to win every game.
'So for me, that atmosphere and the relationship with the Rangers fans was ideal for me. It was the perfect match.
'They took to me and I'm grateful for that. I think they appreciated the way I played and the effort I put in.'
Roofe's Rangers career ended a year ago with a seven-minute cameo from the bench in a game against Dundee last May.
It wasn't the trophy-laden farewell he wanted. But the 32-year-old says he's proud of what he achieved in Glasgow, winning all three domestic prizes.
Roofe said: 'I had four really good years at Rangers.
'I spent a bit of extra time applauding the fans at the end of my last game.
'I think they understand that I wish I could have played more games and scored more goals.
'I'd rather have said goodbye that way rather than a token gesture as a sub.
'But I take real pride in my time at Rangers. When people ask me about my career and what it was like at Ibrox - when I break it down, I won all three trophies in Scotland and got to a Europa Final.
'So I had a really good time there.'
