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KEMAR ROOFE INTERVIEW

‘Vincent Kompany put a ban on me shooting from outside the box – I heard his voice when I scored’

 

Steven Gerrard called Kemar Roofe’s Europa League wonder strike the best goal he’d ever seen, but the Rangers forward says it would not have pleased his former manager

 

Henry Winter, Chief Football Writer

Saturday October 31 2020, 12.00am, The Times

Football

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/vincent-kompany-put-a-ban-on-me-shooting-from-outside-the-box-i-heard-his-voice-in-my-head-when-i-scored-79rc6pfz0

 

“There’s a difference between a really good goal and a really meaningful goal,” Kemar Roofe says, coming up with a line to launch a thousand debates. The Rangers attacker appreciates the praise for his astonishing 54-yard strike against Standard Liège, but he is keen also to reflect deeply on what makes a good goal.

“The occasion plays a bigger part,” Roofe says. “I’d rather score a tap-in and win a trophy than score a wonder goal in a nothing game.”

His wonder goal — dribbling past three opponents before beating the goalkeeper from within his own half — certainly didn’t come in a “nothing” game. It carried style and significance. It had real meaning. It killed off Liège’s hopes of a late comeback, guaranteeing an important away win for Steven Gerrard’s Rangers in the Europa League.

Gerrard addressed his players afterwards, expanding on the goal. “In the dressing room in front of everybody he [Gerrard] made it clear that it’s not just about the goal, the more important bit for him was what I did before the goal,” Roofe says.

Everyone listened intently. Everyone instinctively listens to Gerrard. “He’s so good as a manager because he automatically gets the instant respect because of his career, his footballing ability,” Roofe says. He sat there, knowing Gerrard’s verdict carried even more weight because of moments such as the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul. Roofe was 12 at the time, tuning in from home in Walsall, marvelling at how Liverpool’s captain led the fightback from 3-0 down to win on penalties against AC Milan. “For one player to rescue a game and change a defeat to a win is unbelievable.”

So Gerrard’s words mattered deeply to him. “You don’t want to let him down,” Roofe says. “He knows what individuals can do and he demands it. If someone’s not running enough he’ll say, ‘Take the handbrake off and get into them.’ He expects a response. Not only does he demand a lot from us but he also praises us when we do something well.”

So there was praise, Gerrard hailing the goal as “genius”, but also an appreciation of what Roofe’s response meant to the team. Gerrard had sent on the 27-year-old to give Rangers an outlet. “The boys had put in so much work, it was 1-0 and we were under the cosh a bit,” Roofe says. “My job was to inject a bit of energy and relieve a bit of pressure.”

So when the ball got cleared, Roofe knew he had to keep possession, withstanding the three Liège players immediately on him. “A lot of it was controlled aggression and determination that ‘I’m not losing this ball here.’ ”

He shrugged off the challenges. It’s what he’s done throughout his career, on and off the field. He’s always taken inspiration from those who overcame obstacles. “I admire the likes of Muhammad Ali and Michael Jordan,” he says. “Those guys really are inspiring because it’s never a smooth path, there’s really bad times, but they always manage to get themselves over the hurdle and succeed.”

 

Roofe’s main role model is his father, Glendon. “He played but he couldn’t play at the heights I’m playing. His mum wanted him to go to church, do the house chores or do his schoolwork — ‘You need to get your education or get a job.’ Football was not [considered] a serious job so for him it was far more difficult to play than for me.”

So even more reason to seize this opportunity. “After every game the first person I message is him, just asking, ‘What could I have done better?’ He’d say, ‘Keep improving.’ ” That’s Roofe’s mantra: work hard, improve.

 

He started at West Bromwich Albion and was sent out on loan, aged 18, to Vikingur Reykjavik in Iceland. “It toughened me up mentally, living by myself,” he says. “I had to fight for everything. It was not pretty football, at times, not even enjoyable, but you couldn’t drop tools and give up. You just have to keep fighting through it.”

That fighting spirit was also forged through further loans at Northampton Town, Cheltenham Town and Colchester United before a successful spell at Oxford United led to a move to Leeds United.

The toughening-up process continued under Marcelo Bielsa, the Leeds manager, especially in the intense 11-v-11 final training game. “We ended up giving it the nickname ‘murderball’ because it just killed everybody, physically,” Roofe says. “It was very tiring, non-stop running.

“There were no fouls [given]. Everyone got kicked. Everyone gave it out, taking a yellow card for the team when you’re having to chase someone down and you clip them from behind, tactical fouls, just to stop the attack.”

 

That robustness allowed him to withstand the Liège challenges. He considered running down the clock, heading for the corner flag. “I did but then I realised I was still only at the halfway line. And I had about four players around me so at some point I was going to get caught.” So Roofe decided to shoot.

He’d already spotted Arnaud Bodart, the goalkeeper, off his line. “When I’m watching games or playing I always have a look at what the ’keepers are doing and nine times out of ten, the ’keeper’s never on his line and never, ever going to expect it, either. So as long as I got it on target it should really go in.”

It was a technique he’d tried before, including in Belgium, having spent a year at Anderlecht under the management of Vincent Kompany, who persuaded him to join from Leeds. Kompany tried to dissuade him from shooting from range. “Every season I try this, ask Vincent,” he says. “It got to the point where he was telling me, ‘You need to stop this now.’ He put a ban on any shots from outside the box.

“He always used to say, ‘The probabilities of scoring from long range are very low so there’s no point taking the shot.’ He would always say, ‘It’s one in 100 shots go in from that distance.’ ”

What about Manchester City v Leicester City in 2019, the game and goal that effectively sealed the title, and Sergio Agüero screaming, ‘Don’t shoot, Vinny.’

“That’s the ironic thing,” Roofe says. “Vincent would also say, ‘I’m telling you guys the probabilities of shooting from all these distances but, yes, I did take this shot, and it did go in and it won the league so it’s bit difficult for me to tell you this.’

“So when the shot was in the air all I could hear was Vincent’s voice in my head going ‘probabilities’. I did get a message from Vincent. He was laughing. He said I must have taken 99 attempts with him and that was my 100th shot and it’s gone in.”

 

Audacity ruled. It’s why Thierry Henry was Roofe’s favourite player growing up. His goals had meaning. So did Roofe’s. The shot inevitably infuriated the Liège players and the 3,139 supporters allowed into Stade de Sclessin. “Every touch I took I was getting booed by the fans because of Anderlecht. That’s extra fuel for me to annoy them, to prove them wrong, even more reason to celebrate. I ran from the halfway line to the goal. I got booked.”

After he listened to Gerrard, Roofe checked his phone to find a message from his dad. “He just said, ‘Top goal, excellent goal.’ He’s one of those people that it takes him a few days and four or five watches of the video, different angles to see different things in what I’ve done. One day he would be like, ‘Your technique to hold off the player was very good,’ the next day he might move on to the way I dribbled past players with my left foot, my right foot, then another day would be like, ‘The way you took your shot, the angle was why you were able to get it on target.’ He wasn’t just a fan, celebrating. He was breaking it down.”

 

Roofe is talking down the line from Glasgow and I ask him whether he felt the goal drew such a worldwide reaction because it provided a ray of sunshine amid the dark clouds of Covid. “I hadn’t thought of that but it does bring a smile to people’s faces.”

Because of the pandemic, Roofe was unable to complete the season at Anderlecht and has still to experience Ibrox at its most passionate.

“Everyone has told me about how incredible it is but fans aren’t allowed at the stadiums and we don’t really interact with the fans that much in public because we’re not allowed out.”

He knew how big Rangers were. “I knew straight away when I had the tour of the stadium and saw in the museum all the pictures, the trophies, medals. I got told there was one Old Firm clash . . . and it had 120,000 fans there, that is ridiculous.” It was a British record of 118,567 in 1939.

“I can’t wait to be playing at a full Ibrox, a sell-out every game. Imagine playing in front of 55,000, getting the three points, even scoring, that will be an unbelievable feeling. A lot of Premier League teams don’t get 55,000.” Imagine scoring from the halfway line. Roofe has and wants more magnificent, meaningful goals.

 

Roofe’s story so far

West Bromwich Albion (2011-2015)
Games 0 Goals 0

Vikingur Reykjavic (2011, loan)
Games 3 Goals 1

Northampton Town (2012, loan)
Games 7 Goals 0

Cheltenham Town (2013-2014, loan)
Games 9 Goals 1

Colchester United (2014, loan)
Games 3 Goals 0

Oxford United (2015 loan, 2015-2016)
Games 64 Goals 32

Leeds United (2016-2019)
Games 123 Goals 33

Anderlecht (2019-2020)
Games 16 Goals 7

Rangers (2020- )
Games 8 Goals 3

Career to date: Games 233 Goals 77