HITTING THE ROOFE

Clement wouldn't play me because he knew I was leaving at end of the season | He left me out of Cup Final when I could have helped like I did in Betis | Bosses need to understand players but Belgian didn't know me at all

- BY SCOTT MCDERMOTT

FOUR managers in four years. That wasn't the scenario Kemar Roofe envisaged when he got the call from Steven Gerrard to join Rangers in 2020.

But that's how it panned out. After Gerrard's title win, Giovanni van Bronckhorst was next in the hotseat.

Despite getting to a European final, the Dutchman was replaced by Michael Beale. And finally, Roofe's final season was under Philippe Clement, who is now also out of a job.

Roofe who joined Derby last season after eight months out of the game won every trophy in Scotland during his time at Rangers and is proud of what he achieved.

But there is also a nagging feeling of what might have been, especially if Gerrard hadn't left for Aston Villa.

Roofe also believes the club was wrong to get rid of Beale. And for the first time, he's spoken about how he was treated by Clement and the heartache at being left out of the 2024 Scottish Cup Final by him.

In part one of an exclusive interview with Record Sport, the former Rangers striker discussed his ex-gaffers and why he expects Russell Martin to succeed with the backing of the San Francisco 49ers.

Roofe loved his time at Ibrox but it ended on a sour note when Clement was in charge, after he was left in the stands at Hampden for that vital Old Firm clash.

Roofe said: "How was Clement with me? Yeah, interesting.

It was difficult. He simply stopped wanting to use me because I wasn't going to be there the following season.

"I understood that he wanted to work with players he was going to work with. But not to the detriment of winning games for Rangers.

"Even if I wasn't going to be there the following year, I was still going to give 100 per cent during my time.