Exclusive:'I tried to go back': Ex-Rangers star reveals Ibrox wish and names missing dressing room ingredient

The former Ibrox hitman was part of the last Rangers squad to taste Scottish Premiership success in 2021, playing a pivotal role as the club won the title without losing a single game, before departing for Sunderland in 2022 and retiring shortly afterwards. The country’s strongest team during Defoe’s final 12 months at the club, things have changed since his departure.

Already six points behind Celtic and without a single win in their first four league games, Defoe believes the current crop of Rangers players are missing something which they had in abundance during his time at the club, and he believes it is one of the key reasons they have been starved of league success in recent years.

“When you talk about recruitment, I felt like at the time [under Steven Gerrard], the club recruited well,” said Defoe. “Steven was clever the way he did it. It was a good mix. You had the younger players. You had the boys who were Rangers fans, those who understood what it took to play for that football club.

“Then he brought in the likes of myself and Davo [Steven Davis], obviously Greegsy [Allan McGregor]. I remember speaking to Stevie over the summer and asking who we needed to get in? I phoned Joe Aribo and told him he needs to come. We thought who's the young talent out there that can come in and bring a little bit of quality? Then he went and got Glen Kamara. I just felt like there was a good mix with the senior players, the players that were there, and some young players.

“We had a really tight group, really close, and we just had that belief that we could just win every game. We managed the changing room, so Stevie didn't even have to do that. You had the players that have been there already, that had won loads of league titles there, plus the senior boys had come in. We made sure the standards were just kept every single day when we trained.

“Rangers are missing that. When I look at the team and the squad, I just feel like you're missing those characters. Obviously, Tav’s [James Tavernier] there, and he will do that. But you need more than one. You need at least five or six in a leadership group that will manage the changing room. Because it can become a difficult place if you're not winning games. I tried to go back in the summer. I’ve done all my coaching badges, and I’d love to be in the club in some capacity. I understand what it’s like, I’ve won a league title there - it’s just one, but I get it.”

While he revelled in the pressure, Defoe admits that Rangers can be a demanding place to play football. However, the former England international called on the current crop of players to embrace it themselves, and enjoy the fact that football is the heartbeat of Glasgow as a city.

“It's more than a football club,” said Defoe. “The standards, the mindset, and what it took to play for that football club. The love that I received from people, not just internally, but the love that I received from the fans, even before I had even kicked the ball, I was just blown away by it. I’ve still got a lot of friends at the football club.

“You see people at the football club who've been there for 30 years. There's a lady called Jean who has worked in the canteen for 30 years. Jimmy Bell, these people who know what the club's about. The standards that you have to live by. I'm the boy from the east end of London, the other end of the country, going to Scotland to get that sort of love. It was just so special. I still go there now and watch the team.

“If I walked around central London, you wouldn't really see anyone with their colours on, only on a match day. But everywhere you walk on a normal day, you get people with Rangers shirts on or Celtic shirts on. Football means so much to these people up there. I'll just never forget those celebrations that day when we won the league. Just like, wow.”

Jermain spoke to The Scotsman as the ex-England star unveiled the new EFL ‘Red Boot’ to be awarded to the top scorer across all three tiers of the English Football League (EFL) during the 2025-2026 season. Sky Bet and the BHF launch the second year of their ‘Every Minute Matters’ campaign with a new ambition to help create an army of 500,000 CPR lifesavers – and raise vital funds for the charity’s work.

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