New Bromley boss Karl Robinson has hailed Premier League ‘megastar’ Jermain Defoe as the ultimate professional following his abrupt departure from Woking.
Daily Mail Sport revealed on Tuesday that Defoe is in talks to join Robinson’s backroom staff at League Two strugglers Bromley after Andy Woodman’s dismissal last month.
And while his appointment has yet to be confirmed, Robinson jumped at the chance to wax lyrical about Defoe at his inauguration on Thursday.
Bromley sit bottom of League Two but their new boss believes Defoe’s meticulous attention to detail would help the players find another gear.
‘There’s been a lot of talk but there always is with names like Jermain Defoe, who is a megastar. He’s one of the greatest Premier League strikers of all time,’ Robinson said.
‘I have to raise and change the narrative of what this stands for,’ the new boss pointed to the Bromley badge on his jumper.
Jermain Defoe is in talks to join League One strugglers Bromley as Karl Robinson’s assistant
Former Salford City manager Robinson has hailed ‘megastar’ Defoe as the ultimate professional
‘I have to bring people in to make me the best version of myself. I spoke to people who know Jermain and played with him.
‘He was always first in. All the players who have played with him will tell you that. Steven Gerrard will tell you that.
‘He was first in and still in the training ground at 4pm – massages, recovery, gym, video analysis of the players he’s playing against.
‘I was speaking to him about something completely different the other day and we were talking about discipline and professionalism.
‘I said to him: “what do you do that for?”. He went: “If I do everything right Monday to Friday and I play poorly, I can accept it because I’ve done everything in the week to be the best version of myself.”
‘I’m listening and I’ve got goose pimples on my arm. Then I’m thinking, that’s probably why you’re Jermain Defoe, because he did everything he possibly could to maximise his talent.
Defoe has been out of work since walking away from National League side Woking after just four months at the helm amid a strained relationship with the club’s director of football.
The 44-year-old took charge of the final six games of last season and was expected to lead the club into the new campaign.
However, he failed to report for work on the eve of the season before contacting the club later that day to inform them he would not be returning.
The former England international and Tottenham Hotspur striker would add top-level experience to the dressing room, having scored 163 Premier League goals in 496 appearances – ranking 10th on the Premier League’s scoring charts.
Robinson spoke as though he idolised Defoe when quizzed on his potential appointment, highlighting his humility and relentlessness as key assets to succeed as a coach.
‘Failure isn’t falling short, it’s when you don’t maximise your talent. And I think some of the players here haven’t maximised their athletic, technical and tactical capabilities’, Robinson added.
‘For whatever reason, we need to find the key to what that is. I think someone like Jermain (would bring that) because he maximised everything he was and everything he is.
‘That’s almost the secret behind the genius of the top players. It’s their attention to detail, professionalism and discipline – he does that over and over again.
‘He’s tried to manage in non-league as well. That, in itself, is dropping your ego to learn.’
Although Bromley are still working on finalising Defoe’s appointment, he is expected to join Robinson in the dugout at Hayes Lane. The Ravens host Rotherham in the first round of the FA Cup this weekend as Robinson takes his first game in charge.
