x

Royle: Rhodes Not Just About Goals - Ipswich Town News

Former Town boss Joe Royle says there’s more to former Town striker Jordan Rhodes’s game than just his remarkable goalscoring ability.

Royle paid Barnsley £5,000 for Rhodes, then 15, in March 2005 after his father Andy had joined his staff as goalkeeping-coach.

But the striker went on to make just 10 sub appearances and score one goal - pictured above against Cardiff at Portman Road in April 2008 - for the Town first team before being controversially sold to Huddersfield by then-manager Roy Keane in the summer of 2009 for a fee which, after top-ups and a sell-on following his £8 million move to Rovers in August 2012, climbed to just over £1 million.

The Scotland international frontman netted 87 goals in 129 starts and 19 appearances from the bench in all competitions for the Terriers and has scored 79 goals in 141 starts and 10 sub appearances for Blackburn.

This season he has notched five goals, all in the last four games, but Royle says the 25-year-old isn’t only about goals.

"I took his father, Andy, on as a goalkeeping coach and he mentioned his son was in the Barnsley Academy and would he be able to come down for a trial game,” Royle told the Lancashire Telegraph.

"After 20 minutes of the game, I said, ‘Yes, we’ll take him’. And as soon as he came to Ipswich he started scoring — and he’s never stopped since.

"Funnily enough I was chatting to John Aldridge a couple of months ago about strikers and he said that there was only one similar to himself, and I smiled and said straight away, ‘It’s Jordan’.

"If the ball comes off the post, off the goalkeeper, flashes across the box, he’s there. He’s also very clever in his movement. You find that when strikers score a lot of goals in the Championship it’s mostly because they’re big or because they are very quick. Jordan is quite different in that he’s clever.

"His movement in the box is up there with the best. He’s not slow either, by the way, he’s quicker than people realise. And while sometimes he may not head the ball as well outside of the box, if there’s a chance of a goal, he heads the ball very well.

"While I haven’t checked statistically, his goal record over the past five or six years must be up there with the best in the country.

"He’s also a lovely, dedicated kid, who lives the life of an athlete, and the only mystery is that no one has taken a punt on him yet from the top flight.

"I rather suspect it’s because Blackburn paid so much for him; it’s almost put golden handcuffs on him.

"But you do hear this silly thing, which always makes me smile, and which I don’t get too involved in when I hear it, but all he does is score goals.”

Former Kesgrave High School pupil Rhodes, who has said he’s a Town fan and is still close friends with Tommy Smith, one of the men charged with marking him at Ewood Park on Saturday, has a good record against the Blues, having netted four goals in his five games against them.

"Traditionally he scores against them — but then again, he scores against most clubs. It’s not personal, it’s what he does,” added Royle.

What to read next:

Young Watches Son as U21s Beat Needham
Former England star and apparent Town target Ashley Young watched his son Tyler feature as a trialist for Town's U21s on Tuesday evening as they beat 10-man Needham Market 2-1 at Bloomfields in a pre-season friendly.
Young Watching Town U21s at Needham
Veteran former England international Ashley Young is watching Town’s U21s in friendly action at Needham Market with his son Tyler on trial with John McGreal’s squad.
Blues Beaten By Hammers in Behind Closed Doors Friendlies
Town played two 60-minute behind-closed-doors friendlies with West Ham United at their Rush Green training ground this afternoon.
Halajko New Director of Football Operations, Chenery Appointed Academy Manager
Dmitri Halajko, previously Town’s academy director, has been appointed the new director of football operations, TWTD having revealed Gary Probert’s departure for a job at Liverpool a fortnight ago, while Ben Chenery has been named academy manager.
Town Women Sign Striker Dean
Ipswich Town Women have signed striker Rianna Dean following her Southampton exit at the end of last season.
Chaplin: Opener at Birmingham One to Look Forward To
Ipswich Town’s season opener against Birmingham City is a clash that the whole squad are looking forward to, according to forward Conor Chaplin.
Fourteen Sign Contracts Ahead of WSL2 Campaign
Town have confirmed that 14 players have signed new contracts with the women’s side for the WSL2 season ahead.
U21s in Action at Needham
Town’s U21s are in friendly action against Southern League Premier Division Central side Needham Market at Bloomfields this evening (KO 7.45pm).
Town Women to Host Villa U21s in Friendly
Ipswich Town Women will play a friendly against WSL side Aston Villa’s U21s at the Martello Ground in Felixstowe on Sunday 17th August (KO 2pm).
Town Yet to Open Young Talks
TWTD understands Town are yet to open talks with veteran former England international Ashley Young, but there is interest.