Former Blue Jordan Rhodes says defender Tommy Smith should stay on loan at League One Brentford for the rest of the season. Rhodes, a close friend of Smith’s, spent time with the Bees last season before making his controversial move to Huddersfield in the summer.

Rhodes says a spell in the lower leagues with the likes of Brentford is preferable to playing reserves football: "Tommy hasn't really played much at Ipswich since dislocating his finger, and has not even been on the bench.

"It's his intention to come here and get some games under his belt. He's only 19, but wants to establish himself.

"Ideally my loan at Brentford would've been until the end of the season if it wasn't for my injury.

"My time at the club was vital to my development, and is much better to learn than playing in the reserves."

Smith, who is aiming to seal a place in the New Zealand World Cup squad, joined the Bees on an initial month’s loan last week and made his debut in Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Carlisle.

Meanwhile, former Town chairman David Sheepshanks will unveil the FA’s plans for a National Football Centre at Burton later today. Sheepshanks, still a board member at Town, is set to be named chairman of the project.

Elsewhere, Sheffield Wednesday have named ex-Town backroom man Andy Rhodes as their new keeper-coach, despite Peterborough having confirmed him for the same role at London Road as recently as Saturday. Rhodes senior recently left Preston North End in the wake of Alan Irvine's sacking. Irvine is now the manager at Wednesday.

Photo: Action Images

yarmoblue added 09:13 - Jan 19 sorry rhodes i didnt realise you were a agent/coach
0

Dolly2.0 added 09:31 - Jan 19 No he's a footballer who benefitted from a loan spell you dozy twonk
0

brockleyblueboy added 10:13 - Jan 19 Not being rude, but how did his Ipswich career benefit? He scored loads of goals in a lower division against lesser oppositon in a lesser team and low and behold he dropped down a division. I don't want to knock rhodes, I wish him all the best but I think Tommy should be listening to more influential players.
0

yarmoblue added 10:15 - Jan 19 i agree .
0

JayITFC added 10:46 - Jan 19 People are just annoyed we let Rhodes go and now he's banging them in for fun. Green with envy...
0

Dolly2.0 added 10:58 - Jan 19 It benefitted him because he's playing first team football and scoring regularly. The world doesn't revolve around Ipswich Town.
0

brockleyblueboy added 11:14 - Jan 19 Green with envy, how many games did he play for us? What league is he in? Get real folks I wish the lad well but I think we were right to sell him and get the money. The gulf from the championship is huge, just like it is from the Championship to the Premiership.2nd rate striker in a 2nd rate league. Sorry folks. PS "The world doesn't revolve around Ipswich Town" Well it does for me pal. If you don't feel that passionatley about Ipswich, sod off to Carrow road.

0

candyshop added 11:24 - Jan 19 ..the rest of the season will do him the world of good. Rhodes is 100% right. Same with Trotter, there is nothing better for young players than to be playing 1st team games every week. Also think Priskin was wrong to turn down month at Charlton, he desperately needs games!
0

superblueflude added 11:34 - Jan 19 Brockley - totally agree, the money we took and the add ons will prove in time that it was the right decision, look at lisbie - scoring goals for fun with Colchester but not in the Champ, I'm looking forward to Martin and Priskin returning to the team picture, look at Garvin and D Wright both left out then back with vengeance and playing better than ever before - for me Martin needs to toughen up and get fitter, hungrier and stronger - something I believe Keane is working on and the same with Priskin.

0

welshtractorboy added 11:49 - Jan 19 Superblueflude Good comments,agree with you Martin and Priskin playing in a more confident team will give the the confidence they both clearly lack
0

byebyesheepshanks added 12:01 - Jan 19 Are you sure Superblueflude? Lisbie is 31 & a proven flop at top level ( He scored very few in the prem barring a wonder goal against us) Rhodes is 18, scored for fun at all levels & when you can drop 1.7m on a carthorse like Priskin, should have been kept for a season or 2. Would we buy him now for 850k? We'd bite the terriers paws off!
0

Surco72 added 12:07 - Jan 19 I would have Rhodes and the money we spent on Priskin and Martin any day of the week . Priskin and Martin have both been found wanting in this league so maybe they should drop a league and see if they can prove they are not second rate players. How can people on here keep saying we should sign Beckford ,Holt,Martin ,Jackson and slag off Rhodes who is scoring in the same league just to defend Keanes decision to sell him,incredible . Keane has realised his bad signings by dropping them and even agreeing for Priskin to go out on loan in a lower league,so why dont some of you

0

itfc1981 added 12:20 - Jan 19 superblue fluid! look at lisbie scoring goals for fun at col u! rollocks!!! Rhodes and lisbe cannot be compared lisbie is crap! his record proves it. 17 goals at charlton in 10 years for god sake! you cant teach what rhodes has at 19 he's big great header of the ball, natural touch, vision, and of course finisher! you twonks will look bloody stupid when he's in the Prem! as will ITFC I am afriad for letting him go!

0

superblueflude added 12:27 - Jan 19 Surco - i am a Rhodes fan but im not the ipswich manager and neither is anyone one here - i provide me opinion one who would be good for the club etc as a fan, thats why I say thanks for the money and add ons - there must have been a reason for Keane getting rid, he wouldn't just say bye without having a reason. Yes I personally would have kept Rhodes for a couple of seasons and provided him with some games in the Champ but we can't do that now we have to look forward. ITFC1981 -ITS UEFA EVERYONE LOL At the end of the day football is a team game and for me we can miss Rhodes all we like or say if if if... the main thing is the team are getting better, stronger and so are the players Keane has bought in - barring a couple who I believe will get back into the fold.

0

superblueflude added 12:31 - Jan 19 And regarding Priskin - if he doesn't ever get back and he really does turn out to be a dud - how many times have we in our lives bought something that suddenly doesn't do what it said on the tin? and before you say £1.5 mill is a lot - it would have been 4 years ago but its a slice of the amount of transfer fund he had available.
0

brockleyblueboy added 12:32 - Jan 19 1 - Huddersfield will still be in league 1 next season 2 - Who in the Premiership would buy him? Unless he makes a move in the summer, he won't make it. He will be a good League 1 / Championship player but unless he is snapped up players like rhodes will simply find their level. Now like I keep saying I don't want to knock rhodes and I genuinely hope he makes it BUT you can't change the past, we need to look forward. Lets see how results go and see if his name is mentioned again. Good luck Jordon.

0

superblueflude added 12:35 - Jan 19 Anyways back to the post - i've heard some good reports on Tommy and his potential do fellow fans feel that we could have another Butcher on our hands?
0

byebyesheepshanks added 12:40 - Jan 19 If he's got the potential to be be a Terry Butcher, we'll probably sell him to Huddersfield & then go & buy another Mark Fish!
0

brockleyblueboy added 13:03 - Jan 19 Or you could see it this way, Roy Keane saw the likes of Beckham, Butt, Neville brothers, scholes, giggs and many more grow and develop at Manchester United. I reckon he has a fair idea of talent. Now, obviously all the professional managers that are on this site will disagree with me, but lets just see.
0

brendanh added 13:19 - Jan 19 Rhodes is right. Reserve football for Championship clubs is a joke since they segregated Prem clubs into their own league. The new setup hinders the progress of young talent, it just isn't competitive. So our kids are forced to go outside the famed Ipswich academy to a loan club for competitive football. It's far from ideal because few clubs have as good a coaching environment as us. It's bad for youth development in this country when historically excellent feeder clubs for the national team like Ipswich have to send promising kids out to unknown environments because we can't offer them competitive reserve team football. Many Prem teams ignore their youth setup and fill their reserves with wage-collectors. Meanwhile clubs like us who treat reserve football as an integral part of our academy and historically have had a strong, young reserve team are forced to play against non-league clubs. The FA need to fix this by bringing back the old reserve combination league. Rant over.

0

AJblue added 13:26 - Jan 19 Nice little "dig" brockleyblueboy,made me smile. How about looking at it all this way. Keane is turning it around,not even UEFA81 could argue with that,well maybe HE could, but you know what i mean! Ok we havent won the championship, let alone the premiership..yet, but things are looking better that they have for years, great performances,great atmospheres at PR, and e genuine excitement of what on earth is gonna happen next. Whether letting Rhodes go,and by that i mean getting with add ons etc close to a million pounds for an untried youngster, was a mistake or not, its a mistake, if it was one, that a seasones manager could have made. Lets not forget that Keane is a young,untried but exciting prospect as a manager. I truly beleive we should think ourselves lucky to have such a charasmatic lover of the game, prepared to take us with him on an ever increasing odyssey. If he makes mistakes along the way, so be it, lets get on with it and enjoy all the right moves, cos supporting ITFC at the moment is like riding one big-assed rollercoaster, it has its gut turning lows, but the highs more than make up for the lows. If Keane, not Rhodes thinks a loan is good for Smith at this present time, well then i am prepared to believe him, cos as brocleyblueboy so eloquently points out above..HE is the only professional manager at ITFC, and ultimately what he says goes, what we think, rightly or wrongly dont!

0

Surco72 added 13:43 - Jan 19 Brockleyblue as you say none of us are professional managers so who are you to say a 19 year old scoring goals regularly is a second rate player who will not make it unless he moves in the summer ? Or that Huddersfield will not get promoted ? And why do you go on about who in the premiership will buy him and the great players Keane played with ,we are a mid table Championship side not the most successful side in England for 10 years you cannot compare the two ,and if you think Keane is judging our players by Beckham,Giggs,etc he may aswell get rid of the whole team

0

legoman added 13:56 - Jan 19 Your correct Brendanh. The FA should realise that we cant loan out every promising talent otherwise we wouldnt be teaching them our ways. The combination league is as important as the league itself and adds that bit of extra competition and recognition for successful players and clubs.
0

brockleyblueboy added 13:57 - Jan 19 Surco, I included myself in that as well, that was the whole point. It was a tongue in cheek comment. I love this site so much and I just wanted to spice up the debate and get things going on a boring Tuesday. There is no news and therefore I thought I would throw a few things out there. Sorry if I caused any offence. BTW if he was to judge them on the Fergusons bubs, don't you think we would have a hell of a team, you never know we may get amazing 16 year olds coming through and playing in the first team, oh hang on... ;-)

0

Surco72 added 14:43 - Jan 19 Brockley certainly no offence taken and thankyou for the debate as you say it certainly passed my time today !! Exactly what the site is for, still think Rhodes will come back to haunt us sooner than later but we will see . And Injured totally agree with you about Keane and counting ourselves lucky he is with us ,strong willed young manager could be an all time great who will make mistakes but league position and signings are all he can be judged on and although things are turning around well ,our position is not great and his signings very so so £4 million on Edwards,Martin and Priskin who cannot get a game ? And i believe Huddersfield paid £250,000 for Rhodes rising if they get promotion ,sell on clauses for future ,and goals scored ,if this is the case he will be either going to a bigger club ,be in our league or scoring a lot of goals how much would it cost to sign him then a lot more than £1 million i fancy,look how much we are being quoted for Hulse or Adebola !!!

0

Blogs 298 bloggers

Ipswich Town Polls