Wednesday, March 11, 2015

'He's one of the fastest thinking players in this division' - the view on Jordan Rhodes from a former club


Jordan Rhodes didn't fire Huddersfield Town to promotion single-handedly but did write his way into folklore with the Terriers.


The striker's record at the John Smith's Stadium was remarkable, smashing 73 goals in 108 games.


It's no wonder he's still held in high regard in Yorkshire despite moving on to Blackburn Rovers for £8m in 2012.


So what kind of striker could Boro be signing and does he possess the quality to fire Boro into the Premier League?


We spoke to Tom Marshall-Bailey from the Huddersfield Examiner who shed some light on the potent marksman:


Tom's view on Rhodes


I wouldn't go as far as saying Jordan Rhodes is a legend at Huddersfield but there's no doubt about how highly he's thought of in these parts.


The part he played in getting Huddersfield promoted was remarkable - 40 goals in one season.


Jordan Rhodes is a quality centre-forward who's proved his class at this level over and over again.


Can he step up a level and do it in the Premier League? You can't definitively say one way or another but his goal record so far in his career speaks for itself.


Jordan Rhodes during his time at Huddersfield


His finishing is the stand-out asset to his game but his movement is superb as well. He's not the quickest striker in the Championship but he's the quickest upstairs and he knows how to find himself a yard in the box.


He's been the main man throughout his career, he was at Huddersfield and he has been at Blackburn for the majority of the time - obviously that hasn't been the case this year.


And I think his confidence has probably taken a bit of a hit this year. It hasn't quite worked for him.


He's got 10 games left if he signs for Boro before the weekend and he is more than capable of getting a few crucial goals in that time. But I think he'll need to feel wanted again as much as anything.


If I was going to compare him to any of Boro's strikers it would probably be Patrick Bamford. He feet aren't quite as quick as Bamford's but he likes to play on the shoulder of the last defender, he knows where the goal is and he doesn't waste many chances.


I've been impressed with Boro this season and I think they'll go up with Norwich. I know that Derby were interested in Rhodes as well and if this deal does go through it will be as much of a blow to them as it is a boost to Boro.



No comments:

Post a Comment