[Archived] Rhodes To Boro

[onlyonejackwalker]

Aye. He's the most terrible £9m-£13m player that ever left a relegation battling club for a promotion chasing one. Imagine what we could have got for him if he had actually been able to play football. The joke is clearly on Rhodes/Boro.

Come on Stu now. You've also been consistent all along in your tremendous support of Rhodes. I know you are fed up!

However, what don't you understand about he doesn't want to be here? He wanted to leave same time as Rudy and Cairney lest you forget. Don't blame him really. What's the point keeping an unhappy player?

Regardless, our manager doesn't want him here. Have you fully considered why, without flippantly saying cash?

It's a basic requirement in football to be able to run. Preferably quickly for long periods of time. Rhodes is a poor runner at the level we operate. It's not problematic over 5/6 yards in and around the box as speed of thought is as important as speed of feet. Outside the box 5/6 yards becomes 15/16 yards and then he struggles to contribute.

In the face of a lot of criticism a few of us, over 2 or 3 seasons, have pointed out the deleterious impact a player like Rhodes can have on a teams overall performance. A well informed poster like yourself will understand all this.

It's not about boosting Jordans value. It's about getting our team playing better. As a former centre midfielder it is vital to have some pace up top or out wide to hit. It's no good a striker always coming short and having to inch your way up the pitch crab like.

Looking forward to a much more balanced team under Lambert. Looking forward to an effective team unit. Looking forward to some pace upfront.

Baby lining centre forwards are for the schoolyard. We've a big job ahead and can't afford the luxury just now.

Meanwhile we've been 18th/17th all season. You'll argue we are nailed on to sink lower after losing the best thing since sliced bread. I beg to differ.

Should the team now do better without Rhodes it will act as a useful reminder to many that there is no I or U in TEAM.

[Tom]

Paul I know what you mean, hopefully Watt can be a bargain basement Aldi version of Bellamy.

Now that was a player that excited you when he picked the ball up in the opposition half.

[Stuart]

oojw, ironically many of those glad to see the back of Rhodes (apart from opposition defenders) would like to see Gestede back. Yet he kicked off to get his move.

Rhodes on the other hand had speculation every window, and apart from in the Summer, kept his head down and got in with the job at hand. A consummate professional I'd say.

I don't blame him for wanting to leave. The lad is ambitious and wants to play in the PL and probably prove a lot of people wrong. He could have gone during any of the last three Windows given our trajectory - especially the decision to persist with Bowyer.

My real beef is the timing. The penultimate day of the window - assuming he signs today means we have very little time to use the money wisely. It appears that Watt is seen as the replacement to work alongside Graham but potentially neither could be at the club next season. If he had to go, it should have been at the start of this window or not until the Summer. That said, I'm prepared to give Lambert the benefit of the doubt, just not people trying to rewrite history.

[Paul]

Paul I know what you mean, hopefully Watt can be a bargain basement Aldi version of Bellamy.

Now that was a player that excited you when he picked the ball up in the opposition half.

Absolutely Tom. I hesitated to mention either him or Speedie for want of people saying these are unrealistic comparisons.

I was 100% against Bellamy's signing, mainly based on his press reputation. I think it took just a couple of games to convince me I was totally wrong. I also found out during the season that while some of his reputation may have been deserved there are aspects of his character and private life which are/were very different from the tabloid headlines

When Craig Bellamy got the ball you just knew something would happen. Fantastic footballer

[Stuart]

If he could he'd never have been at a relegation threatened championship club. He would now be in the premiership with another club or he'd had scored an extra 10 goals a season and fired Rovers up.

Its time to admit we paid over the odds but Boro are in a different position, they are buying someone who can poach them a goal to change things to guarantee a strong team promotion. They have players who play in a unit. We are looking for a forward who we can play off, who bring others into play. Rhodes can not do that.

Rovers game plan was that Rhodes' goals covered up the inabilities of the squad. This season has shown that more than ever. Boro are signing someone who compliments their squad who can change draws into wins.

I don't think anyone has every said that we didn't pay over the odds (at the time) but somehow, despite that fact, and him being a terrible player with so many weaknesses who "hasn't developed at Rovers" (despite going from League One goal machine to Championship goal machine)...

...we've still made a profit.

[JBiz]

...we've still made a profit.

Technically.. We've not. 3.5 years x 35k a week + what we've paid is well over 10m.

There is no doubt that we needed to invest some of that across the team. I also think the pressure or reliance on him will see us score more goals as a team.

[Stuart]

Technically.. We've not. 3.5 years x 35k a week + what we've paid is well over 10m.

There is no doubt that we needed to invest some of that across the team. I also think the pressure or reliance on him will see us score more goals as a team.

I guess if you make the assumption that all professional footballers (particularly goalscorers) should play for free then you might have a point.

[magicalmortensleftpeg]

To me the biggest evidence to show why Rhodes won't make it at the highest level is that he never gets selected for his national team, a prem club has not stumped up the cash for him and in our biggest games (Liverpool away last season for example), Rhodes was benched in favour of Gestede.

When push comes to shove, he's not the player we need right now. If our defence was solid and our midfield could provide decent service, then Rhodes would be the final piece of the jigsaw. That is not the case. We desperately need strikers who can create opportunities for themselves and bring others into play.

Forget attitude or professionalism, Id take Gestede over Rhodes any day. If I supported a rival Championship club I wouldnt be too thrilled if they spent £13m on Jordan Rhodes.

[jim mk2]

Technically.. We've not. 3.5 years x 35k a week + what we've paid is well over 10m.

There is no doubt that we needed to invest some of that across the team. I also think the pressure or reliance on him will see us score more goals as a team.

Allowing for inflation, we've probably made a small profit. We certainly paid more for him than he was worth at the time, and should have accepted Hull and Boro's earlier bids which again were far more than he's worth.

I don't see how anyone could say Rhodes was an "exciting" player given he had no pace and couldn't beat a player. I didn't want him to leave but hope we'll be a better team without him. Yesterday was a good start.

[JBiz]

Not at all - I meant that we had one player on more than 2m a season and the rest on at most half that. We sold him for a profit in fee but the in the long run he's cost us a bit! Money well spent like but we needed more of his ilk and class round him. For example if we'd spent the 2m a season on a manager when we went down - ie a proper one, I think we'd be back up by now.

If we invest the money- I can see us having a better player in 3/4 positions as opposed to 1 talisman.

We can only guess what will happen - but I personally trust PLs judgement despite a shaky start and average signings so far. Especially considering his interview and our performance yesterday.

I admit this would've been less hassle earlier in window, and it's not nice to lose goal scorers - alas the club will go one.

[Stuart]

I don't see how anyone could say Rhodes was an "exciting" player given he had no pace and couldn't beat a player. I didn't want him to leave but hope we'll be a better team without him. Yesterday was a good start.

Don't goals excite you, Jim?

[jim mk2]

Of course they do, but that doesn't mean the player is exciting. You really need to leave it with your poster boy - he's gone.

Let's see how he does at Boro and perhaps in the Premier League. I think he'll flop but I might be wrong.

[Riverside67]

Not sure he will flop because Boro have far better creativity to supply him.

Agree he will not do well if they play him as a lone striker though. He plainly cannot do that role.

[jim mk2]

The defenders are so much better in the top league. Plus he doesn't have the pace - the prime requisite at the elite level. For his sake I hope he's a big success and at 25, he hasn't yet reached his peak but there's a reason someone with his goalscoring record hasn't earned a big move before now.

[dingles staying down 4ever]

To me the biggest evidence to show why Rhodes won't make it at the highest level is that he never gets selected for his national team, a prem club has not stumped up the cash for him and in our biggest games (Liverpool away last season for example), Rhodes was benched in favour of Gestede.

When push comes to shove, he's not the player we need right now. If our defence was solid and our midfield could provide decent service, then Rhodes would be the final piece of the jigsaw. That is not the case. We desperately need strikers who can create opportunities for themselves and bring others into play.

Forget attitude or professionalism, Id take Gestede over Rhodes any day. If I supported a rival Championship club I wouldnt be too thrilled if they spent £13m on Jordan Rhodes.

To defend Rhodes a little, I suspect in the cup games Rovers have gone in the aim of preventing City and Liverpool from scoring rather than scoring ourselves. Playing Gestede and King up front was to prevent the defenders from joining the attackers. Lump the ball forward either for Gestede to hold up the ball or King to run behind. Both these options have sadly been lacking this season but Rhodes has been asked to do both at times. Neither is his game.

[Dean]

We'll be much better without him. Graham scored 24 goals in his last full Championship season, and 1 in 3 during has last extended run with Middlesbrough. Watt is an exciting talent as well. No need to panic.

Guessing the major rebuilding will wait until the summer. Obviously most of that is in midfield - a goal scoring wide player and a ball playing midfielder as an absolute minimum.

I'd much rather we had a system designed to have multiple goalscoring threats, rather than building a team to suit one man, which is really the only way Rhodes can play. Good luck to Boro and Rhodes pulling it off, they'll be trying to succeed where both Rovers and Scotland have failed.

[Riverside67]

The outlet ball forward this season either from midfield or over the top has been pointless.

The lack of pace is so dire there is no one to make that option viable and so we would just lose possession.

Hence we have been one paced and predictable for defenders. They have rarely been forced to turn under pressure from us at all.

We have had to rely on set plays, pens ricochets and own goals this season.

That plainly will not keep us up.

[oldjamfan1]

Leaving aside all the well worn arguments on here about Rhodes, an 8 million transfer fee and a reported 40 - 50k per week for a bloke who takes penalties bloody well should guarantee you a goal every other game in the second tier of English football. That isn't a criticism of Rhodes, but it is the minimum I would expect given such an outlay. However, because of a general lack of other funds/FFP, it became such a lop sided arrangement that it was to the detriment of the rest of the team. Good luck to the lad, but let's move on shall we? Any arguments about Jordan are academic now, until we see how we get on in the new era, and despite it being lower league opposition, it could hardly have started better, so far so good.

[Darwen Rover 007]

Let's be honest the Rhodes move suits all parties; we get a decent fee for someone that doesn't work for the way the new manager wants to work and Boro get the missing link from their team.. To gain them promotion...

Good luck to the lad he's an outstanding professional can only wish him well in whatever he does...

Some have mentioned a return of Rudy and although im a HUGE fan of his my main concern is he's not right for our team... Would prefer fluid fast players up front to an exceptional header of the ball... The problem with Rudy is he's that good in the air it becomes our default option...

Finally well done to Venkys for appointing PL and then backing him properly... Maybe just maybe they are learning...

[dingles staying down 4ever]

Can I just point out........Rhodes is still a Rovers player..........just about.

Those suggesting Gestede........Never go back

[windymiller7]

just glad he the poor lad wasn't around when Shearer left..

Even I shed a tear that day!

[tomphil]

I'd suggest the team will prosper mainly because Rhodes off the wage bill spreads the money around for better reinforcements than some players we already have. That already appears to be happening so for me it was the finance thing holding the development of the team back more than it just being having Rhodes in it.

There'll be many times in the coming months were people utter Rhodes would have got on the end of that in the box when we are playing better football with our stronger side.

Anyway I'm done with the subject of him now as sadly he's now the enemy and come the Boro away game if he plays he'll do what needs to be done for sure. No doubt he'll then get the treatment we are so famous for on his next return to Ewood which will probably be in the cup next season as these things tend to happen.

[oldjamfan1]

Anyway I'm done with the subject of him now as sadly he's now the enemy and come the Boro away game if he plays he'll do what needs to be done for sure. No doubt he'll then get the treatment we are so famous for on his next return to Ewood which will probably be in the cup next season as these things tend to happen.

Why won't he be playing in the rearranged league game at Ewood against them coming up?

[tomphil]

Why won't he be playing in the rearranged league game at Ewood against them coming up?

Hell I'd forgot about that one, tin hat for Jordan so soon and boo boys at the ready it is then.

[Jimmy612]

Forgive me if posted already. Just thought I'd share

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/rovers/news/14242494.VIDEO__Watch_moment_adorable_young_Blackburn_Rovers_fan_breaks_down_in_tears_after_hearing_Jordan_Rhodes_news___/?ref=mac

Really hope the kid gets to cheer a new hero!

Why do I have a mental image that that scene which will have been recreated in Abbey's lounge and Revidge Blue's too?

Still it's Lesson No1 in following the Rovers that we have all sat through at some time or other. Best I can say is that it's character building.

I must say after seeing strikers of the calibre of Shearer, Sutton, Cole, Jansen, Santa Cruz, Bellamy, BennyMac etc go through Ewood's revolving door this is very small beer in comparison.