Jordan Rhodes lifts lid on return to form and why retiring is not on his radar
After not playing in each of Huddersfield's first three Championship matches this season, Jordan Rhodes' career was firmly at a standstill.
The 33-year-old, who re-joined the Terriers following his release from Sheffield Wednesday in 2021, had seen his game time dramatically reduce under Neil Warnock. In fact, Rhodes featured in only four of Huddersfield's final 16 league matches last season and it was a similar fate at the start of this term.
This saw Rhodes eventually seek a move away from the John Smith's Stadium, with League One outfit Blackpool securing his services in late August on loan for the remainder of the campaign. The experienced marksman has hit the ground running in Lancashire, grabbing 10 goals in his first 14 appearances.
Rhodes has already scored more times this season than he has in a single campaign since 2015-16, where he netted 17 while playing for Blackburn and Middlesbrough. It has been an excellent start to his Blackpool career for Rhodes, but the in-form forward doesn't want to rest on his laurels.
Speaking to Mirror Football, Rhodes said: "I am really enjoying my football. I can’t say enough good things or good words about Blackpool Football Club as a whole. The environment here, the staff, the players, the whole ethos of the football club and I’m really enjoyed it here. Long may it continue.
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"I'm enjoying coming into work everyday, enjoying the sessions the coaches are putting on, and we find ourselves with a really good camaraderie in the dressing room."Hopefully, with that in mind, the season is a long one, it's a bit of a marathon so hopefully with that good ethos in the changing room it can leave us in good stead for the rest of the season."
Rhodes is renowned as one of the greatest-ever Championship strikers since the division's current inception was formed in 2004. He is second to Billy Sharp in the all-time top scorers list, having struck 123 second-tier goals across his career. Rhodes' most fruitful spell came at Blackburn, where he scored 21 or more goals in three successive seasons.
Jordan Rhodes has scored 123 Championship goals across his career (Getty Images)However, Rhodes' strike rate has plummeted since he helped Middlesbrough back to the Premier League in May 2016. He left Boro in search of regular game time mid-way through the following season to join Sheffield Wednesday on loan, a deal which included an obligation to make the permanent switch to Hillsborough.
Having spent four-and-a-half years at the Owls - including a successful season-long spell at Norwich - Rhodes left the club after scoring just 17 goals in 95 matches. He wasn't able to recapture his form at Huddersfield and the forward has explained that seven-year struggle.
"That [goalscoring struggles] is one of those things, it's circumstance, it's managers' opinion, it's finding yourself in a place where sometimes you don't necessarily get picked and that is the life of a footballer," Rhodes said.
"Sometimes it's only the life of 11 men on the field at one given moment and that just happens. Ultimately, it doesn't change how you are as a person, going in everyday, still having that same attitude to get fitter, to get better and sharper. Also, looking after your body, eating the right things, can you lose weight, can you get sharper, can I get quicker; that’s all things I've tried to adopt.
Jordan Rhodes has returned to form this season after a difficult couple of years (Getty Images)"In the last six to seven years, whether or not the manager picks you on a Saturday is one of those things, but come the end of the day, you’ve done what you can to stay on top of your profession and that’s all you can control as a footballer. It’s a matter of controlling those controllables."
Rhodes, however, has found a new lease of life at Blackpool and he is grateful to the club for giving him an opportunity to play more matches. "I think it was pretty apparent since January/February of last this year that my game time might be limited there [Huddersfield]," Rhodes added. "And none more so than the summer and the early start to the season.
"I was really fortunate and I am really thankful that the opportunity came up at Blackpool and I'm really pleased with how it's gone so far, both on and off the field."
After making his Tangerines debut in a 3-0 defeat at Lincoln in August, Rhodes scored his first goal in his second appearance, a 2-1 victory over Wigan. That set Rhodes on his way to netting eight goals and grabbing two assists in his next eight matches, with his hat-trick against Reading the standout performance.
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Jordan Rhodes has made an impressive start to his Blackpool career (Getty Images)Rhodes returned to the scoresheet last weekend in a 4-0 win over Shrewsbury after three games without a goal, and despite the Oldham-born striker turning 34 in February, he has no plans of hanging up his boots just yet. "I'd love to continue going as long as anyone would want me," he continued.
"I'd do my best to stay as fit as possible, to stay as trim as possible, work in the gym, eating right and I've really adopted that since turning 30. I'll just stay as professional as I can be to keep that door open for as long as anyone would want me. I’ll keep trying my best and working as hard as I can."
From Blackpool's perspective, they currently sit eighth in the League One table, level on points with sixth-placed Barnsley ahead of their trip to leaders Portsmouth this weekend. When quizzed about his side's start to the campaign, Rhodes said: "We're there or thereabouts at the moment, we could possibly be a few goals better off in terms of the goal difference department, and maybe a few points as well.
(Getty Images)"But we're not dwelling on the past, football is football and you'd like to think if we play with the right intensity and have the attitude over the course of the season then it will even itself out.
"There's some really good teams in the division. There will be around 10 to 12 teams that will have aspirations of getting in those play-offs. I'd like to think we’re one of those that want to be there come the end of the season to keep the season alive."
Focusing on Saturday's game at Fratton Park against Portsmouth, who are unbeaten from their opening 16 League One matches so far this season, Rhodes is in no doubt that it will be a very tough test. "They've had a terrific start to the season," the Blackpool talisman said.
"They're unbeaten, no losses to their name and they're a team full of really good players. They've got a really bright, exciting manager in there as well. It will be up to us to go down there and do the best we can to try and upset the record books so far, and hopefully come away with some sort of result. It won’t be an easy task and we need to be right on our game."
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