Sixty league goals in 105 league matches for Huddersfield Town would suggest a definitive yes, but hat-tricks against the likes of Wycombe Wanderers, Preston and Exeter can’t be compared to the opposition faced in England’s top division.

Being an Ipswich Town fan I have watched Rhodes’ career progression at Huddersfield with mixed emotions. One half of me thinks ‘why couldn’t he be doing this at my club?’ but the other half of me thinks I should respect a player who moved down a division in order to get regular football and is reaping the rewards.

Youth career

After his father Andy, currently goalkeeping coach at Sheffield Wednesday, joined Ipswich in 2004, Jordan, aged 14, signed for the Suffolk club having previously been at Barnsley. In his first full season in Suffolk the striker represented the under-16s, under 18s and reserve side, scoring over 40 goals in total. He was also called up to the England under-17s but was forced to pull out through injury.

A succession of loans

A difficult 2006-07 season was marred with injuries but things improved in 2007-08. Rhodes was sent on loan for a month to Oxford United where he played four league matches. During the same season he made his first appearance for Ipswich, aged 17, coming off the bench against Burnley in December and in April scored his first professional goal, in a 1-1 draw against Cardiff City.

Rhodes started the next season on loan at Rochdale where he scored twice in five league games and in January 2009 went to League Two Brentford where he scored an impressive 7 goals in 14 matches. Whilst there he also scored what would be the first of many hat-tricks in his career so far, against Shrewsbury Town in a 3-1 victory.

Huddersfield Town

Ipswich fans, myself included, buoyed by the arrival of Roy Keane as manager were expecting Rhodes to be given his chance in 2009-10 but on 31st July 2009 the young striker signed for Lee Clark’s Huddersfield Town on a four-year contract.

His new manager was clearly pleased he signed: “His goal ratio in the games he has played and the minutes he has been on the pitch is very good, but it is his all round game that is very impressive. He has a very good touch and works extremely hard and works the line well. The main attribute is that more times than not he finds the net, which is the most important thing.”

Rhodes, who was believed to have been bought for about £850,000, made an instant impact by scoring on his debut from the bench at Southend United. It was the first of 6 goals in his first 6 games, highlighted by a goal in Huddersfield’s 4-3 away defeat at Newcastle United in the second round of the League Cup.

He ended his first season with 19 goals in 45 league games as Huddersfield finished 6th in League One, but lost 2-0 on aggregate in their play-off semi-final with Millwall. Rhodes again finished Huddersfield’s top scorer the following year, despite making considerably less appearances, scoring 16 goals in 36 league games.

The Premier League beckons

It may only be January but this will undoubtedly be the season that Jordan Rhodes remembers as the one where he grabbed everyone’s attention. He started 2011-12 with 13 goals in his first 12 games in all competitions and scored back to back hat-tricks in October against Exeter and Preston.

The striker is currently on a run of 12 league goals in his last five matches, thanks largely to scoring five of the six goals scored last time out away at Wycombe. As well as scoring five in a game, this season has seen Rhodes score all four goals in a 4-4 draw at Sheffield Wednesday.

Currently in the league’s goal-scoring charts he sits nine goals clear of Charlton’s Bradley Wright-Phillips in second place. Wright-Phillips’ 14 league goals mean he is nine off Rhodes’ 25 league goals in 21 league games. Added to this, Rhodes’ chance conversion rate is 33% and shooting accuracy is 61%. This is clearly a striker who knows where the back of the net is.

International Duty

To say Rhodes has had an easy road national honours would be a huge understatement. He was first selected by Scotland’s under-21 side in November 2010 but had to withdraw due to commitments with Huddersfield. Rhodes qualifies for Scotland as he attended school there for more than five years whilst his father played football there.

On 24th March 2011 Rhodes finally made his under-21 debut in a 1-0 defeat in Belgium. Rhodes’ under-21 career consists of 6 caps and 6 goals, including yet another hat-trick in his career against Luxembourg. His 6 goals mean he is Scotland’s joint top goal scorer at under-21 level.

The striker has gone on to play for the full national side playing his one and only game so far in a 2-1 win in Cyprus. He came on in the 87th minute and after the match defended his decision to pick Scotland: “It was never in doubt I would be sticking with Scotland. I’m Scottish through and through. I had all the jerseys as a kid and grew up watching Scotland.”

With Stuart Pearce seen watching his last outing for Huddersfield against Wycombe, rumours have started that he may be in contention to represent Great Britain at the Olympics.

Who’s after him?

Quick, surprisingly strong, a hard worker and with a consistently impressive goal-scoring record it was only a matter of time before Premier League clubs would start sniffing around. The striker though claims he’s not concerned about other clubs’ interest in him: “Scouts could be watching anyone, I do not take any notice of them.”

There have been reports of West Ham having a bid of £3m rejected and the London club are already believed to have upped their offer by another million. Rhodes’ manager Lee Clarke says: “The goals have always been there but his general play is now of an international class player. He’s definitely going nowhere. I hope the director’s box and the stands are full of scouts because rest assured, no matter how much money is offered he will not be going anywhere.”

In October Paul Scholes was believed to have been sent along by Sir Alex Ferguson to monitor the youngster and Tottenham were one of seven clubs represented at Adams Park where Rhodes scored five goals. Everton need a striker and are the latest club to have been linked with him. Manager David Moyes sees him as a realistic option after being told the League One club could be willing to be paid in installments.

But Moyes’ Everton wouldn’t just be fighting Tottenham, West Ham and Manchester United but also reportedly Fulham, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Blackburn, Sunderland, QPR, Newcastle and Celtic.

Realistically Rhodes could be too much of a gamble for any of the big six clubs but the chance to play for one of Everton, Newcastle, West Ham, Sunderland, QPR or Celtic may be too good to turn down for a striker with the world at his feet and more often than not, the ball in the back of the net.

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ALL ABOARD! But who will be riding the open-top buses this year?

Well it’s here yet again, that time of the season where supporters of clubs at both ends of the table are suffering ‘twitchy-backside’ syndrome (a genuine medical term).

Naturally a popular subject of conversation now is ‘who is going up’. Here are my thoughts.

Wolves

Mick Mcarthy’s men appear to have overcome that dreadful run of results from December to March where they only picked up two league wins in eleven games. The men from Molineux have won four from their last five games and next up is an enormous clash with Birmingham in The Blues back yard. The run in sees games against mid table QPR and Derby but the games against relegation threatened Southampton, Barnsley and Doncaster may spring some unwanted surprises.

Verdict

Wolves will win the title with a few monumental battles on the way – just about.

Birmingham City

Despite an away loss to promotion rivals Sheffield United, City are still sitting in second place four and six points above Reading and Sheffield United respectively. Albeit the Blues have played a game more than their two nearest rivals. Defeat against Wolves in the aforementioned top of the table clash could put a real dent in their promotion bid, City also face Reading away in the final game of the season that stands a chance of effectively being a play-off final at the Madejski.

VerdictBirmingham cannot afford to lose to Wolves and Reading. Defeat in both games could cost them the chance to land the coveted 2nd spot. It will be a dogfight for second but the Blues have to be favourites as Reading and Sheffield United still have to win their ganes in hand to keep the pressure on.

Reading

The Royals have won only two of their last ten championship games after that superb pre-Christmas run that saw them win six games back to back. At that time I thought that it was only a matter of time that the Berkshire club would storm to the title. However, since beating Wolves in late January the title challenge appears to have lost momentum with Steve  side struggling to find a consistent run of good form. Having said all this they have a game in hand on 2nd place Birmingham that would cut the gap to a mere point. That, coupled with that impending possible promotion decider with ‘The Brum’ in the final game at the Madejski could see the club return to the top flight.

 Verdict

Aside from a huge game against Sheffield United at home on Good-Friday, this is Reading’s to lose. Dogged-determination and a vociferous home crowd should see the Royals up on the final day if they land those big six points against The Blades and The Blues.

Sheffield United

The in-form side in the top four, The Blades are no doubt in with a real shout. Winning their game in hand is a must. That game is the clash with local rivals, Barnsley and is likely to be a thunderous battle in the wake of the Iain Hume and Chris Morgan elbowing incident. The Blades, like Reading have a lot in their own hands but face a difficult run-in, with Burnley and Reading away being the key fixtures. Should the Blades overhaul Reading at the Madejski and Wolves beat Birmingham, Kevin Blackwell’s men have four home games from their last seven with a potentially huge final game awaiting them when they visit Bramall Lane old-boy Neil Warnock’s Crystal Palace.

 Verdict

If the Blades can continue their current form and pick up big wins at Reading and Burnley they have every chance of making a return to the Premier League. However, other results must go the Blades way for them to achieve this.

Cardiff City

A calamitous refereeing performance from match official Paul Taylor saw the Bluebirds reduced to the nine men in their last game against the Sheffield United at Ninian park, culminating in 3-0 defeat at the hands of their rivals. This was a huge loss for Cardiff but they still have two games in hand which could see them cutting the gap to 2nd place down to three points. Next-up for City is a massive South Wales derby at home and how The Swans would love to kill off their bitter-rivals automatic promotion challenge. Should the Bluebirds prevail they still have to win two games in hand and face play-off hopefuls Burnley and Preston.

Verdict 

Far from impossible but realistically Dave Jones’ side needs to win six from their last eight games while depending on other results. I’m afraid I think it may be a little too much to ask. It’s looking like the Play-Offs could be a more realistic way to send Ninian Park, their home for 99 years off in the way the club would like to.

Apologies to Burnley but without games in hand I cannot see the Clarets closing a seven-point gap at this stage. I will try and call the play-offs after the traditional end of season shake-up.