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Jordan Rhodes talks retirement, his career, and what the next chapter holds for him

Jordan Rhodes talks retirement, his career, and what the next chapter holds for him, fair to say he’s excited with the new role he’s taken up.

The 35 year old EFL legend has been installed as Blackburn Rovers’ new loans manager, immediately announced after announcing he’s hung up his boots.

Jordan, who represented Scotland internationally, saw his career began at Ipswich Town, with loans to Oxford United, Rochdale, and Brentford before joining Huddersfield, where he scored a record 36 league goals in the 2011–12 season, topping England’s scorers.

In 2012, Blackburn signed him for £8 million, a record for non-top-flight players. He later played for Middlesbrough (brief Premier League stint in 2016), Sheffield Wednesday (from 2017, with a 2018 loan to Norwich City), and returned to Huddersfield in 2021.

In 2024, he joined Blackpool on a free transfer after a prior loan there.

BLACKBURN STATEMENT:

We are delighted to welcome Jordan Rhodes back to the club as our new Loan Manager after the prolific former Rovers forward announced his retirement from football.

The 35-year-old, who initially joined the club from Huddersfield Town in August 2012, went on to enjoy a sensational spell at Ewood Park, scoring 85 goals in 169 games.

The Championship’s second highest all-time goalscorer and a Scotland international with 14 caps for his country, Rhodes also represented Ipswich Town, Oxford United, Rochdale, Brentford, Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday, Norwich City, Blackpool and Mansfield Town in a stellar career, which saw him score just shy of 250 professional goals.

Having now called time on his playing days, Rhodes is looking forward to the next chapter in his career, which will see him mentor Rovers’ rising stars.

Working closely with Rovers’ Head of Football Operations, Head of Technical Development and Head of Academy, the former fans favourite will identify and arrange appropriate loan opportunities, both domestically and abroad, to ensure placements align with the club’s player development pathway.

Rhodes, who had seven loan spells throughout his playing career, will oversee the performance and development of these young players, to ensure that they are progressing in line with the club’s long-term objectives.

He will also be tasked with building and maintaining strong relationships with loan clubs and will link in with the scouting department by attending matches and assessing potential player targets, to support the club’s broader recruitment strategy.

Welcome back to the club, Jordan!

Interviewer: Jordan, a really warm welcome back to the football club, albeit at a slightly different capacity this time. How does it feel to be back?

Jordan: It’s great to be back. And yeah, it’s in a different capacity, like what you say. But yeah, it has a really lovely feel about it. I had to walk through the doors there this morning. Yeah, I really enjoy being here.

Interviewer: What interested you about the role at this stage in your life, your career?

Jordan: I think it had a really nice fit, kind of bridging that gap between finishing up playing and then that next life. So both personally and professionally, it had a really nice feel about it. And something that I was really keen to kind of go into post football, that mentoring side of things, making sure players have got what they need and if they need to seek any advice. And I think it’s important, certainly in this modern day world where social media has such scrutiny that if the players feel like they need an extra support system, I’ll go above and beyond to try and make them feel loved and appreciated by Blackburn Football Club.

Interviewer: Do you feel then that the role of loan manager has got lots of different aspects to it?

Jordan: Yes, absolutely. And it’ll be a case of obviously being very new to me, it’ll be a case of learning on the job a little bit, but hopefully I can just apply things that I will find naturally and things that over the years, having had four loans myself, things that I’ve encountered over the years when I thought, oh yeah, I’d like to take that forward, but things I would have thought, do know what, I wish I had a bit of that as well. So it’ll be applying a bit of those things going forward and hopefully can make a difference.

Interviewer: How valuable do you feel your own personal experiences will be having played over 600 games in your career, got 250 goals as well? How valuable is that, able to sort pass some of that on to the next generation of footballers at this football club?

Jordan: Yeah, think initially that will be the one that will be getting me through. It will just be following sort of my individual compass. Obviously, each and every player will be very different in their makeup of what they demand and what they prefer and things like that. So we’ll be getting to know the players and what works for them. And ultimately, they’ll be the boss in the grand scheme of things. It’ll just be case of navigating and seeing some of the stuff, giving them the options and the support, the love and the guidance to make sure that they can thrive in their clubs wherever they happen to find themselves in.

Interviewer: I’m sure you’ll know from your time playing at the football club how valuable the academy is to Blackburn Rovers. How important is that loan system in sort of bridging that to the first team, do feel?

Jordan: It was certainly something, again I’ll touch back on my own personal development, that it was something that I really benefited from and again it’ll be for some and hopefully you know I can help and facilitate them going out for that development but yeah and some like I can see already in the first team at this moment in time might bypass that sort of system and go straight into the first team so yeah brilliant it’s all gearing towards what can be of benefit for Blackburn Rovers.

Interviewer: So is that the ultimate long-term goal, whatever they do, whether it’s straight into the first team or the loan system, it’s readying them for the future at this football club and the first team?

Jordan: Yeah, because ultimately that’s what the staff’s there to do, is to facilitate those players and giving them the best opportunity and the needs for them to be able to thrive for the first team ideally, but ultimately for their development and what makes them be the player that they can become.

Interviewer: You touched on it before when you walked in the building again today, how was it seeing a few familiar faces, your old strike partner as well of course at the football club.

Jordan: Yeah, it just felt very right. Yeah, I very right. I’m really looking forward to working here again. Even at the sort of away games, the fans were really good with me and that always kind of, it was always a ground, even when I’d left, it was always a ground I really looked forward to returning to and now that I’ve been able to come and watch a few games and obviously work for the football club. Yeah, play a part in the development and ultimately getting results right again for the football club is something that kind of really fills me with lot of joy.

Interviewer: You were playing last season. Does this officially mean that your time as a player has come to an end?

Jordan: Yes, yes it does. But yeah, no, it has to end sometime and I’ve really enjoyed it. Football has been very kind to me. Obviously, I’ve got lot of thanks to a lot of people, family and friends, coaches over the years to have given me this opportunity to have lived out this dream, but yeah, I’m looking forward to the next chapter and mentoring and guiding the development of some of the lads down there.

Interviewer: I mentioned the numbers before from your career. How do you reflect on what you were able to achieve?

Jordan: Yeah, very flattered, very flattered. Football’s been very kind to me. It’s gone better than I could ever imagine it, sort of on the playing side of stuff. And now being able to do this gives me opportunities to kind of stay within football and know watch and mentor and guide. Yeah football’s had a massive part in my life since I was born, obviously my dad doing it. So yeah so now that it’s still kind of still playing a part professionally it’s obviously not the playing side of stuff and will always miss that I think all players will miss that but yeah brilliant what a great way to kind of follow on to the next chapter.

Interviewer: Have you sat down and is it all sunk in yet that those days are gone? And when you reflect on them, how special was the chapter that you had at this football club within all of it?

Jordan: Yeah, this club played a massive part in it. Nothing but good memories and good times. I’m sure some that I’ve not even thought about will crop up in these next month or two. But yeah, no, I’m not really one to reminisce on the good old days or the good times. I just like to go day by day and go with the flow obviously, the hectic family life and school holidays, they take the brunt and yeah, the kind of the first and foremost making the kids alright and bits and bobs like that. Yeah, it’s got a really lovely ring to it and I’m really looking forward to getting to work and hopefully getting to know the players a little bit better before guiding them on the loans of different clubs. I did one or two things over the last two or three years to open the possibilities, keeping as many doors open to whatever that might walk into. I was always kind of keen to work um outside of the playing side of things just to have that sort of stimulation. And yeah, what a lovely fit to it. I’m really looking forward to it.

Here’s how fans reacted as Jordan Rhodes talks retirement, his career, and what the next chapter holds for him…

@Rolan_bcfc: Spoke to him a bunch when he was at Blackpool, top guy and a great player. Wish him the best in whatever he does.

@bendrfcsmith97: EFL legend. Seen this fella’s name pop up on Soccer Saturday more times than I’ve seen mi mam since leaving hers as a kid

@Sbartram21: Such a great striker for Rovers 😊⚽️

@BigBadBraz: The best Championship striker ever? Certainly would get my vote. Feels like every time we played against him, he scored.

@blackburnendpod: What a player he was for us! We should have got promoted with him!

@GiallorossiBlue: What a player Jordan Rhodes was for Rovers. Back then Venky’s actually put decent money into signing players. Imagine if we had a striker the calibre of Rhodes now. He was a difference maker. Happy retirement, Jordan!

@Huddites1908: Quality striker was Rhodes. Anyway turned up when it mattered most.

@League1Lowdown: Streets won’t forget 2009-2012 League One Jordan Rhodes for #htafc

@paul97566884: Great at Blackpool first season. Could tell he had a bit of something special. Just think age finally caught up. Still think he could do something for a team. But when you know it’s time. Sure he will make a great coach somewhere.

@Jab_bd: One of the best finishers I’ve ever witnessed at Rovers, unbelievable player.

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