Rhodes’ sense paid off with a return trip to Scotland
Jordan now back in from the cold and striking the right note with Strachan
AS the Scotland squad — from which he had been routinely dumped — was basking in the glory of victory over the Republic of Ireland and preparing for the visit of England to Celtic Park in November, Jordan Rhodes proposed to girlfriend Emma on a romantic trip to Paris.
The theme of dealing with rejection on international breaks had clearly not worn him down.
Nor, too, did the regular snubs defeat the striker’s ambition to keep asking the question of national manager Gordon Strachan.
Rhodes is delighted the persistence paid off, bringing him back into the reckoning after missing 11 Scotland matches.
All of a sudden, he has the opportunity to book a return trip to France. His recall provides an opening to impress and score the goals that could pave Scotland’s way to a place at next year’s European Championship Finals.
Tonight’s game against Gibraltar is the 25-year-old’s first taste of the qualifying campaign because only now does Strachan believe that the squad he has created and the skill set of Rhodes can be married.
The morning after the Blackburn striker made his last competitive appearance for Scotland — against Belgium in September 2013 — the national manager made it crystal clear that the £8million man would not fit into the system he was creating and the type of game which requires emphasis on keeping the ball in advanced areas.
No matter the predatory powers he so obviously possessed.
Explaining that he was ‘at his best playing with another striker, lots of people around him and lots of crosses’, Rhodes did not feature in the forward line to play Macedonia a few days later.
He was not invited to pull on a Scotland shirt again and add to his 12 caps — until Wednesday night’s substitute outing in the 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland.
Throughout that period of being overlooked, Rhodes saw the national squads listed with as few as three front men.
For the Euro 2016 opener against world champions Germany, Steven Fletcher, Steven Naismith and Chris Martin were considered more than enough in the striking provision.
Yet, just as he does in front of goal with natural-born ease, Rhodes maintained his composure. He was not prone to tantrums.
Speaking for the first time about being shunned by Strachan, he said: ‘I just took it upon myself to be quite relaxed about the situation and what will be, will be.
‘If I get called up, great, it means I’ve been doing something right. If not, don’t worry and keep working hard to try to improve. International weeks became different for me.
‘But at Blackburn, I was still in training with other lads at times. And lots of good things happened on and off the field as a result of me not being part of things.
‘I’ve got engaged since then, so that was nice. Made good use of that weekend in November. Other times, I’ve been at home with family and friends, watching Scotland matches.
‘I am just like every other Scottish fan. You want everyone to do well.
‘International football is never something you can take for granted. It’s a massive privilege to play for your country and even be involved.
‘The manager has an abundance of players he can choose from, so I’m just happy to be here this week.’
Sixteen goals this season, taking his club tally to 65 in 123 games for Blackburn, is a steady scoring season by Rhodes standards. However, it was a game in which he and his team drew a blank that made Scotland assistant manager Mark McGhee make a note that would help the player’s case for a recall.
McGhee watched Blackburn’s 1-0 loss at Watford in February and informed Strachan afterwards that, in terms of hold-up play and lay-offs, Rhodes’ performance was the most assured he’d seen to date.
The 25-year-old claims he was ‘not particularly’ conscious of improvements to his game that may be noticeable since the last time he played for Scotland.
His thirst for ironing out flaws has been there since the days he started taking professional steps to realising his dream of playing for his country.
‘I have just tried to continue going about my business in a normal fashion,’ said Rhodes, not wishing to allude to any comments made about him by Strachan. ‘Every day since I have left school is a learning curve and I have always looked to try to improve things — left foot, heading — and these last 18 months have been no different.
‘If people see the benefits in my game at club level, then great. I’m giving my all at Blackburn and, hopefully, come the 90 minutes that will be good enough for whoever might be watching.
‘Normally, no matter what job you are in, people improve on what they have learned and pick up things all the time.
‘I’m trying to get better at what my job is and get the rewards from it. Coming up here this week means I must be doing something right at club level, so that is pleasing.
‘To be part of the Scotland set-up and having played as many times and scored as I have done in the past, is something I never expected to do.
‘If my career finished tomorrow — hopefully not — then I would be a happy man with what I have achieved. I still have plenty of things I want to achieve before my career is over — playing in the (English) Premier League is one I want a crack at.
‘But, as long as I can be true to myself, then everyone else can make their own assumptions.’
One assumption about his inclusion for this double-header is that the whipping boys of the group, Gibraltar, are perfect fodder for the penalty-box predator, who opened his Under-21 account for Scotland with a hat-trick against Luxembourg and also scored twice against the senior side from the Grand Duchy.
Rhodes, who played with Gibraltar defender Scott Wiseman while on loan at Rochdale in 2008, said: ‘I would be thrilled to be a part of it but everyone in the squad will be giving their all in that situation, so I’m just another one of several who — if I’m given the time on the pitch — would hope to do my best.
‘It’s great to be out there at Hampden and be a part of things. And even better we got the winner late on against Northern Ireland.
‘Now we’ll have to be ready to go against Gibraltar. They are new to international football, so we’ll have to be wary.
‘It would mean a lot to help Scotland reach the Finals. Arguably, this is the best position we’ve been in and the next few games will be the important ones.’
I didn’t worry. I just kept working hard to try to improve. It’s great to be part of things again