Blackburn Rovers striker Rhodes confident of bright future (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Blackburn Rovers striker Rhodes confident of bright future

1:50pm Thursday 8th November 2012 in Sport By Andy Cryer , Blackburn Rovers reporter

JORDAN Rhodes believes Blackburn Rovers are heading in the right direction under new boss Henning Berg – and is hoping to make his first home game in charge a match to remember.

Berg will be in the Rovers dug out as boss for the first time for Birmingham City’s Championship visit on Saturday and Rhodes hopes the expected party atmosphere can end with a first win for the Norwegian.

After a miserable first game at the helm at Selhurst Park on Saturday, Berg oversaw a much improved performance as only an injury time equaliser denied Rovers three points and gave Huddersfield an undeserved 2-2 draw on Tuesday night.

And, ahead of Saturday’s visit of Birmingham, Rhodes is looking for more of their midweek form – but this time with maximum points.

The striker said: “It will be a good occasion on Saturday. It’s the manager’s first home game and it is just a shame we have not got the first win for the manager.

“What better setting than the first home game though – against one of my old managers (Lee Clark) so that will be a funny occasion as well.”

And Rhodes admitted that he was pleased with the way Rovers responded to the weekend defeat at Palace with the performance at Huddersfield.

“That was a Blackburn performance on Tuesday,” he added.

“We managed to pass it about, the quality was good and hopefully we have given the fans something to cheer about.

“They will be very disappointed we didn’t get three points.

“That was the way the manager wants to play and everyone associated with Blackburn wants to play. It is just frustrating we did not win.”

Rhodes bagged his sixth goal for Blackburn in Tuesday’s draw with his former employers as he continues to show his clinical finishing, despite spending much of the campaign isolated as a lone striker.

He insists he does not think too much about his own individual fortunes though, as he prefers to focus on the collective.

“It was not the best of first touches but maybe that was a blessing in disguise,” he said of his latest Rovers goal. “I just kept my head down, kept my eye on the ball and made good contact with it.

“It is just disappointing it isn’t in a win.

“Whenever I get the chance I give it my best, and when chances do come I will try my best to hit the target and make the keeper work. Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t – that is football.

“Everything seemed to be going our way. We played really well, had the majority of the play but unfortunately the last 10 seconds we feel a little hard done by and came away with the 2-2 draw.

“On reflection we might not have deserved it but that is football.

“Even though we went a goal down, I thought we were very much in it.

“We had good play, created chances. It was just unfortunate we came off without the three points.

“Maybe if you had talked about the draw before the game it would have been a good point but we are disappointed and that is a good sign.

“It shows what direction we are going in.”