Jordan Rhodes signs with Blackburn: Venky's trying to make amends

There is no denying that the last 18 months for Blackburn Rovers under the stewardship of Indian poultry giants Venky's have been trying for Rovers supporters. Actually, to merely brand these recent times as only trying is perhaps casting them in a positive light that is quite euphemistic and trivializing in nature, for the proud "little engine that could" of Lancashire has gone from being a stable Premier League club doing a lot with a little to being relegated after a woeful season that saw mysterious player exclusions, an embarrasingly leaky defense, the sales of vital cogs in the machine such as Chris Samba, a worrying silence from anybody associated with the ownership, and the continued employment of a manager whose overall record in his time at Ewood is laughable and cringeworthy at best. 

In blunt terms, there has been every indication over the last year and a half that the Rao family (proprietors of Venky's) had no clue about how to run a club playing in England's highest level--never mind the rumors that they had no understanding of the idea of relegation, as that's a different conversation for a different day entirely.

Mercifully for Blackburn fans, this summer has provided at least some glimmers of hope that Venky's are beginning to grasp the gravity of the situation at hand, the realities of the game in England, and, most importantly, the passion and desire the fans have for their beloved Rovers. While newly appointed director of football Shebby Singh has found himself scrutinized for comments he made about Morten Gamst Pedersen, he is at least providing the club with a voice and public face that has been absent ever since John Williams resigned as chairman, and some of the additions to the squad, such as those of Danny Murphy, Dickson Etuhu and Colin Kazim-Richards, scream of a club that is of Premier League quality as opposed to one playing in the perceived anonymity (however fairly or unfairly) of the Championship.

If the aforementioned signing have, at the very least, been encouraging, the recent recruitment of Jordan Rhodes from Huddersfield for an amount that could reach eight million pounds (pending add-ons, clauses, and other stipulations of the deal) is a sign that Venky's have decided to take some steps towards investing in the club in ways that were hardly on display in last January's transfer window. If Rhodes, who was recently capped by Scotland, comes anywhere close to duplicating the form that has seen him tally 36, 16, and 19 goals in the last three seasons for Huddersfield in League One, the move will be hailed as a coup--especially if those goals fire Blackburn back into the top flight at the first time of asking. Given that he has already scored a couple of goals in Huddersfield's first games in the Championship this term, there is every indication to suggest that the goals will indeed come and that he is already settling in nicely to a league that is stronger than where he has been plying his trade.

There is still a lot of damage to be repaired in the Blackburn community, there are still some puzzling facets on the business side to be figured out, such as the lack of a shirt sponsor or any corporate sponsors around Ewood, and, yes, the riddle of Steve Kean's position as manager continues to frustrate Rovers fans. Time will tell if Venky's can continue to take steps towards rebuilding bridges burned, but maybe, just maybe, a few bricks towards that goal are being put into place.