Rodney Marsh

Fulham

Marsh began his career with First Division side Fulham, and made his debut against Aston Villa at Craven Cottage on 23 March 1963 after Johnny Haynes picked up an injury. He scored the winning goal on his debut with a volley from a George Cohen cross, prompting manager Bedford Jezzard to state that "No boy could have had a better first game". Haynes returned to the starting line-up the next week, but Marsh was accommodated with the number eight shirt. In September 1963, he collided with John Sjoberg whilst scoring a winning goal against Leicester City and was ruled out of action for ten months with a broken jaw and skull. The incident left him with a permanent loss of hearing in his left ear. For weeks he was unable to keep his balance whilst standing, and he was told by one specialist that he would never play football again. He returned to fitness in the 1964–65 season and was utilized at centre forward, and formed an effective partnership with Haynes to secure 17 goals to become the club's top-scorer. However manager Bedford Jezzard left the club and Marsh did not get along with new boss Vic Buckingham. He ridiculed Buckingham, who in turn froze Marsh out of the first team.

Queens Park Rangers

Marsh moved across West London to join Queens Park Rangers, then in the Third Division, after manager Alec Stock paid out a £15,000 fee in March 1966. QPR finished third at the end of the 1965–66 campaign, eight points outside promoted Millwall. His first…

Marsh made his England debut in a 1–1 draw with Switzerland at Wembley in November 1971, coming on as a substitute for Francis Lee. He won a total of nine caps, scoring one goal, which came in a 3–0 victory over Wales. It has been reported that the England manager Alf Ramsey told him "I'll be watching you for the first 45 minutes and if you don't work harder I'll pull you off at half time," to which Marsh replied: "Crikey, Alf, at QPR all we get is an orange and a cup of tea."

Marsh played as a striker and was noted for his technical ability. He was also recognized as an excellent dribbler of the ball, he was capable of producing moments of rare skill and extravagant attempts on goal, which earned him a reputation as a show-boater. His ability and the rarity which he played to his full potential earned him comparisons to George Best. He would regularly retaliate against players who used foul play to stop his runs, and picked up numerous fines from the FA for fighting back against his aggressors.

I would feel more elation if we lost 4–3 in a match which really touched the heights than us sneaking through 1–0 in one of those grey matches. If we cannot remind people what a great game it is then we will have missed a tremendous opportunity."

Marsh was born in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, to Lilian Dredge, a housewife, and William Marsh, a docker. His parents only spent a few days in Hertfordshire so his mother could avoid going into labour during the Blitz. Marsh grew up in Palatine Road, Stoke Newington, North London, and he had a rough upbringing as a child, particularly from his father, and in his autobiography said that this tough upbringing left him emotionally traumatised. His father came from an even more violent family, and was partially crippled at the age of 19 after being attacked by his father with a hammer. An only child, Marsh described his family as "incredibly poor" and until the age of 11 he slept in the corner of his parents' bedroom – the family shared a three-storey house with two other families and the only other room they had was a living room. He attended Arsenal matches at Highbury with his father, and also went along to see reserve team matches. The family's poverty came to an end just as Marsh was beginning his professional football career – his father used to help the landlord to fill out his weekly pool coupon, and the landlord had a massive win shortly before his death and left the house to Marsh's father in his will. Marsh played alongside Ron "Chopper" Harris for Hackney Schools, scoring all three goals as Hackney won the schools national championship. His father secured him a trial for the West Ham United under-16s, and he impressed enough to land himself a place in the academy.…