Rodney Marsh - Your memories of the Famous English Soccer Player

Did you watch Rodney play, or go to school with him, or meet him after his playing days?

Grew up in London (Clapham) during the seventies, and my Da, a mad Scot would die for Fulham - he started to take me to Craven Cottage from the age of 9 onwards -which was around the time Marsh, along with George Best and Bobby Moore played for us.
My ma, a quiet and thoughtful nurse who came over from the West Indies in the mid fifties thought seeing Fulham would 'corrupt' me, and turn me into a hooligan. In fact it did the exact opposite - realised the trio were in the 'autumn' of their career, and the circus acts at Craven Cottage (especially a game against Hereford - or was it Hull when they won 4-1) were usually embarrassing.
Could see most of the fans loving it, with Best taking the ball off Marsh, and vice versa a couple of seconds later...but there were also many who realised this wasn't going to last for long.
It was around 1977 (or thereabouts) when I followed cricket - England, that is as an antidote to the depression!

I MET RODNEY MARSH, TERRY VENABLES, & TONY HAZELL WHEN THEY PLAYED FOR QPR. THEY WERE PLAYING AT CHARLTON ATHLETIC AND I HAD GONE TO THE SUPPORTERS LOUNGE AFTER THE GAME. I WAS SAT AT A TABLE ON MY OWN AND THE THREE PLAYERS ASKED IF I MINDED IF THEY JOINED ME. I WAS THRILLED TO BITS!
AT THE TIME I WAS 23YRS OLD & VERY OVERWEIGHT. HOWEVER, RODNEY BEING RODNEY THOUGHT OTHERWISE, AND ASKED ME WHEN THE 'HAPPY EVENT' WAS DUE! I JUST LAUGHED AND SAID "ITS ALL ME, I'M AFRAID RODNEY!" HE APOLOGISED AND WE ALL HAD A GOOD LAUGH ABOUT IT, I WAS NOT OFFENDED AT ALL.
THEY ASKED ME IF I WOULD GO AND SEE THEM PLAY AT LOFTUS ROAD, AS AT THE TIME I WAS WORKING IN A HOSPITAL IN FULHAM ROAD & HAD SAID I WATCHED CHELSEA WHEN CHARLTON WERE AWAY. SADLY I DIDN'T GO, I WAS TOO NERVOUS, AND DIDN'T THINK FOR ONE MINUTE THEY WOULD REMEMBER ME.
I CERTAINLY HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN THEM, THEY WERE GREAT COMPANY & I WAS DELIGHTED TO HAVE MET THEM. I DIDN'T HAVE CHILDREN OF MY OWN, SO I HAVE NO ONE TO PASS THE STORY DOWN TOO. I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO MEET RODNEY AGAIN. BUT I DOUBT HE WILL BE AT WEMBLEY NEXT WEEK WHEN GRIMSBY TOWN PLAY M K DONS AT WEMBLEY.

Back in the late 70's, Rodney Marsh WAS Tampa Bay sports. He helped put Tampa on the sports map. Our football team (Buccaneers) was horrible and the Rowdies did one thing....WIN!!!
During World Cup '94 I would chat with Rodney every Friday evening before his flight departed Tampa for Atlanta to do his gig with CNN for the cup.
My greatest memory of Sir Rodney has to be the first Rowdie game I attended, the 1978 Conference Championship with 38,000 watching(in a driving rainstorm). Rodney scored the winning goal in a shootout as the Rowdies beat the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers and advanced to Soccer Bowl '78. Thanks for the memories Rodney!!

i just wanna say since rodney william marsh was on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! i loved him he is my hero and i voted for him every day. then he went out i even dressed up as him an cried when he left but rodney u r da best no matter what, from your loyal friend naiomi crofts.
ps. say hi to him and his daughter joanne.

I was his paper boy when he lived in Cornwall Road in Ruislip in the early '70's

Rodney is such a legend, listening to him and PBT on tlkSPORT got me through my GCSE's! if reports are to be believed i can't wait to see him on I'm a celebrity. i have no doubt he will bring the show to life!

I find it surprising that the memories posted on this website of Rod are all from Tampa fans, with the exception of one QPR fan.
Rod was a real genius and I saw him play many times for Man City in the early-mid 70's...and also a few years later when he was with Fulham.
Despite what some people say, Rod was a massive hero at City and was adored and idolized by the fans........
My memories of Rodney are just too many and too wonderful to recount, but suffice it to say he was just so entertaining and gifted and brilliant to watch.
He scored some amazing goals at City.....but his all round passing, dribbling and attacking ability was breath taking.
I truly believe that Rod was the most gifted player I have ever seen, and although he was not the quickest, he more than made up for it with his vision, brilliant ball control and the way he read the game...he had a fantastic footballing brain.
What a joke that he only won 9 England caps....
Thanks Rod...we loved you (and still do) at City.

I worked with Rodney during his time in the media. During my career, I have worked with a number of former footballer, who have played in and won medals in World and European Cups, Champions League, Division 1, Premiership etc etc.
The vast majority of the ex-pros are happy to indulge in stories of their past glories and are rightly proud of them too.
However, in all my life, I've never met a player who had such a sub-standard career and baged on about it so much.
Marsh is an arrogant, psuedo intellectual tit and a more self gratified and plain wierd individual. I for one am relived to have him off our screens

I live in Tampa Florida (U.S.A.) I grew up in the 70's and the Tampa Bay Rowdies were of course my favorite soccer team. My grandmother is from Kent, England and she taught me all about "football" as you call it.
Anyway, I was walking through Tampa Stadium one day prior to a night game for the Rowdies when out from the locker area comes Rodney.
It wasn't uncommon for him to come walk around and talk to people. I was 6 years old and he lifted me up and asked me my name. I told him Charles and he told me it was a Kings name.
He was very kind. A while later Rodney decided to retire and they had his "memorial game" at Tampa Stadium....when my mom purchased the program for the game we opened it up and inside was a picture of the day Rodney had picked me up. I have it still. I was wearing a green striped Interbay United shirt and my team name was Manchester City at the time.
Somehow my parents got in touch with him and we all met at his home. The next thing I know my dad bought his daughters' all white bedroom set for my sister.
So my sister had Rodney Marsh's daughters room set and I had a picture in his retirement program of us for life.
Thats my story I hope you liked it.

Rodney was my hero when I was young and for me embodies all that is good about the game. Supremely talented, with a streak of arrogance he was a genius and for me the best English player there has ever been!

RODNEY MARSH THE LEGEND.
I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE SEEN AND MEET THE MAN HIMSELF. I CAN REMEMBER HIM TURNING A GAME AROUND WITH PURE GENIUS. HE WAS NOT ALWAYS INVOLVED IN THE GAME FROM START TO FINISH, BUT JUST A FLASH OF CLASS WAS ENOUGH TO SEND US ALL HOME AS HAPPY AS LARRY, AND WE KNEW WE WERE THE GREATEST TEAM IN LONDON.
MY AUNTIE AND UNCLE HAD A FRAMED PICTURE OF RODNEY ON THEIR WALL, AND IF SOMEONE DARED SWEAR IN THAT ROOM THEY HAD TO APPOLIGISE TO RODNEY, (HOW DARE THEY SWEAR IN THE PRESENT OF A SPORTING GOD).
YEARS LATER I DROVE FROM LONDON TO STOCKPORT TO A CHARITY GOLF EVENT TO SEE THE GREAT MAN HIMSELF.
AS I DROVE INTO THE COURSE I SPOTTED RODNEY, I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND AS SOON AS HE SAW THE QPR TOP IN MY HANDS HE STOPPPED PLAYING AND SIGNED MY TOP, WHICH IS NOW MY MOST PRIZED POSSESSION.
RODNEY WAS AND IS STILL A LEGEND I MY EYES.

I had the pleasure of watching Rodney Marsh play for the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League for four great years.
He came to the team for the 1976 season after the team had won the NASL Cup the year before. The team made it to the final two more times with him as the captain, but failed to win another championship. He was a very popular player during his time in Tampa and is remembered well here in the community to this day.
I still remember a match at Tampa Stadium when he dropped his shorts, that had ripped, as a trainer held two towels in front and rear only to have the rear towel fall to expose a full Rodney moon. The article in the local newspaper the next day had the photo with the headline "Footloose and Fannie Free".

During the late 70s, Rodney Marsh almost single-handedly made football, or soccer as we call it, a tremendously popular sport in Tampa.
He became the most popular sports figure in the city....even bigger than american football players. He was dashing, handsome and most of all great to watch play the game.... wonderfully entertaining.
He produced on the field, scoring many beautiful goals and assists, and was the centerpiece of the very successfull Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Even though it has been many years now since those days, he is still very fondly remembered in Tampa.

Though it was american NASL soccer, it was all we had in Tampa Bay. Watching Rodney Marsh at the age of 18-20 was amazing. For instance:
1)Seeing him go to his knees with the ball in homage to Pele against the Cosmos.
2)Watching him always take the final and usually game winning penalty kicks
3)Following him with binoculars, and seeing what opposing teams enforcers did to him to try and stop him from dominating games.
(it never stopped him by the way and most of it wasn't very sportsmanlike)
4)Joining with the other 45,000 fans screaming his name in unison after he won yet another game for us.

Tampa Bay Rowdies - While playing with the Rowdies, Rodney provided much excitement and talent. He made others around him better and as a result allowed Fabbiani lead the NASL in scoring.
On national tv against the N.Y. Cosmos Rodney put on/displayed perhaps one of his best performances against the likes of none other than Pele, Beckenbauer, Chinaglia, Alberto. We won the highly anticipated match.
Rodney matched with Derek Smethurst was a deadly combination for any defense to go against......

John Rolfe: wrote: Rodney Marsh - Memories
Vivid memories of Rodney sitting on the ball in the penalty area of teams like Watford and Swindon when two or three goals up: once the game was won he preferred to entertain than to go for goal all the time.
One dummy, when he was stationary, caused his opponent to jump up and land on his back in an attempt to block the ball which Rodney had not kicked.
Seeing him set up chances for Mick Leach and watch how he got on.
Watching him trip on his own feet and win penalties.
Watching him (at 4-0 with 2 goals himself already) prepare to take a penalty and walk back, and keep walking on with the crowd cheering until he reached the centre circle, running back with the crowd baying, feinting, stopping in his tracks just short of the penalty spot, watching the goalie tumble involuntarily to his right while Rodney, with a smile on his face, rolled the ball slowly to his left.
Watching from behind the Bristol Rovers goal as he struck a late League Cup equaliser by bending the ball hugely around the wall; this was in the days when they played with proper footballs of the type that only Marsh, Bowles and Rivelino could bend.
Great memories. QPR players smiled and laughed a lot during the games...

Related Pages
Rodney Marsh Profile Player Profiles
Player Memories

Fulham F.C.
Manchester City F.C.
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
England Football Team

Football Fans remember Rodney Marsh.