Rodney Marsh (footballer)

Football player infobox2
playername= Rodney Marsh


fullname = Rodney William Marsh
height = 6'1"
nickname = The Clown Prince of English Football
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1944|10|11|df=y
cityofbirth = Hatfield, Hertfordshire
countryofbirth = England
dateofdeath =
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
currentclub = N/A
clubcrest =
clubnumber =
position = Striker
years = 1962-66
1966-72
1972-75
1976
1976
1976-77
1977-79
1986-1987
clubs = Fulham
Queens Park Rangers
Manchester City
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Cork Hibernians
Fulham
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Tampa Bay Rowdies "(indoor)"
caps(goals) = 063 0(22)
211 (106)
118 0(36)
023 0(12)
030(1)
016 00(5)
087 0(41)
020 0(13)
nationalyears = 1971-73
nationalteam = England
nationalcaps(goals) = 009 00(1)
manageryears = 1980
1981-1983
1984-1986
managerclubs = New York United
Carolina Lightnin'
Tampa Bay Rowdies
pcupdate =
ntupdate =

Rodney William Marsh (born 11 October 1944 in Hatfield, Hertfordshire) is a retired English footballer. He was named after HMS "Rodney" by his father, who served on the battleship. He played for Fulham, Queens Park Rangers, Manchester City, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the England national side. Lately, he has been a pundit and a commentator on the game.

Playing career

Like George Best, Stan Bowles, Peter Osgood and Tony Currie, Rodney Marsh was one of a generation of highly talented "maverick" players that emerged in English football during the 1960s and 1970s and never quite fulfilled their potential. He began his career with Fulham, for whom he made his debut in 1963, but his career there was hampered by injuries – a collision with a goal post and an opposing defender cost him the hearing in his left ear – and a dispute with manager Vic Buckingham, which ultimately saw him move across West London to join Queens Park Rangers, then in the Third Division, for £15,000 in March 1966. His first full season with Rangers was his most successful. He scored 44 goals in 53 games as the club became Third Division champions and also won the League Cup, coming back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in the final, with Marsh scoring the equaliser. The following year, QPR were promoted again to reach the First Division.

In 1972, he was signed for Manchester City by Malcolm Allison for a then club record £200,000. Upon signing Marsh (in March of that year), City were four points clear at the top of the table but by the end of the season had slipped to 4th. Marsh himself has since claimed that it was he who cost the club the league title that year, with his style simply not suiting that of the team. He nevertheless became one of City's star players, scoring 19 goals in 1972-73 and often dazzling the crowd with his skills. Marsh led the club to a League Cup final in 1974, though this time he was on the losing side as City were beaten by Wolverhampton Wanderers. He left the club shortly into the 1974-75 season after disagreements with new manager Tony Book.

Marsh revived his career with the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL, where he made over 100 appearances. He signed for Cork Hibernians [http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/archive/1976/0129/Pg003.html#Ar00303:07239E0B53B30B47960EB7AE06F3250E33630E13250FE3630A84C70D14DF07558C09F5A417B3A81A43BF17D55218C56918D5521A856924657A2715911AE5DE1D95F61DE6C120A6D924671327872B0F67961217AE] before briefly returning to Fulham during the 1976-77 season, where he linked up with old friends George Best and Bobby Moore before returning to Tampa Bay in 1977. He played from 1976 to 1979, and was a first-team all star selection in 1978.

Coaching

He retired after 1979, and coached the New York United and CarolinaLightnin' teams in the ASL, before returning to the Rowdies to coach their final NASL season in 1984. [ [http://home.att.net/~nasl/stars2.htm] retrieved March 5, 2007] He was head coach from 1984 to 1986, and was the team's chief executive for 11 years. [ [http://sport.guardian.co.uk/smalltalk/story/0,,1596859,00.html Rodney Marsh] retrieved July 14, 2006] In 1986, he came out of retirement to play one last season with the Rowdies, this time with the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA). Marsh played in twenty games during the 1985-1986 season, scoring 13 goals.

National team

Marsh made his England debut against Switzerland in 1971 and won a total of nine caps, scoring one goal, which came in a 3-0 victory over Wales. His career with the national team was ended prematurely after he made a sarcastic comment to the then manager, Alf Ramsey. In a 2005 interview, Marsh stated that 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 halftime," to which Marsh replied: "“Crikey, Alf, at Manchester City all we get is an orange and a cup of tea.”". He was never selected for the England team again. [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2094-2036078,00.html Rodney Marsh] retrieved July 14, 2006]

Retirement

Upon retiring Marsh became a pundit, earning a reputation for his outspoken views on the game.

He was involved in a long-running banter with Bradford City and its supporters in the 1999-00 season, in which he flippantly dismissed their chances of survival in the FA Premier League. Confident as he was in his prediction of their relegation he offered to shave all of his hair off if they stayed up, which they subsequently managed. Marsh honoured his bet and had his hair removed in the centre circle of Valley Parade Bradford City's home stadium and raised a lot of money for charity by doing so, much to the amusement of Jeff Stelling and co-presenters at Soccer Saturday, as well as the Bradford City supporters, who forgave him for his derogatory remarks.

Marsh remained with Sky Sports and presented on Gillette Soccer Saturday for eleven years, until he was sacked for an ill advised joke about the Asian Tsunami disaster. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4208135.stm]

Marsh then appeared as a player for Manchester City and a pundit in Sky One's Premier League All Stars in September 2007. Marsh appeared in the 2007 series of ITV's "I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!" and was the fifth person to be voted off the show.

Marsh appeared with his family in the January 22nd 2008 edition of Hello Magazine.

In January 2008 Marsh threatened to return his nine international caps in protest at the Football Association's appointment of an Italian, Fabio Capello as the manager of the England national football team rather than appoint an English coach. [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2008/01/04/sfneng104.xml]

Music

A picture of Marsh standing up in the sky blue Manchester City kit of the 70's is featured on the front cover of the 1994 album Definitely Maybe by Oasis due to them being big supporters of City. One member of the group at the time however, Bonehead, was a Manchester United supporter so there is also a picture of the Old Trafford legend George Best on the cover.

Quotes

*"You mumphead!"
*"That's a nonsense!"
*"This gong was given to me by Phil Collins."
*"If I wanted it licking,I would've asked Biggins!!"
*"Christopher Biggins could take us to the World Cup." When asked whether Fabio Capello could lead England to the World Cup, see http://www.thefirst90minutes.com/football-interviews/tf90m-exclusive-q-and-a-with-rodney-marsh.html
*"I like it salty.........but this is too salty!"
*"To all those who voted me to do this.......bollocks" (During a bushtucker trial on "I'm a Celebrity...")

External links

* [http://www.thefirst90minutes.com/football-interviews/tf90m-exclusive-q-and-a-with-rodney-marsh.html Rodney Marsh Interview]
* [http://epltalk.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=219353 EPL Talk Podcast interview]
* [http://www.football-england.com/rodney_marsh.html Rodney Marsh Career Profile] at www.football-england.com
* [http://www.rodneymarsh.net Rodney Marsh's official website]

Notes