Rodney Marsh was Q.P.R's first superstar and put the club on the footballing map.

He arrived on the transfer deadline day in March 1966 from Fulham for £15,000. Considering that he was Fulham's top scorer the season before with 18 goals he looked a bargain.

He made his debut at Peterborough and his sole contribution to the game was to get booked. The following Saturday he made his home debut against the promotion chasing Millwall. Rodney scored within 3 minutes in a superb virtuoso display which helped Rangers to a 6-1 win.

He played 16 games that season scoring 8 goals. During the season Newcastle made an offer for Rodney and Roger Morgan, which Jim Gregory turned down. Shepherds Bush breathed a sigh of relief.

The 1966-67 season was to become Rodney Marsh's best season.He scored his first Rangers hat-trick in the third game of the season at home to Middlesbrough.

Rangers supporters who had been used to good honest hard working forwards suddenly had a skilful forward with bewitching trickery that mesmerised opposing defences. Aided by Les Allen and Mike Keen's promptings through the middle and Mark Lazarus and Roger Morgan down the wings, Rangers ran riot in the division.

With their help Rodney was able to use his full repertoire of tricks to dismantle most teams. In the league Rangers scored 103 goals, 30 of them were by Rodney in 41 appearances. He also scored 14 goals in cup competitions including the equaliser in the League Cup final against W.B.A at Wembley.

Marsh also scored 2 goals for young England against the full England side at Highbury. Rodney was soon to become the crowd favourite and the fans used to chant 'Rod nee-Rod nee' which went right around the ground.

For a big man (over 6ft) he had incredible ball control and had a trick where he could pass to himself as he was running. How? He used to pass with his right foot but the ball would hit his left foot as he was running, making the ball veer the other way, which threw the defence and he could amble towards goal.

The following season Marsh had broken a bone in his foot during pre-season training. Rangers were just passing through the division even with Marsh missing for nearly half the season. He still managed to be top scorer with 14 goals in 25 matches. Rangers were in the top division for the first time in their history.

At the start of the division one campaign Rodney was injured again. He came back in November against Everton at Goodison. Unfortunately, by the time he returned Rangers were at the foot of the division and couldn't recover.

They ended up having three different managers and ended up with the lowest number of points scored in division one at that time. The following season started well, Rodney scored a hat-trick against Blackpool at Loftus Road that was brilliant.

The first he run from the halfway line before bending it round the keeper, he then bent a free kick around the wall into the top corner and the third was a close control drag backs in the area which beat 4 defenders and then the goalie. It set the Bush alight.

For the next three seasons Rangers were a good second division side but never looked like they could get promoted. In the March of 1972 Rangers received a £200,000 offer from Man City for Marsh and he went.

Rodney can perhaps best be summed up by his former manager. The late Alec Stock had this to say about Rodney in his autobiography.

He said: "I suppose we took a chance, because immediately he had signed there were people in the game who took great delight in telling me what was wrong with our new player. "He's a clown" they said. "He doesn't like hard work and he isn't consistent. I wasn't particularly looking for consistency. I wanted style and imagination. I wanted someone to bring that out of my Rangers team. I thought he could be special.

Well, the worst thing happened and Rodney lived up to his description in his debut at Peterborough. He was awful and I told my staff we were wgoing to have to work dam hard with this one but mark my words he'll be worth it.

Sure enough after four days training we began to see a different Marsh. Suddenly he lost his awkwardness and developed into a beautiful animal. For a big man Rod had a delicate touch and he is still the only player I have seen who could dribble without looking at the ball. It was as if he had the ball tied to a piece of string and whatever you asked him to do he could do it.

He could chip in goals from impossibly angles, beat men with a swivel of his hips, climb higher than anyone else in the club, dribble through packed defences, you name it Rodney would have a go and usually succeed. There was always something happening when Marsh was playing.

Marsh scored forty four goals in the season when we won the league cup and were promoted. Many times, as in the game against Bournemouth after we won the league cup I asked the referee to the keep the game going longer. I was half joking but Marsh was what the public wanted, They loved it when he controlled free kicks ob his chest and blasted in goals on the volley. They loved it and wanted more. "

Rodney can be remembered as a extrovert who never did the expected and those at Ipswich will remember penalty when he ran from the half way line swerving, jumping in the air and looked as though he was pedalling a bike, got to the ball stopped, the goalie dived and he rolled it into the other corner.

In 211 league appearances Rodney scored 106 goals.All memorable.

Rangers supporters thought they would never see another great number 10 at Q.P.R. But that is another story……..