Rab Howell

Rab Howell
	Rab Howell
Personal information
Full name	Rabbi Howell
Date of birth	12 October 1869
Place of birth	Wincobank, Sheffield, England
Date of death	22 November 1937 (aged 68)
Place of death	Preston, Lancashire, England
Height	5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Position(s)	Centre half
Youth career
1887–1889	Ecclesfield
Senior career*
Years	Team
1889–1890	Rotherham Swifts
1890–1898	Sheffield United
1898–1901	Liverpool
1901–1903	Preston North End
International career
1895–1899	England
Medal record
Sheffield United
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Rabbi "Rab" Howell (12 October 1869 – 1937) was a nineteenth-century professional footballer who played for Sheffield United and Liverpool primarily as a defender. Born in Wincobank in Sheffield he was of Romani descent and was the first Romani to play for England, winning two caps.^[2]

Club career

Sheffield United

Howell was a highly skilled player despite his small size (5 feet 5 inches or 1.65 metres), playing as a nippy half-back or inside right. He began his career with the Sheffield club Ecclesfield and also played for Rotherham Swifts before signing along with two other Swifts players, Arthur Watson and Michael Whitham for newly formed Sheffield United in March 1890.^[1] Although he made his debut as a striker Howell was soon moved to defence where he played for the remainder of his career. He won promotion with the Blades to the First Division in 1893, and, in 1897–98, a Championship medal.

"Rab Howell," observed the player's Sheffield United team-mate Ernest Needham,

"a gypsy by birth, perhaps owes some of his inexhaustible vitality to his lucky parentage. Certain it is that no man is more untiring. In his right-hand position this light-weight player (9st.12lbs or 57.3 kg.) always excels. He rejoices at meeting the best of forward wings, and should the outside man indulge in dribbling he sticks to him like a leech. Many duels have I seen between him and Fred (Spiksley of The Wednesday), and generally Howell has come off best. Unfortunately he is a little too fond of keeping the ball too long, and loses many opportunities."^[3]

Howell often fell foul of the club hierarchy who imposed strict codes of conduct on their players, and regularly appeared in front of the Football Committee on charges of 'misconduct' although this often resulted in him being offered a pay increase and asked to 'mend his ways'.^[1] More serious allegations were to be levelled at him however, as in his final season at the club he was believed to have attempted to throw a game against rivals for the Championship Sunderland, scoring two blatant own goals. No charges were ever brought but Howell only played one more game for United before being quietly sold to Liverpool.^[1] He left Bramall Lane having played for 5 years, making over 200 appearances for the club.

Liverpool and Preston North End

In April 1898 Howell was transferred to Liverpool for a fee of £200, making his debut for the club in a game against Aston Villa. He played 68 times for Liverpool, scoring no goals. Three years later he moved on to Preston North End, where his career was ended by broken leg in 1903.

International career

Howell scored once for the national team, on his debut in a 9–0 rout of Ireland in April 1895. His second and last appearance came in a win against Scotland four years later.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Result	Competition	Scored
1	9 March 1895	County Cricket Club, Derby	Ireland	9–0	Home Championship	1

Honours

Sheffield United

Football League Division One
- Championship: 1897–98
- Runner-up: 1896–97
Football League Division Two
- Runner-up: 1892–93

Personal life

Howell was born, and lived as a child, in a Romani caravan in Sheffield where his father was a horse dealer and sold pots and pans. His name was registered as 'Rabbi' but this may have been a mistake on the part of the registrar, spelling the familiar form of 'Robert' incorrectly. He was always known as 'Rab' in club records and the local press however.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Denis Clarebrough & Andrew Kirkham (2008). Sheffield United Who's Who. Hallamshire Press. pp. 168–169. ISBN 978-1-874718-69-7.
^ "Gypsy and traveller footballers". Retrieved 6 May 2012.
^ Ernest Needham (2003) [1901]. Association Football (reprint). Cleethorpes: Soccer Books. ISBN 1-86223-083-8.

External links

Template:Persondata

[blades_whos_who-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Denis Clarebrough & Andrew Kirkham (2008). Sheffield United Who's Who. Hallamshire Press. pp. 168–169. ISBN 978-1-874718-69-7.

[kick_it_out-2] "Gypsy and traveller footballers". Retrieved 6 May 2012.

[needham-3] Ernest Needham (2003) [1901]. Association Football (reprint). Cleethorpes: Soccer Books. ISBN 1-86223-083-8.

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