David Howells
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| David Howells | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Howells | |
| Date of birth | 15 December 1967 | |
| Place of birth | Guildford, Surrey, England | |
| Position | Midfielder | |
| Professional clubs* | ||
| Years | Club | Apps (goals) |
| 1985-1998 1998-2000 1998-1999 |
Tottenham Hotspur Southampton Bristol City, loan |
277 (22) 9 (1) 8 (0) |
|
* Professional club appearances and goals |
||
David Howells (born 15 December 1967 in Guildford, Surrey) is an English former professional footballer, who spent the majority of his career with Tottenham Hotspur.
David Howells made his debut for Spurs as an 18-year-old in 1986, scoring in a 2-1 win against Sheffield Wednesday, before going on to spend 12 years at White Hart Lane, making over 250 appearances, including a winners' medal in the 1991 FA Cup Final. Howells also represented Southampton and Bristol City before retiring from the game in 2000 due to a persistent knee problem. David now runs a string of successful soccer schools all over Europe.
Having come up through the ranks at Tottenham Hotspur, he was not afforded the respect shown to big money signings and struggled to win over the Spurs crowd. His contributions to the team’s cause were often overlooked for those of other, more overtly flamboyant, players. His support for Spurs before he joined the club shone through in games against Arsenal and his rugged tackling was an important element in allowing others to play their natural game.
Starting as a forward and scoring on his debut at Hillsborough, he gradually moved back through the side as bigger names came in up front. He settled in midfield, rarely gave the ball away and protected the back four from being overrun from midfield. Howells was famously punched in the face by Arsenal's Ian Wright in January 1993, due to Wright's frustration at being continually fouled by Howells. Wright subsequently received a three match ban.
He often made an effort to get into the opposition box (the striker in him coming out there) and managed to score occasionally.
