Players - Sam Raybould

Sam Raybould
Birthdate: 11 June 1875
Birthplace: Staveley, Chesterfield, England
Date of death: 17 December 1953
Other clubs: Seymour Exchange, Poolsbrook United, Staveley Colliery, North Staveley, Ilkeston Town (1894), Derby County (1894-95), Ilkeston Town (2 / 1895-97), Poolsbrook United (2 / 1897-98), Ilkeston Town (3 / 1898-99), Bolsover Colliery (1899), New Brighton Tower (1899-1900), Sunderland (1907-08), Woolwich Arsenal (1908-09), Chesterfield Town (1909-11), Sutton Town (1911-13), Barlborough United (1913-15)
Signed from: New Brighton Tower
Signed for LFC: £250, 04.01.1900
Liverpool debut: 13.01.1900
Last appearance: 27.04.1907
Debut goal: 20.01.1900
Last goal: 27.04.1907
Contract expiry: 10.05.1907
Win ratio: 53.1% W:120 D:40 L:66
Games/goals ratio: 1.74
Honours: League Championship 1900/01, 1905/06; Second Division 1904/05
Total games/goals opposite LFC: 1 / 0
League games / goals: 211 / 120
Total games / goals: 226 / 130

Player Profile

Raybould established himself quite late on the League scene after playing with a string of amateur sides. He was 24-years-old when he scored ten goals in 13 games in half a season for second division New Brighton Tower, before stardom at neighbours Liverpool. Raybould was the first player to score 100 League goals for Liverpool, a feat he achieved in 162 first and second division matches between 20 January 1900 and 9 December 1905. Raybould was top-scorer with 17 when Liverpool won the League Championship for the first time in 1901 but his most prolific period came two years later when he grabbed 32 goals from 34 League and cup games! His abilities were obvious to everyone. “He is a dangerous player when in possession, and backs who make mistakes might as well concede a goal straight away,” the local press reported admiringly.
 
After becoming the first Liverpool player to score 30 goals in one season in 1903 Raybould got himself in trouble with the football authorities by agreeing to 'financial inducements' to sign for southern league Portsmouth along with teammates John Glover and William Goldie. The Southern league was the dominant competition in Southern and Central England outside the Football League. When The Football League was founded in 1888 it was based entirely in the North and Midlands with the establishment of County Football Associations in the South being firmly opposed to professionalism. Portsmouth tried to use lack of regulations of transfers between the leagues to their advantage, but their approach was deemed as illegal and Raybould was suspended for seven months for agreeing to sign for Pompey. He was also given a lifetime ban on ever signing for the south-coast side. His absence proved significant as Liverpool slumped from fifth place a year before to relegation candidates. During the enforced break Raybould was very successful in quarter of a mile professional sprints in the Midlands and is said to have run 120 yards (110 meters) in just over 11 seconds. His ban lasted until 31 December 1903, but he seemed to have been forgiven for wishing to move as he was selected for the first team straight away in January. But, even Raybould's four goals from 15 games towards the end of the season could not prevent the dreaded drop into the Second Division.

Raybould was a strong and powerful striker with a wonderful turn of speed, good ball control and was praised for his daring rushes up-field and judicious distribution of play to the wingers, but first and foremost, his deadly scoring capacity. He was moved from centre-forward to left wing in the Second Division and struggled to make an impression in the opening matches for which he was greatly criticized. At the time he suffered more abuse from his own fans than any other player, as they had expected him always to score goals. In the end Raybould came good and scored 19 League goals as the club made an immediate return to the First Division. He made a significant contribution when the First Division was won just a year later by scoring 11 goals in 25 matches. The last of Raybould's 211 League appearances for Liverpool came on the final day of the 1906/07 season at home to Sheffield United and he marked the occasion in typical fashion with a goal, the last of the 130 he scored for the club. Even though for being such a sensational goalscorer for Liverpool he never played for the English national team, but featured three times for the Football League XI playing the Scottish League XI.

Thirty-two-year-old Raybould left Liverpool in 1907 for first division Sunderland. He scored ten goals in 27 League games in the 1907/08 season keeping Sunderland just above the relegation places. After only one season he went to fellow first division team Woolwich Arsenal and scored six goals in 26 League games for sixth-placed future Gunners before going down a couple of divisions to guide Chesterfield Town to the Midland championship, scoring 14 goals in 47 games in his two years there. A true goalscoring legend!
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 211 14 0 0 1 226
1899-1900 11 0 0 0 0 11
1900-1901 31 2 0 0 0 33
1901-1902 29 0 0 0 0 29
1902-1903 33 1 0 0 0 34
1903-1904 15 1 0 0 0 16
1904-1905 32 2 0 0 0 34
1905-1906 25 4 0 0 1 30
1906-1907 35 4 0 0 0 39
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
13 1170 Everton
12 1080 Blackburn Rovers
11 990 Sheffield Wednesday
11 990 Sheffield United
11 990 Newcastle United
10 900 Bury
10 900 Stoke City
10 900 Aston Villa
10 900 Nottingham Forest
10 900 Notts County
9 810 Bolton Wanderers
9 810 Sunderland
9 810 Derby
9 810 Manchester City
7 630 WBA
7 630 Wolves
6 540 Birmingham City
6 540 Grimsby Town
5 450 Manchester United
5 450 Preston North End
5 450 Middlesbrough
4 360 Bristol City
4 360 Arsenal
3 270 Bradford City
3 270 Barnsley
3 270 Burnley
3 270 Leicester City
3 270 Glossop North End
2 180 Gainsborough Trinity
2 180 Burton United
2 180 Chesterfield
2 180 Port Vale
2 180 Doncaster Rovers
2 180 Blackpool
1 90 Southampton
1 90 Oldham Athletic
1 90 Lincoln City
1 90 Brentford
1 90 West Ham United
1 90 Corinthians
Total Venue
116 Home
109 Away
1 Neutral
Total Competition
211 League
14 FA Cup
1 Sheriff of London Charity Shield
Total W D L Win % Manager
226 120 40 66 53.1% Tom Watson
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 120 9 0 0 1 130
1899-1900 7 0 0 0 0 7
1900-1901 17 1 0 0 0 18
1901-1902 16 0 0 0 0 16
1902-1903 31 1 0 0 0 32
1903-1904 4 1 0 0 0 5
1904-1905 19 0 0 0 0 19
1905-1906 11 4 0 0 1 16
1906-1907 15 2 0 0 0 17
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 13.01.1900 WBA Anfield League
50 05.10.1901 Derby Baseball Ground League
100 28.03.1903 Sheffield United Anfield League
150 18.03.1905 Gainsborough Trinity Anfield League
200 01.12.1906 Derby Baseball Ground League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 1 20.01.1900 Everton Goodison Park League
50 50 25.10.1902 Bolton Wanderers Burnden Park League
100 0 21.10.1905 Nottingham Forest Anfield League
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Scrapbook
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Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Seymour Exchange N/A N/A N/A N/A
Poolsbrook United N/A N/A N/A N/A
Staveley Colliery N/A N/A N/A N/A
North Staveley N/A N/A N/A N/A
Ilkeston Town 1894 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Derby 1894-1895 England First Division 5 2 5 2
Ilkeston Town 1895-1897 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Poolsbrook United 1897-1898 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Ilkeston Town 1898-1899 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Bolsover Colliery 1899 N/A N/A N/A N/A
New Brighton Tower 1899-1900 England Second Division 13 10 14 10
Sunderland 1907-1908 England First Division 27 12 28 12
Arsenal 1908-1909 England First Division 26 6 30 7
Chesterfield 1909-1911 Midland League 47 14 47 14
Sutton Town 1911-1913 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Barlborough United 1913-1915 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Total 118 44 124 45