Elliott Leaves A Sinking Ship
By Nu Mad
Updated Tuesday, 10th July 2007
Ex-Newcastle defender Robbie Elliott was released from Leeds United at the end of last season and has now signed a new deal with newly promoted Hartlepool United.
Always a popular fugure on Tyneside, the local boy had two spells at St James' Park.
He made 121 appearances between 1990 and 1997 before moving to Bolton Wanderers, where he suffered a serious broken leg as soon as he moved to the Reebok.
He returned to United under Sir Bobby Robson in 2001, and spent another five years at the club playing 66 games.
Robbie only made one appearance in 2002/3. Robson had a bust up with him because he put him on the transfer list but the player refused to go.
Ended his contract in the summer of 2006 and joined Sunderland.
He joined Leeds last season but they were a club in trumoil, and he couldn't stop them reaching an all time low, being relegated to what used to be the old Third Division.
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Ken Bates has a strong rival in the battle for ownership of Leeds after two potential investors joined forces to launch a takeover bid.
Administrators running the club are set to announce on Tuesday who has won the right to take charge of the cash-strapped League One outfit after the deadline for submissions passed on Monday.
Current chairman Bates already had one offer on the table while it emerged this evening that investment firm Redbus Group had linked up with another interested party, local property developer Simon Morris.
Redbus chairman Simon Franks admits his company are taking a big risk as they do not have access to important financial information, such as where recent season-ticket income has gone.
This has made the bid difficult to compile but Franks is confident he has put together a sound plan.
Franks told Sky Sports News: "I had a conference with all of my guys and some of them begged me to walk away. They just felt it is impossible to bid where you don't have any data and to do so would be risky, verging on reckless.
"But we think Leeds is such a valuable franchise, such a great club that it is worth taking that extra risk.
"We may be bidding for something we actually can't have, so it's frustrating and a little bit scary.
"It's the first time in the history of our company we've taken part in such a blind auction but there you have it.
"The money we are not sure we would get or not - the season-ticket money which is crucial to us - we have no idea whether it would be delivered to us if we are the successful bidder.
"This has made it an incredibly difficult task to come up with an offer.
"Our bid is still higher than his [Bates'] last published bid but it is lower than we originally had."
