Elliott: Robert James (Robbie)

2007-2007 (Leeds Player Details)(Player Details)

Born: Gosforth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne: 25-12-1973

Debut v Coventry City (h): 01-01-2007

5’10” 10st 3lb (2007)

Elliott was a student at Gosforth High School and also a graduate of Northumbria University.His favoured position was left back but he could also play in central defence or in midfield, he was nicknamed 'the Gosforth Roberto Carlos', thanks to his penchant for attempting tricks. He was one of the very few players to have played for both Newcastle United and Sunderland. He began his career with Newcastle United in 1989 as a Youth Trainee, signing professional forms at St James Park just two years later. He was one of a number of youngsters who had been blooded by the Magpies for first team action at that time, others included Steve Watson, Steve Howey, Alan Thompson and Lee Clark. He found opportunities hard to come by in his early years at Newcastle, this mainly being due to the form of regular left-back and crowd favourite John Beresford. However, he was still very much considered to be a key part of the first team squad and one to develop by the Manager at the time, Kevin Keegan. In the season of 1993-94, he was capped by the England Under-Twenty-one team along with fellow Geordie Lee Clark, whilst also making a total of fifteen appearances in the Premier League, his first in the top flight. 1994-95 saw him score his first ever Newcastle goal as a substitute in the opening day fixture against top-flight new boys Leicester City at Filbert Street. He was also on the mark in the home against Leeds United towards the latter end of that season, a season which he temporarily became the club's first choice left-back in the final few months. It looked as if he would be out of the exit door at Newcastle in 1995-96 as he made just six League appearances. Blackburn Rovers showed strong interest in signing him but he remained with the Black and White stripes in order to fight for a first team place. In contrast 1996-97 was probably his best ever season in a Newcastle jersey, he scored seven goals as the Magpies finished as the runners-up to eventual champions Manchester United, a club whom Elliott had previously trialled with as a schoolboy. Keegan's managerial departure from Newcastle also yielded the end of Elliott's first spell with his boyhood club. He scored nine goals in seventy-nine League games, of which eight were as a substitute, and made seven starts and played three times from the bench in the F.A. Cup, made five starts in the League Cup and five starts and one substitute appearances in European and Full Members Cup games without scoring, during his time at St. James Park. New manager Kenny Dalglish accepted a bid of around £2.5 million for Elliott from Division One champions Bolton Wanderers in July 1997, becoming their record signing at the time. Bolton had just moved to the new 25,000 all-seater Reebok Stadium arena and this looked to be a new start for Elliott as he faced the prospect of more regular first team football alongside his former Newcastle team-mates Alan Thompson, Peter Beardsley and Franz Carr, all of whom where also on Bolton's books at that time. However disaster struck in the first ever match at the Reebok Stadium against Everton, just thirty minutes into the game Elliott landed awkwardly following a challenge by Toffees full back Tony Thomas and was stretchered off with a double fracture to his leg. Understandably Elliott was to miss the rest of that season and part of the next season, in a cruel twist of fate. Bolton had been relegated from the Premiership in his absence following an end of season drama at Chelsea. In October 1998, Elliott's luck was to change for the better, he was named in midfield for Bolton's Worthington Cup clash away to Norwich City for his first game since that fateful first night at the Reebok Stadium. He managed to get on the scoresheet at Carrow Road as Bolton advanced to the next round of the competition and later played in a handful of Leaguematches to boost his fitness levels further. The end of that season saw Bolton qualify for the Division’s Play-offs, and they advanced to the Final after a tricky Semi-Final against Ipswich Town over two legs. Elliott was to play at Wembley Stadium with Bolton in the Finalagainst Watford, but sadly the club lost the game by two goals to nil. A year later, Elliott reached three Semi-Finals with Bolton, who were by then managed by Sam Allardyce. Unfortunately, on each occasion these ended in defeat, with the Play-off match against Ipswich proving difficult for Elliott as he was sent off for a two-footed challenge in what was a highly charged game against the Suffolk club. Throughout his career at Bolton he was often touted for a possible return to the Premiership with other clubs because he was one ofthe club's highest paid and most experienced players. However, to his credit, he wanted to help Bolton back into the EPL, and in his final season he did just that as the club won the 2001 Play-off Final against Preston North End at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, having finished behind the other two promoted teams Fulham and Blackburn Rovers. Just two days after that Play-off success his contract expired with Bolton and on 2nd July 2001 he completed a dream return to Newcastle on a Bosman transfer. While at the Reebok he scored five goals in the League from seventy-six starts and sixteen games from the bench. In other games he scored twice in four starts and one game as a substitute in the League Cup, five starts in the F.A. Cup and five starts and one substitute appearance in other games. Back with the Magpies, initially, Elliott was used as a backup player in Newcastle's squad for the 2001-02 season, however he then went on to have limited chances in the 2002-03 season and then failed to make any first team appearances at all during the 2003-04 season. However, by the 2004-05 season, injuries to the squad merited Elliott a recall to the first team football, and he went on the make seventeen appearances that season andscored one goal. For season 2005/06 he remained in Newcastle's first team squad albeit not as a first choice. He was released in the following summer. In his second spell with the Magpies he scored twice in sixty-three League games of which eight were as a substitute. In other games he played six F.A. Cup ties, including one as a substitute, made four starts and had one game from the bench in the League Cup and played in fourteen European games, including one as a sustitute, without scoring. Following his release, Elliott trained with Newcastle's rivals Sunderland after an unsuccessful trial with Leeds United. With Sunderland short on left backs, on 5th August 2006, Elliott signed a one month contract prior to the start of the 2006/07 Football League Championship season, and made his debut in the 3-1 defeat to Southend United at Roots Hall on 19th August 2006. After an unsuccessful spell at the Stadium of Light, making just seven starts in the League and one in the League Cup, Elliott was transferred to Leeds United, who had originally rejected his services six months previously. Elliott confirmed after his Leeds debut in the 2-1 victory over Coventry City on 1st January 2007 that his transfer was permanent, not a loan, and his contract with the club would expire at the end of the season, in May. Robbie was released from Leeds at the end of the 2006-07 season having only playing in eight games for the Whites. After leaving Leeds, Robbie joined Hartlepool United on 7th July 2007, to provide more competition in the left back and centre back positions. He played his first game at Luton Town on 11th August 2007 in a 1-2 defeat. He was sent off against Doncaster Rovers the following Saturday in his home debut after being shown two yellow cards by referee Mike Dean. He went on to start fourteen League games and appear in another as a substitute and he also played one Johnstone's Paint Trophy game before playing his final game against Millwall at home on 12th April 2008 in a 0-1 defeat. He never really established himself in the side, with Ritchie Humphreys being preferred at left back. After featuring in just two of the last twenty League games Elliott was released in the summer. He went back to Newcastle for his third spell at the club and become the new Assistant Fitness and Conditioning Coach for the club to work under Senior Fitness Coach Mark Hulse. He left Newcastle United due to the turmoil regarding the take over of the club in June 2009 and became the strength coach for the United States Under-Twenties football team.