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The phrase 'hard but fair' could have been written with Paul Elliott in
mind. A majestic presence in the centre of defence, he signed for
Chelsea in July 1991 for £1.4 million after a hugely impressive season
with Celtic for which he was awarded the title of Scottish Player of the
Year. An extremely powerful figure who was equally dominant whether the
ball was on the ground or in the air, Elliott, not previously noted for
his goal scoring prowess, scored twice in his first two home games for
the club, a soaring header on his debut in a 2-2 draw with Wimbledon and
a close range shot in another 2-2 draw, this time against Notts County.
He also found the net in a pre-Christmas 4-2 victory over Oldham.
However, it was for his defensive qualities that Paul had been recruited
and his performances in a back four which was at times unconvincing
were exemplary.
He quickly became the cornerstone of the defence and the
young players around him, particularly Jason Cundy, visibly grew in
confidence and stature as a result of his presence alongside them. The
Blues league form was disappointing but they enjoyed a long run in the
FA Cup. After wins over Hull and Everton without conceding a goal, they
were pitted against Dave Bassett's Sheffield United in the fifth round.
Chelsea's young side looked nervous in the face of United's aggressive
approach but one man stood like a colossus in the face of the onslaught.
Paul was simply magnificent as The Blues clung on grimly to Graham
Stuart's first-half goal to seal a spot in the quarter-finals where they
were beaten by Sunderland. Elliott took the captain's armband when Andy
Townsend was suspended late in the season but an injury collected
during the first half of a win over QPR led to him missing the last
three games of the season, including a return to Aston Villa, one of his
former clubs.
He was voted the club's official Player of the Year at
the end of his first campaign. Paul began the new season alongside his
former Luton colleague Mal Donaghy and the two experienced campaigners
formed a solid unit but at the beginning of September, Elliott was the
victim of a brutal challenge by Liverpool's Dean Saunders which caused
severe damage to the ligaments in his right knee. After a typically
brave battle to regain fitness, he was forced to concede defeat and
retired from professional football in May 1994. However, he still had
something to offer and in 2003 this outstanding man was awarded the MBE
for his work with young footballers and the Let's Kick Racism Out of
Football campaign. (Kelvin Barker)
1980–1983 Charlton Athletic 63 (1)
1983–1985 Luton Town 66 (4)
1985–1987 Aston Villa 57 (7)
1987–1989 Pisa 23 (1)
1989–1991 Celtic 52 (12)
1991–1994 Chelsea 42 (3)
Total 303 (28)
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