BfB

Kevin Ellison has returned to Rotherham United after injury curtailed his spell at Bradford City leaving Bantams fans with few lingering memories of the winger.

Ellison scored for City before starting to struggle with injury but perhaps a bigger impact on his career at the club was the change of manager from Peter Taylor to Peter Jackson.

Jackson’s style of play requested the return of Omar Daley and Ellison was quickly moved out of the first team picture being incapable of pushing his way back into the manager’s thoughts.

More curious though seems to be how the burly winger figured in the thoughts of Taylor and with an attitude that could be described as “no nonsense” by some and “distasteful” by others Ellison quickly seemed to start to represent all that had gone wrong under the previous manager.

Win at all costs, but without winning, and with a nasty taste in the mouth. League Two football gives an opportunity to get close to players at pitch side and watching Ellison plant two feet into a defender who had just knocked him over at Morecambe was unwelcome and unpleasant. Much of the winger’s interplay with his opponents seemed to be similar. Everyone has their own way of drawing the line between a wind up merchant and an nasty player and for some – including me – Ellison seemed to cross that line.

As Ellison exits he will be followed by other players who were brought in as a part of Taylor’s plans. Regardless of what might happen in the summer Tommy Doherty seems set to have played his last game for City. Many of those players will represent missed opportunities where City failed to get the best out of someone.

Ellison joins the list of players who will be looking for a new club. As a footballer he is no worse than the player who will replace him, but I hope that that replacement plays the game in a different way, and in a way I can be proud to watch.