Andrew Ellis: Past flirtations with Northampton and QPR unlikely to impress Ibrox board

AS HE seeks to convince Rangers directors of the merit of his bid to buy the Ibrox club, Andrew Ellis will certainly not be able to build a compelling case on the basis of his previous experience in football.

Establishing the business acumen and financial wherewithal of the 41-year-old from London, described variously as a property developer and an estate agent, will be the major issues for the men charged with assessing his suitability to purchase the majority shareholding of Murray International Holdings.

But they will find it difficult to ignore Ellis' less-than-stellar involvement with two English clubs over the past decade, already the cause of considerable consternation among Rangers supporters.

The son of former Queens Park Rangers chairman Peter Ellis, he tried to buy the west-London club in July 2001. His intention was to relocate QPR from their Loftus Road home to a new stadium close to Heathrow Airport which would be based on the Chelsea Village development at Stamford Bridge. Despite opposition to the plan from Hammersmith and Fulham Council and a rival bid from a fans' consortium, Ellis was granted a period of exclusivity to prove he possessed the funds to back-up his proposal. But he withdrew his bid in August 2001.

Ellis re-emerged in December 2002 when he headed a consortium called Premier Sports Development which took over Northampton Town. He was viewed as something of a saviour by the Sixfields club at the time, controversial lawyer Giovanni di Stefano having earlier failed in his attempt to take over before turning his attention to Dundee.

Appointed chairman of Northampton, Ellis' first act was to pay the 500,000 which was need to save them from going into administration as they suffered following the collapse of ITV Digital.

"It has been well known that the club has had financial difficulties in the past," said Ellis on his first day at the helm.

"I came down to have a look with one of my partners, and we decided we would take it further. We then got sucked in on the Northampton Town footballing drug and we are delighted to be here."

But he did not remain addicted to the Cobblers for long. A suggestion that Northampton could merge with Milton Keynes Dons did not endear him to supporters and nor did his appointment of former England and Spurs defender Terry Fenwick as manager.

Fenwick, who had been coaching in Trinidad and Tobago club football before being recruited by Ellis, lasted just 49 winless days.

Ellis himself stood down as chairman on 10 February 2003, just two months after taking the helm and it seemed he had found running a football club far less fulfilling than he had hoped.

"Being at the helm of a football club is a 24/7 commitment which requires 110 per cent effort," he said. "Unfortunately, due to previous unfinished business ventures, I have found myself in a situation where I can no longer devote the necessary time and energy to justify the title of chairman of Northampton Town Football Club. While I am sad and disappointed, I can wholeheartedly assure everyone I am standing down for the best interests of the club."

Ellis did leave a positive legacy at Northampton. David Cordoza, his brother-in-law and fellow member of the Premier Sports Development consortium, took over as chairman. He is credited with stabilising the club and remains in charge.

Since leaving Northampton, Ellis has not been picked up on the footballing radar, other than as a regular attendee of QPR home matches.

Clearly, however, the football bug is back and he appears to have had his sights fixed on Rangers for some time. RFC Holdings (Guernsey) was registered on 3 February this year as Ellis prepared his bid for the Ibrox club. The profile of the company, based on the South Esplanade in St Peter Port on the tax haven Channel Islands, describes it as an "asset, property, investment, intellectual property and other holdings company". It remains to be seen whether Rangers Football Club will be added to its portfolio.