Jostein Flo - your memories

[Silent Blade]

I rated Jostein Flo, saw him score on his debut I think at Loftus Road, QPR had Trevor Sinclair making his debut, we lost 2-1 despite header from Flo.,would do a job now in DIv 3!

Everton away was his debut. His first goal was in the 2-1 win against Wimbledon. Scored again in the 1-1 home draw against Ipswich. The QPR match was his 4th match for us

 

[JohnDenver]

I remember Norway playing him on the right wing in the World Cup and just leathering cross field balls onto his bonce. Bizarre tactics.

 

[Trafford]

Three things for me:-

The 'Flo Flo, Flo Flo Flo Flo, Flo Flo' song already mentioned

Scoring a classic centre forward's header on his debut at the lane - I remember thinking that we might not miss Deano after all

Going practically a season without scoring for us (well, it seemed that long) and then scoring after about 30 seconds playing for Norway or Sweden - the commentator said something like 'he can't buy a goal for Sheffield United and now he scores for his country in the first minute'

 

[Russ]

Was a brilliant player (for Norway) but not for us. Tried hard but achieved little.

As his surname only had 3 letters, many chose his shirt as it was 50p per letter!

 

[Bath Blade]

Was a brilliant player (for Norway) but not for us. Tried hard but achieved little.

As his surname only had 3 letters, many chose his shirt as it was 50p per letter!

But he was number 12 so you had to pay for an extra number. Ward 7 would have been cheaper!

 

[SUFC Handsworth]

I remember Norway playing him on the right wing in the World Cup and just leathering cross field balls onto his bonce. Bizarre tactics.

Those same tactics worked a treat in the qualifiers, especially against England in Oslo. Turnip changed England's tactics for that game to combat Flo on the right and the long ball to his head. Of course it turned into a nightmare (if I remember correctly especially so for future pig Des Walker) for England who lost 2-0. A big result (alongside the defeat in Rotterdam and the two home draws against Holland and Norway) in our failure to qualify for the US World Cup.

 

[Patient Bus]

Man in treacle, legs going like bees wings but going nowhere. Also remember a strange chap used to sit near me with a plastic Viking helmet with Flo painted on it. Great days

 

[1889]

Those two goals won me a lot of money from Ladbrokes.... heady days...

Plus, my only visit to Anfield.

Those two goals won me £63, the only time I've ever had a bet at a match. Quit while you're ahead !

I remember Littlejohn had a one on one in the last minute and I thought he was going to cost me my winnings, I needn't have worried

Don't really remeber much else about Flo, I thought he was ok to start with but went rapidly down hill.
Wasn't the Norway team of that time about 40% made up of his brothers and relatives?

Didn't we also sign Jonas Wimola about the same time, I think I remember his debut at the Lane, against Wimbledon and he had John Fashanu in his pocket. As is usual, that turned out to be a false dawn

 

[HillmortonBlade]

Those two goals won me £63, the only time I've ever had a bet at a match. Quit while you're ahead !

I remember Littlejohn had a one on one in the last minute and I thought he was going to cost me my winnings, I needn't have worried

Blimey.... Mrs HMB pointed the very same thing to me... I had Blades to win 2-1, Ian Rush to score, one of my finest match bets. But what a strange emotion as we held on to 2-1...

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I remember him for his double at Anfield, his worldies against Leeds (H) and Chelsea (A) on that awful day, his wrist bandage but ultimately, for never really delivering consistently enough on the hype.

I remember reading an article of how England feared him when we were playing Norway identifying him as the main threat and gaining the impression that he was revered as some sort of superstar for a team who were better than England at the time and wondering why he couldn't translate that into his club form. Norway comfortably beat England to qualification for the 95 world cup. England had the likes of Wright, Shearer, Sheringham, Ferdinand etc. and what seemed to be Norway's main man was absolutely lightyears behind them as a footballer.

 

[Darren]

Jostein Flo. The first player I ever got the name and number of on the back of my shirt, the classic/awful navy away shirt with purple/green diagonal stripe.

He was the replacement for Deano, but very much not Deano. He was effective if used the right way. I liked him, but can't actually think of any memorable goals of his that I saw live (though recall seeing the famous brace at Anfield on MOTD).

Didn't we end up selling him largely because his appearance total was reaching a point that an extra payment would have been owed to his old club?

I believe that when Kendall became manager in Dec 95, it was realised that if he played once more an extra payment to his firmer club would be triggered. He was consequently stuck in the reserves until being released in Feb 96 to play for a team in Norway, His career was far from over. He played for Norway in the 98 World Cup.

 

[Bladesway]

Goal against Leeds (wasn't he yards offside and everyone stopped?) and Liverpool when we thought we had stopped up that day.

 

[Geordie Blade]

I liked him, but feel that United didn't use him to th best of his abilities. As has been mentioned many times already, we tried to use him as a like-for-like replacement for Brian Deane, but Flo was quite different. He was very honest player, and gave his best in every game., I disagree with other posters who've said that he was poor in the air - he caused quite a lot of havoc for other teams, especially in his early days. Our tactics of just aiming for his head every time didn't really help, as the opposition started to find it predictable and could adapt tactics accordingly. After getting Jostein Flo and Roger Nilsen (a player still in my top five Blades of all time), quite a few United fans started wearing viking helmets to matches.

I also remember that we were lined up to sign his younger brother (Tore Andre), but their mum said that he had to go to university first. He later went on to play for Chelsea and Rangers among others.

 

[cooperblade]

My recollection of Flo's winner at Anfield was that he went for an absolute bullet header, missed the ball with his head but connected with his shoulder and having gone for it with so much power, it was enough to send it looping over the 'keeper.

 

[IOM Blade]

My recollection of Flo's winner at Anfield was that he went for an absolute bullet header, missed the ball with his head but connected with his shoulder and having gone for it with so much power, it was enough to send it looping over the 'keeper.

My first away game. The goal was at the kop end and looked liked it had looped over the bar from the away end. It was only when Flo and Carr started hugging we realized it had dropped in.

 

[Revolution]

My first away game. The goal was at the kop end and looked liked it had looped over the bar from the away end. It was only when Flo and Carr started hugging we realized it had dropped in.

I was on the Kop that day. When the first one went in, I cheered and jumped up in the air. The next thing I knew I had been pushed 10 rows down the terrace.

I did not celebrate the second goal.

One of my best ever away days. Franz Carr was fantastic - he tormented the Liverpool defence all of the second half and had he kept his cool we would have won by 3 or 4.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Apparently Bernard Proctor wanted Bassett to play him at full back.

 

[Darren]

I was on the Kop that day. When the first one went in, I cheered and jumped up in the air. The next thing I knew I had been pushed 10 rows down the terrace.

I did not celebrate the second goal.

One of my best ever away days. Franz Carr was fantastic - he tormented the Liverpool defence all of the second half and had he kept his cool we would have won by 3 or 4.

That was the second game in a mini run that saw us in top of the table form - the 7 games saw us with a record of P7 W4 D2 L1 pts 14 (it had taken us 19 games to get our previous 14 points). Unfortunately the 8th game was the problem....

 

[JJ Sefton]

In 1994 I think he was the first Blade to go to a World Cup Finals since Hodgkinson in 1962.

 

[Revolution]

That was the second game in a mini run that saw us in top of the table form - the 7 games saw us with a record of P7 W4 D2 L1 pts 14 (it had taken us 19 games to get our previous 14 points). Unfortunately the 8th game was the problem....

It was also our first away win if the season. The second was at Norwich 3 weeks later.

2 other memories of the day:

- it was April the 2nd but it was snowing on the Snake pass as we drove over

- we parked the car and some urchin came up to my mate and said "look after your car for a quid mister?". I had thought this was a myth and was amazed it actually happened. My mate, a large Australian, refused to pay and told him to do his worst to the car - it was a hire car. It was untouched when we returned.

 

[Revolution]

In 1994 I think he was the first Blade to go to a World Cup Finals since Hodgkinson in 1962.

Yes. Roger Nilsen was in the Norway squad too but didn't play.

 

[Rodders]

Yes. Roger Nilsen was in the Norway squad too but didn't play.

..and Alan Kelly in the ROI squad but didn't play too.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Yes. Roger Nilsen was in the Norway squad too but didn't play.

Have there been any World Cup Finals Blades since? Suffo possibly, Carney?

 

[Darren]

Have there been any World Cup Finals Blades since? Suffo possibly, Carney?

Suffo played in Cameroon's first WC game in 2002 a matter of days before his transfer to Numancia was made permanent (he had been on loan there since the BOBL). He and Flo remain the only players on United's books to play in a WC final tournament.

Carney played for Australia in the 2010 tournament after he left United.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Suffo played in Cameroon's first WC game in 2002 a matter of days before his transfer to Numancia was made permanent (he had been on loan there since the BOBL). He and Flo remain the only players on United's books to play in a WC final tournament.

Carney played for Australia in the 2010 tournament after he left United.

Top two Blades to play at a World Cup Finals...

1 - Jostein Flo
2 - Patrick Suffo

 

[Darren]

Top two Blades to play at a World Cup Finals...

1 - Jostein Flo
2 - Patrick Suffo

People who have been in squads but not played

1. 1954 Ted Burgin England
2. 1958 and 1962 Alan Hodgkinson England
3. 1994 Roger Nilsen Norway
4. 1994 Alan Kelly Ireland

 

[Hodgyman]

My main recollections of him:
He was a tall chap who was not as tall when he jumped
At £1 per letter for the name on replica shirts, there were more of "his" shirts than the others. (We are from Yorkshire aren't we?)
We were hoping for a big name striker to replace Deano and got one called Flo

 

[oldblade]

I rated Jostein Flo, saw him score on his debut I think at Loftus Road, QPR had Trevor Sinclair making his debut, we lost 2-1 despite header from Flo.,would do a job now in DIv 3!

Well, I suppose he was slow enough to fit right in with the current squad.

 

[Kenilworth]

Three things for me:-

The 'Flo Flo, Flo Flo Flo Flo, Flo Flo' song already mentioned

Scoring a classic centre forward's header on his debut at the lane - I remember thinking that we might not miss Deano after all

Going practically a season without scoring for us (well, it seemed that long) and then scoring after about 30 seconds playing for Norway or Sweden - the commentator said something like 'he can't buy a goal for Sheffield United and now he scores for his country in the first minute'

"Norway or Sweden"
Some good research done there, Traffs

 

[Kenilworth]

Man in treacle, legs going like bees wings but going nowhere. Also remember a strange chap used to sit near me with a plastic Viking helmet with Flo painted on it. Great days

Was it Bergen Blade ?


If the helmet had horns on it then I doubt it would have been him - not authentic enough.

I have a theory as to why we have quite a few Scandinavian Blades - it's got nowt to do with the former players that have plied their trade with SUFC.
It's the Shoreham Boys song.
There's lines in it that resonate with their Viking roots.
Has to be the answer, surely