Jostein Flo - your memories

[LoughboroBlade]

His career was far from over. He played for Norway in the 98 World Cup.

Not just played, but played a crucial role in their famous win over Brazil. Pretty sure I saw him play for Stromgodset in Europe too, it was a televised game against Aston Villa I think.

 

[Silent Blade]

The ref often blew for a foul against him when he challenged for the ball in the air

 

[HighfieldBlade]

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.

Atmosphere was mental that day. Loved it. I ended up a couple of rows further down after our second goal.
You're right about Carr, he played a blinder.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

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.

Should have made it 3 wins at city if the ref had given the pen and red card when the keeper pulled Blade down.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

Atmosphere was mental that day. Loved it. I ended up a couple of rows further down after our second goal.
You're right about Carr, he played a blinder.

Remember listening to that match. By all accounts even though Flo got the goals Carr and Littlejohn tore Liverpool apart that day.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

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

Could have sworn Sinclair was at QPR in the 92-93 season before we singed Flo?

 

[Revolution]

Could have sworn Sinclair was at QPR in the 92-93 season before we singed Flo?

No, he signed for QPR from Blackpool that close season.

Fun fact - Trevor Sinclair and I were born on the same day.

 

[bornablade]

As Revolution posted earlier about that game at Liverpool - snowing on the way over (Easter Saturday?). Absolutely bloody freezing on their away end. Can't remember Flo's goals.

All I do recall about Flo was every time Roger Neilson had the ball he'd launch a long diagonal ball towards him. Think Norway played the same tactics.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

As Revolution posted earlier about that game at Liverpool - snowing on the way over (Easter Saturday?). Absolutely bloody freezing on their away end. Can't remember Flo's goals.

All I do recall about Flo was every time Roger Neilson had the ball he'd launch a long diagonal ball towards him. Think Norway played the same tactics.

I think you're right. I think they played him in a sort of wide right forward position. Nilsen would hang the long diagonal ball to the egde of the box and Flo would head across goal in the hope of others profiting.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

No, he signed for QPR from Blackpool that close season.

Fun fact - Trevor Sinclair and I were born on the same day.

Ah, like me and Sergio Aguero. If only we got their footballing ability eh?

 

[Bartleby]

Main thing I remember is a lot of hoofing it up the field from Tracey followed by headers flicked on by Flo into the box - must have got a lot of assists that way.

 

[Revolution]

As Revolution posted earlier about that game at Liverpool - snowing on the way over (Easter Saturday?). Absolutely bloody freezing on their away end. Can't remember Flo's goals.

All I do recall about Flo was every time Roger Neilson had the ball he'd launch a long diagonal ball towards him. Think Norway played the same tactics.

Yes, Easter Saturday. We drew 1-1 with Arsenal on Easter Monday.

 

[Bladepicker]

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.

Yes we (England) changed tactics and system to counteract the 'threat' of Flo. It's documented in the below match report from the Independent which contains the line:

"So much planning, so much secrecy, so little reward. Taylor had changed both tactics and personnel, redeploying in a 3-4-1-2 formation, which had a third centre back, Gary Pallister, drafted in the counter the threat posed by Norway's sky-scraping winger, Jostein Flo."

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/...-as-a-revamped-team-collapses-in-1489441.html

 

[Bladepicker]

As for my own personal memories of Flo, the first time I saw him was in the home game against Wimbledon, I remember being taken aback by how well we played. The performance of Wirmola has to rank as one of the best defensive displays I have seen at the Lane, he was immense that night against the most physical forwards in the league. Flo too was a massive presence and scored a bullet header. I remember walking home up Woodhead Road and along Sitwell Road with my Dad and everyone around was excited by these Scandinavians we had got and were convinced selling Deane wouldn't have the negative impact we all feared. As we all know it didn't pan out anything like that unfortunately.

The other memory of Flo I have is a vivid image of him in the awful half and half purple/yellow away shirt with the Wards sponsor (I think it was Avec's away number to their diamond home one), playing against Huddersfield live on Yorkshire TV. I am pretty sure he scored but remember nothing about the game or goal, other than him in the wrist bandage and awful shirt on our living room telly! It's how my mind pictures Flo whenever he is mentioned. As an aside I am pretty sure it was the first game after we had been taken over by Mike McDonald but again, that might be my not so reliable memory playing tricks.

 

[oldblade]

Could have sworn Sinclair was at QPR in the 92-93 season before we singed Flo?

My remarks were about Flo, not Sinclair. However, Wikipedia has Sinclair at QPR from 1993 to 1998.

Incidentally, the post I was replying to was incorrect in stating that the QPR game was his debut for us. It wasn't. His debut came in the 4-2 defeat at Everton. He didn't score. But he did score in the next three matches - Wimbledon and Ipswich at Home, followed by QPR away.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

My remarks were about Flo, not Sinclair. However, Wikipedia has Sinclair at QPR from 1993 to 1998.

Incidentally, the post I was replying to was incorrect in stating that the QPR game was his debut for us. It wasn't. His debut came in the 4-2 defeat at Everton. He didn't score. But he did score in the next three matches - Wimbledon and Ipswich at Home, followed by QPR away.

My bad. I remember Sinclair scoring a spectacular overhead kick for QPR that I thought was on my Goals Goals Goals video I had as a kid which was of the 92-93 season. 101 goals from that PL season but only 2 blades ones on there. Deano v City and Hodges v Forest.

 

[oldblade]

My bad. I remember Sinclair scoring a spectacular overhead kick for QPR that I thought was on my Goals Goals Goals video I had as a kid which was of the 92-93 season. 101 goals from that PL season but only 2 blades ones on there. Deano v City and Hodges v Forest.

I think I remember Deane's goal against Manchester City. If it's the one I am thinking of it was towards the end of the season and an evening kick off. We were a goal down (a Pemberton own goal?) and Deane received the ball pretty central to the goal, but a fair way out (perhaps near the edge of the box). He appeared to just lash it into the net without thinking about it, as if he'd made is mind up before receiving the ball.

No doubt if I was to see video footage of it, it would look completely different to how I remember it!

 

[Geordie Blade]

The Star (and Green 'Un) had endless headlines along the lines of "Ebb and Flo", "Blades Go with the Flo", etc.

 

[1danewhitehouse]

I think I remember Deane's goal against Manchester City. If it's the one I am thinking of it was towards the end of the season and an evening kick off. We were a goal down (a Pemberton own goal?) and Deane received the ball pretty central to the goal, but a fair way out (perhaps near the edge of the box). He appeared to just lash it into the net without thinking about it, as if he'd made is mind up before receiving the ball.

No doubt if I was to see video footage of it, it would look completely different to how I remember it!

That actually seems a pretty good description. One of the hardest shots I've seen.

 

[Trafford]

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

As you well know Kenilworth, I'm getting on a bit and my memory isn't quite as good as it used to be (and I'm too lazy to do research....)

 

[diplomat]

As for my own personal memories of Flo, the first time I saw him was in the home game against Wimbledon, I remember being taken aback by how well we played. The performance of Wirmola has to rank as one of the best defensive displays I have seen at the Lane, he was immense that night against the most physical forwards in the league. Flo too was a massive presence and scored a bullet header. I remember walking home up Woodhead Road and along Sitwell Road with my Dad and everyone around was excited by these Scandinavians we had got and were convinced selling Deane wouldn't have the negative impact we all feared. As we all know it didn't pan out anything like that unfortunately.

The other memory of Flo I have is a vivid image of him in the awful half and half purple/yellow away shirt with the Wards sponsor (I think it was Avec's away number to their diamond home one), playing against Huddersfield live on Yorkshire TV. I am pretty sure he scored but remember nothing about the game or goal, other than him in the wrist bandage and awful shirt on our living room telly! It's how my mind pictures Flo whenever he is mentioned. As an aside I am pretty sure it was the first game after we had been taken over by Mike McDonald but again, that might be my not so reliable memory playing tricks.

How come Wirmola left so quickly? Did he go on to amount to anything? I remember thinking he looked really good.

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

Ah, like me and Sergio Aguero. If only we got their footballing ability eh?

I've got Anthony Joshua.

 

[Jan Age]

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

Plus, my only visit to Anfield.

If I remember rightly were the odds something like 300-1?

 

[HillmortonBlade]

If I remember rightly were the odds something like 300-1?

Truth be told, I can't remember how many hundreds I made, but it was a cracking pay-day that me and my soon-to-be-Mrs managed to spend on all manners of fun in the pubs and nightclubs of Sheffield (and Rotherham if I remember correctly)

 

[Jan Age]

Truth be told, I can't remember how many hundreds I made, but it was a cracking pay-day that me and my soon-to-be-Mrs managed to spend on all manners of fun in the pubs and nightclubs of Sheffield (and Rotherham if I remember correctly)

I went and the odds were ridiculous... Also the last season of standing on the KOP?

 

[Woodwardfan]

Jostein Flo - honest player, huge disappointment to me, at the time we needed "just that one or two who could make the difference". Instead we got a lumbering, slow but intelligent player who was signed as a centre forward but was too lumbering and slow.

As I remember, though the memory may play tricks Flo played for Norway on the left wing first and we then tried to make something of him by doing that.

In actual fact football can be played in so many ways and Flo on the left wing played much better than up front. His height was always useful at set pieces forward and aft but if anybody thinks Higdon is slow, Flo was no quicker. However there's more than one way to skin a cat.

My personal suspicion is that Flo was signed on reputation and then we went on to make the most of an honest player.

 

[Bergen Blade]

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.

He was good at one thing, so we used him at that. It was the same with various other players. One was quick, another had world class stamina, there was the midget who was technically brilliant, a left back whose left footed set pieces were superb,etc. The team's defensive organisation was our biggest strength, but the way different great attributes were mixed made us into an effective unit.

It was great that the norwegian media finally started writing about us, but Flo was mostly disappointing in the games I saw him play for United. Vonk beat him in the air every time when we played Man City in a televised game where Garry Flitcroft also played centre half for them. Bassett tried to change our playing style after we went down, but lacked the knowhow and the team gradually got worse. Consequently Flo also struggled.

At club level he actually played his best football for Strømsgodset, after he left us.

 

[Silent Blade]

He was good at one thing, so we used him at that. It was the same with various other players. One was quick, another had world class stamina, there was the midget who was technically brilliant, a left back whose left footed set pieces were superb,etc. The team's defensive organisation was our biggest strength, but the way different great attributes were mixed made us into an effective unit.

.

Did you think Egil was right in picking Bjornebye ahead of Nilsen in the three 1994 World Cup matches?

 

[Sheffsteel]

There were 2 brothers, Jostein and Torre Andre.

We picked the older and supposedly better brother.
However it was Torre Andre who went on to be the star player at Chelsea.

The obvious memory was the bandage.
It was always a mystery why he played with the bandage on for so long.

Flo must have been the inspiration behind Keith Lemons hand bandage image.

 

[andybrizz]

Looking back, my thoughts on Jostein Flo are it was another example where we ended up with the shite brother, Holdsworth was another and also Riisa ........ I bet you Chris Guthrie had a brother playing for fuckin' Barcelona or something! Did we sign any other shite brothers (or have we already had this discussion on another thread, apologies if we have)?