Reyna help at Sunderland Tore Andre Flo from Rangers http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/sunderland/2225278.stm anyone recall how well these two played together at Rangers? Marcus Stewart from Ipswich http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/2224146.stm d
Watching Sky Sports News this morning, I just caught the end of the report but it says that Sunderland are also talking to Nigerian Julius Agawahowa. This article on Flo also briefly mentions it: http://msn.skysports.com/skysports/article/0,,3760-1062647,00.html Ok, found a link: http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/020830/4/d8j2v.html Also, Sky mentioned a £3 million move for Pierre-Yves Andre of Nantes as still possibly on. It looks like Reid could sign about 5 strikers before the transfer window. Oh, and what ever happened to Mols? Did he sign or not?
Excellent news for Captain America and the Black Cats. This deal was as on again off again as the Lewis to Preston rumor. Rangers taking a 7million pound loss on the deal has gotta hurt though...
I think strikers are like internet stocks: no one's worried about making a profit right now, they're just happy to get any money back. And I'd say that "in town for a medical" and "press conference scheduled for today" actually mean "we're still working on the details but we're close and we're praying this comes off". But if these two arrive and play like the 20+ goals strikers they once were, it would be a great deal. It's worth a fiver on Sunderland to knock off Man U this weekend, anyway...
Good Signing I've been a huge fan of Flo's game for a long time, and I can attest to his seamless interaction with Reyna from their time together at Rangers (although Reyna didn't play quite the same central attacking role there that he does now for Sunderland). If Flo can keep even 75% of his game that he showed the last year Rangers won the Scottish League, he should be a fine addition as second striker alongside Phillips at the Stadium of Light.
I'm not holding my breath. A striker who has struggled to find the net consistently for 2 years in the SPL is going to have big impact in the EPL? Nice addition to the squad, but hardly someone who is going to put the Cats into the top 6.
I don't know he sure did fine when he first arrived at Chelsea a few years ago. If he can recapture that form, he can have a big impact. Remember he's playing with better players (even at Sunderland) and against better competiton which usually helps bring out the best in players. In the SPL he only had to get really prepared for the Old Firm games. Now he will need to be up for every game.
impact... I'm not as heavy a follower of the EPL as some on these boards (I don't get FSW, for starters) but I believe the goal or impact that Reid is hoping for is to take a little pressure off of SuperKev. Flo is a workhorse, he can do that. I remember seeing a few games when he was with Chelsea and he and Zola worked very well together. Granted, that was a few years ago, but... (Aside: I don't think Flo joined until after Rangers last won the Scottish title. But I could be wrong) As for Stewart, if I remember he is a big guy who used to be a defender. Don't know that he's quite the same style striker as a certain storied Irish big man, but we can see where Reid is going with both of these moves...the goal is not necessarily for them to score buckets of goals, but to give Phillips a little breathing room.
How years ago was that? I guess he'll help keep them out of the bottom 6, but it is going to be all long balls for him to knock down to Philips. Reyna is going to be running back and forth watching the ball going over his head.
First, Tore Andre Flo didn't struggle to score goals in Scotland. He struggled to score goals against Celtic. Hence Rangers fans viewed his as a dissappointment as these are the only games that really truly matter. That being said, Flo is not that big of a fan of the longballs up to him to knock it down approach despite his size. He likes the ball played into his feet not his head. Rangers started playing balls to his head early on his transfer and he complained about it. I think Flo will be a good addition. I mean who else on that team can score goals? Seriously. Kevin Phillips is the only striker they really had. Quinn is 23509 years old now? He is a sub but not a full time player. It can't hurt the squad. For bang for the buck, I would rather have Mathis, but that is just because I am an unbiased yank fan.
If Sunderland get Agahowa as well, Sunderland could go from the worst striking corps in the premeirship to suddenly in the top 6 or so. These are great moves and should surely steer Sunderland clear of the drop zone. I expect a top 10 finish this year unless a sudden rash of injuries
Re: Good Signing Rangers haven't won the league while Flo has been at Ibrox. They last won the league in 1999/2000. Flo was signed in late 2000. The guy was a disaster for the amount of money they were paying him. Rangers don't pay someone £30K a week to score regularly against the smaller clubs; they pay someone £30K a week to score against Celtic and top European teams. Flo didn't do this. This is a panic buy by Sunderland; much in the same way that it was a panic buy by Rangers when they bought Flo in the first place.
I think it's a good move by Sunderland. You get two players who have been in good form in recent years. I never saw Flo at Rangers, but he impressed me at Chelsea. Sunderland's biggest problem is that they rely on Phillips to score all their goals. If one of the new guys can score a few to relieve the pressure on Phillips, it will dramatically help the Cats.
Exactly!...now the club has three players who can score instead of one, an immense improvement. It will be very interesting to see Reyna play with a full compliment of strikers throughout the season. They can finish in the top half of the table if it all clicks...
Flo's Record Flo scored 14 goals in 33 games for Chelsea and Rangers in 2000-2001 and 18 goals in 30 games for Rangers in 2001-2002. Not Henrick Larson numbers, which was his big problem, but certainly a useful player.
Re: Re: Good Signing Mea culpa; guess I'm thinking same calendar year! Well, IMO, Flo and Reyna DID work well together, it's just that Rangers have collectively played like excrement against Celtic since that season. Can't really blame it all on Tore, right? He has shown decent form for Chelsea, though, as the numbers attest. Great article from soccernet, with reaction from Reid, and a great reference to Claudio: http://www.soccernet.com/england/news/2002/0830/20020830safcstrikers.html "Former Chelsea striker Flo, who spoke to Rangers old boy Reyna before making his decision, will look to reestablish himself as one of the Premiership's most dangerous frontmen after a spell at Ibrox which, although he scored 38 goals in 60 starts, did not go as well as he might have hoped." "Just go with the Flo."
Flo is the bigger name. Stweart is the bigger upgrade. what's he scored in the last two EPL seasons? Gotta be around 30. Flo won't see much of aberdeen and falkirk and dundee u this season.
As a celtic supporter it pains me to see players of Flo's stature leaving rangers, this means they might get somebody good in now. I cant believe someone paid over 5 million for him, hes still living on a supersub reputation gained at chelsea no doubt as he really did struggle to score against anyone up here, most of his goals were towards the end of routs of teams, the ones that dont matter when the pressure is off, when it did count he drew blanks against everyone from the SPL to the second division(BERWICK WE LOVE YOU!) Panic buy in the truest sense of the word. As for him only getter better with the better players around him....he is going to sunderland remember.
Flo scored the equalizer against Man United today. So much for him being washed up and a bunch of hype.