RANGERS GO WITH THE FLO

WITH the breaking news that Tore Andre Flo is set to join Glasgow Rangers for a Scottish record fee, Opta look behind the deal and question whether the Chelsea striker is really the answer to the Gers' current problems.

At this stage of the season last term Rangers had amassed 43 goals in their first 15 matches as they confidently marched towards their 49th league title. But Dick Advocaat's team have scored just 31 times this term and currently languish in third place.

Since Claudio Ranieri was installed into the Stamford Bridge hot-seat, Flo can argue that he has not been given a fair crack of the whip. He scored a brace at Old Trafford in the Italian's first game in charge but he was shockingly dropped for the next match and frustratingly he has only started one Premiership game since his salvage mission against United.

Nevertheless, Flo's goals to shots ratio of 15% is inferior to Gers' current strike-partnership of Kenny Miller and Michael Mols who can boast a 47 and 29 per cent ratio respectively. But the Norwegian's shooting accuracy of 60% is a better total than Mols can muster and with the English Premiership a supposedly higher standard, then Rangers fans should be whetting themselves in anticipation of a Flo-Miller partnership.

Certainly Chelsea fans will be disappointed at Flo's departure, a favourite with the fans since he joined the club in August 1997 for a snip at £300,000. Blues fans admired his patience about being a perennial substitute whilst helping the team win two trophies in his first season scoring some vital goals in the UEFA Cup.

However, he has only managed 34 league goals in three-and-a-half seasons with the Blues and his passing accuracy is somewhat lower than that of the Gers' current strikeforce. Flo has only managed a 74% pass completion rate while it may be an increase on his 64% ratio from last season, it still falls short of a forward such as Billy Dodds who has picked out a team-mate with 79% of his accurate passes.

But Flo does have three assists to his name this term indicating his unselfishness in the box. This tally is more than any other Rangers striker has managed this term and Flo could be the man to kick-start the Gers championship challenge.

Certainly Flo could not ask for a tougher introduction to Scottish football, the Old Firm Derby at Ibrox on Sunday. He will go head-to-head with former Chelsea team-mate Chris Sutton and the Norwegian will be hoping to make as much of an impact as his former Chelsea team-mate.