Tall tale of unusual subtlety and skill

One glimpse of the lanky Norwegian with the gangly gait and you immediately think "clumsy on the ball". Two glimpses of Tore Andre Flo's 6 ft 3 in of wimpish sinew and you immediately think "target man", someone whose feet are only good for getting his head into the right position.

This misconception was not helped by Flo's opening goal for Chelsea, scored as a substitute on his debut against Coventry. Yes, a header.

On his first start, against Wimbledon, however, he hinted that there was more in his armoury by producing a superb left-wing run and cross to set up a goal for Gianluca Vialli. Even so the "target man" tag has been difficult to lose.

"I like to play with my feet," he says almost in frustration. "It is where I like the ball. Because I am tall it is very easy to aim for my head. All my career I've had to tell people to aim for my feet."

Flo's problem this week has been to keep his size 101/2 boots firmly on the ground following last Saturday's hat-trick at Tottenham, which brought a whole new meaning to the phrase, going with the Flo.

Tottenham's problem was that no-one did and as a result the 24year-old was more than willing to grab the opportunity to show just how much his confidence has improved after a slow start to Premiership life, as well as how much his touch belongs to a man of a more compact demeanour.

"For his height he is a very technical player," says the manager who bought him, Ruud Gullit. "He is also flexible, which is very rare to see, because he has a good touch on the ball, he is a fine header, has good technique, he can hold the ball for you and he is a good goalscorer."

Not bad for £300,000, the compromise fee which Chelsea paid to bring the £2 million-rated striker from Bergen to Stamford Bridge in August, three months before he became a free agent.

There were those who questioned Gullit's logic in signing Flo when he already had a honey-pot of strikers in Gianfranco Zola, Mark Hughes and Vialli. But the manager wanted more competition for places and more cover for loss of form, suspensions and injuries.

And Flo, whose older brother Jostein played for Sheffield United, was happy to oblige. He has been a big fan of English football from the time he was eight and got a Birmingham City shirt, of all things, as a present. Their waning fortunes were followed by Flo's interest. But his admiration for the English game never flagged, so much so that when he joined Chelsea his hero worship was a problem.

"I had a little bit too much respect for the league and the players," he says. "Playing here was something I always wanted to do and I was a little bit nervous."

Gullit had a soothing word. "In the beginning he was too impressed by the quality of the Premier League," says the manager. "So I told him that the fact that you are here is because you have quality so you don't have to prove anything to me.

"He had wanted to prove himself, of course, but when you want to prove yourself then you are forcing yourself, you're not free. So I told him that the fact you don't score doesn't mean that you haven't played well. It was a relief for him, he became more relaxed and has begun to score goals."

Six now in six starts and 10 appearances as substitute. However, because of Gullit's chop-and-change policy among his strikers, Flo has only once started two games in a row.

He will be hoping to double that tally today against the club his family used to support, Leeds.

Even after a hat-trick, there is no guarantee, but Mark Hughes' suspension probably means that one of the oddest sights in the game will be seen today at 3.0 p.m. when Flo kicks off alongside the 5 ft 5 in Zola.

If not, then Flo, despite being a first-choice striker for Scotland's World Cup opponents Norway, will accept being dropped with good grace. "The manager told me before I came that I would have to fight for my place," he says. "And I think everybody can be better for that."

As Chelsea take up the baton of the nearest title challengers to Manchester United, Gullit believes the Flo chart is on the up.

"It is always tough to settle in a new environment," says the manager. "But now everyone can see he is a quality player who is playing better and better, someone who can still grow - though hopefully not in height."