WHAT is it with Burnley fans? They seem to think that only they have had fans supporting their team for longer than five or six years -- going off the comments of 'natural born Claret' Sharon Osborne (Sports Letters, January 23).

As a lifelong Rovers supporter, I sit among many Rovers fans -- at least 90 per cent of whom stood on the terraces at Ewood long before 1995.

Of course, every successful team has its "fair weather, jump-on-the-bandwagon" supporters, just as it has a mindless minority out for trouble.

However, I think it is fair to say that many of the new supporters to Ewood when we won the Premiership have stuck with it, evn though we have dropped a division.

Does that make their support any less valid than mine, someone who has been going for years? I don't think so.

Instead of petty niggling over which side has the truest, most loyal support, shouldn't we be proud of the fact that in this area we have such a gret heritage of local league teams to choose from including Blackburn, Bolton Burnley, Bury and Preston. (Not in alphabetical order -- no preference shown)!

We shoudl respect one another's choice of team (however misguided), whether born to it or not, and we should be grateful that, no matter the reason a fellow supporter chose our team, thos eextra fans mean more income for the club. That money will ensure our respective team's financial survival and will allow them to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

MRS R CARTER, Helmshore.

WHAT is it with Burnley fans? They seem to think that only they have had fans supporting their team for longer than five or six years -- going off the comments of 'natural born Claret' Sharon Osborne (Sports Letters, January 23).

As a lifelong Rovers supporter, I sit among many Rovers fans -- at least 90 per cent of whom stood on the terraces at Ewood long before 1995.

Of course, every successful team has its "fair weather, jump-on-the-bandwagon" supporters, just as it has a mindless minority out for trouble.

However, I think it is fair to say that many of the new supporters to Ewood when we won the Premiership have stuck with it, evn though we have dropped a division.

Does that make their support any less valid than mine, someone who has been going for years? I don't think so.

Instead of petty niggling over which side has the truest, most loyal support, shouldn't we be proud of the fact that in this area we have such a great heritage of local league teams to choose from including Blackburn, Bolton Burnley, Bury and Preston. (Not in alphabetical order -- no preference shown)!

We should respect one another's choice of team (however misguided), whether born to it or not, and we should be grateful that, no matter the reason a fellow supporter chose our team, those extra fans mean more income for the club. That money will ensure our respective team's financial survival and will allow them to be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

MRS R CARTER, Helmshore.