The Fan takes a look at a phenomenon hitting Deepdale, namely Rovers Syndrome; and what's up at Burnley?

NORMAL service has been resumed thanks to Sean Gregan's left foot of all things and Tepi's long distance one-two with Neil Pointon in the first half at Chesterfield.

An interesting phenomenon has been happening around Deepdale for a few weeks and I think it can be only described as the "Rovers Syndrome".

Remember when Dalglish took over at Ewood and they won promotion to the Premiership and somewhere along the line acquired 20,000 more fans than they ever had before?

Come on you know, the ones who even when they were winning streamed out by the truckload with quarter of an hour to go. Well, they've started coming to Deepdale! Against Reading and Wycombe I seemed to be surrounded by people moaning that the score wasn't 4-0 and the team was rubbish, so they started to leave at 4.30.

Now anyone who moans about a team that so far has only lost SEVEN games in more than 40 matches needs help.

Sure, occasionally the level of performance isn't as good as, say, the performances against Sheffield Utd or Everton but we are top and looking good so far what more do these people want?

Yes, I am delighted that the crowds are up and we should top the 16,000 mark several times again before the end of the season but do they all have to moan? Wake up and smell the coffee: this is the best we've had in 30 years.

Now I don't like talking about other teams but it seems as if Burnley have posted their intentions this week with a £500,000 signing and possibly the transfer coup of the season in Ian Wright.

Even if it costs them the reported £20,000 a week he was earning at Celtic and West Ham, if they go up it's money well spent and he's bound to create a lot of interest in th'hills.

Let's just hope that come the appropriate moment that PNE are not found wanting for the lack of a transfer or two.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.