NO matter what the temperature is at Turf Moor on Friday night, Grimsby Town defender Marlon Broomes can expect a hot reception.

The reason - he is currently on loan from Blackburn Rovers of course!

Now that is not to say his "welcome" will be anything like that saved for Sol Campbell by the Spurs fans when he played for Arsenal on Saturday.

Fans tend to have clearly defined rules on the subject of what sort of reception to give to former players.

If you have been a loyal servant and simply moved to another club on good terms you can expect a decent reception.

Already this season the home fans at Turf Moor have warmly welcomed Rotherham striker Alan Lee and Barnsley keeper Andy Marriott, even though he only made a few appearances on loan a decade ago.

At Norwich just the mention of Paul Crichton brought a round of applause from the travelling fans.

But imagine this scenario. Glen Little has come to the end of his contract and, after a season of dithering and suggestions he is going to sign a new deal, he moves down the M65 to Ewood Park in the summer.

It is fair to assume that should he then come to Turf Moor for a league game in the blue and white halves, his reception would not be warm, rather red hot.

It is highly likely that the scenes from White Hart Lane at the weekend - Judas signs, faces twisted in hate - would be repeated.

That is because there are some things fans will not tolerate, some clubs their players should never move to.

Having helped Leeds win the title, their supporters could not understand how Eric Cantona could go to Manchester United.

Nick Barmby was even left out of one Merseyside derby because Gerard Houllier was concerned about how the Everton fans would react to him.

In Spain, the Catalans in Barcelona will never forgive Luis Figo for moving to Real Madrid.

I am not saying it is right and any Spurs fans who threw bottles at the player or at the coach deserve to punished. After all, events of recent times have shown that there are more important things in life than football. But some things are too hard to take, it is like finding out your partner has been sleeping with you best friend. It is not just the betrayal, it is the third party.

Clarets fans have already seen how barracking a player can back fire. From the moment they first booed Peter Crouch for turning down the chance to come to Burnley in the summer it was a safe bet he would find the net for Pompey.

Sure enough he did and wasted little time in cupping his hand to his ear in celebration.

Another target for vitriol was Adrian Littlejohn, the ever unpopular Sheffield United striker. So the vocal chords will be primed and ready for young Broomes on Friday.

Having such a focus of attention can help to generate a bit of atmosphere but at £5 a ticket, and with the chance to stay top of the league, Clarets fans should have plenty of other things to shout about.