A fan's-eye view from Ewood Park, by Phil Lloyd

LEAVING Goodison Park on Saturday, I walked back to my car through Walton Cemetery. It was somehow a fitting place to reflect on Rovers' current situation which is becoming, if you'll pardon the phrase, increasingly "grave".

After eight games, it is much too early to say that the illness is terminal.

For all the worrying symptoms, the patient showed a good degree of resilience against Everton, refusing to go under even when the odds seemed heavily stacked against survival. But the prognosis must be causing Doctor Hodgson much anxiety.

A full recovery within the next seven months is imperative, even if there are a couple of other patients in the ward currently in worse shape than Rovers.

Dr Hodgson himself is showing signs of stress: will he administer the course of treatment before he snaps and "does a Di Canio" on one or more of the men in black, who hover like expectant undertakers and keep inflicting further wounds on the ailing Rovers? Only time will tell. All those wishing the team well are concerned at indications that the malaise might be spreading right throughout the body.

There are some who are already expressing the wish "no Flowers", as rigor mortis has prematurely set in when facing free-kicks recently. The transplanted Peacock at the heart of the patient's defence mechanism may yet be rejected.

And those vital organs that score the goals which can mean the difference between life and death are working only occasionally -- and never all at the same time, it seems.

Indeed one may be immobilised for several weeks to come, if the latest medical bulletins are to be believed.

All very disconcerting, though we must have faith that tonight's remedial trip to France can somehow result in a miracle cure.

At dark times like these, it's human nature to take a little consolation in the misfortunes of others. On Saturday's evidence the Everton patient, with no goals in four home games, is showing precious little sign of responding to Dr. Smith's patent Scottish medicine!

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