Inside The Bitter Rivalry Between Southampton And Portsmouth

It has been much than 2,000 days since bitter rivals Southampton and Portsmouth past faced each different - a 4-0 triumph for Saints successful nan League Cup successful September 2019.

Rewind to nan astir caller convention gathering betwixt nan brace and you spell each nan measurement backmost to a 2-2 tie successful April 2012.

Since that moment, nan 2 clubs person been connected rather different paths to get to Sunday's highly anticipated derby successful nan Championship.

Southampton enjoyed occurrence successful nan Premier League and a European run successful those 13 years, while Pompey faced financial troubles and dropped each nan measurement down to League Two earlier opening their ascent backmost to nan 2nd tier.

That clip isolated has done thing to dampen nan rivalry betwixt Hampshire's 2 biggest shot clubs, pinch conscionable 17 miles separating Southampton and Portsmouth.

In position of awesome trophies, Portsmouth person won 2 English convention titles and 2 FA Cups, while Saints person an FA Cup triumph to their sanction from 1976.

Since their astir caller convention meeting, Southampton enjoyed a tally of 11 consecutive seasons successful nan Premier League, including 4 top-10 finishes and a sensation of European football.

Portsmouth person not been successful nan apical formation since nan 2009-10 play erstwhile they were relegated, and aft 2 Championship campaigns they past suffered back-to-back relegations, falling each nan measurement to nan 4th tier.

While location are earthy rivalries betwixt nan cities and their ports, those betwixt nan 2 sets of supporters are shrouded successful "mythology", according to Colin Farmery, chair of trustees astatine nan Pompey History Society.

A much-circulated communicative among fans has ever claimed it stemmed from Southampton dockers breaking a Portsmouth picket statement successful nan 1950s, starring to some sets of supporters calling each different by derogatory names.

"There's each sorts of talk astir why nan names came astir for what they telephone each other, and astir of it is nonsense, to beryllium honest," said Farmery.

"There's nary grounds to backmost that up.

"While nan naval and commercialized constituent is there, I'm not convinced it has a base connected nan rivalry itself. It is predominantly a sporting rivalry."

Since nan move of nan period nan 2 sides person only played each different connected 10 occasions, and during nan full 1990s they only met erstwhile successful nan FA Cup.

There were only 3 derbies during nan 1980s and successful nan 1970s they played 4 times - and successful full nan 2 clubs person only met 72 times successful 125 years.

"The past derby was successful 2019, and that was a agelong clip for nan grudge to beryllium held," added Farmery.

"There's a batch of build-up complete a agelong play of clip and because that boil doesn't get nan chance to beryllium lanced often enough, that contributes to nan ferociousness of nan rivalry."

Southampton nine historiographer Duncan Holley believes nan truth that Saints person traditionally vanished higher successful nan shot pyramid has besides fuelled nan rivalry.

"In nan past 64 seasons, Saints person only been beneath Portsmouth successful finishing position connected 7 occasions," he said.

Holley said that comparative occurrence irritated Portsmouth fans and "by nan clip nan 1960s ended location was a batch of animosity coming from Portsmouth to Southampton".

He added: "Saints fans past retaliated and decided to lucifer nan feeling, and that's really it each became.

"There is ever rivalry betwixt immoderate neighbouring town, and this was initially a friends competitiveness, but that really petered out. It's go a spot of a cult and I spot it arsenic 1 of nan strongest derbies around."

A fig who ramped up nan animosity betwixt some clubs successful nan mid 2000s was head Harry Redknapp.

A fewer weeks aft leaving Pompey successful 2004, Redknapp made nan arguable move up nan M27 to Southampton having previously vowed that location was "no chance" of him doing so.

The pursuing period nan 2 sides were drawn together successful nan FA Cup, pinch erstwhile Pompey striker Peter Crouch scoring a 90th-minute punishment to triumph nan fourth-round necktie for Redknapp and nan Saints.

But it was Portsmouth that past ended up winning nan adjacent 2 times that nan rivals met by handsome scorelines, pinch 5 years betwixt nan games.

In April 2005, Portsmouth won 4-1 successful a highly-charged atmosphere, pinch Redknapp emerging to a chorus of boos arsenic he made his first return to Fratton Park.

It was a consequence which contributed to Southampton finishing bottommost of nan Premier League while Pompey stayed up.

Then successful February 2010, en way to nan final, they hit Saints by nan aforesaid scoreline distant astatine St Mary's successful nan FA Cup.

Their astir caller convention gathering earlier this run was nan 2011-12 Championship play wherever some games ended successful people draws.

That run ended pinch Southampton winning promotion backmost to nan Premier League and Portsmouth, amid important financial problems, tumbling into League One and a autumn down nan pyramid which took them years to recover.

Southampton won promotion to nan Premier League successful 2012 and spent 11 seasons successful nan apical flight, pinch a highest decorativeness of sixth successful that period.

In nan 2016-17 run they enjoyed a memorable stint successful nan Europa League, which included a celebrated 2-1 triumph complete Italian giants Inter Milan.

However, things took a move successful nan 2022-23 season. They started nan run pinch Ralph Hasenhuttl arsenic caput coach and, aft Nathan Jones' little tenure, ended it pinch Ruben Selles astatine nan helm, and were relegated.

Russell Martin led Southampton to promotion backmost to nan apical formation astatine nan first effort via nan play-offs, but Saints past struggled successful nan apical tier erstwhile again, pinch Martin and his successor Ivan Juric some paying nan value for mediocre results.

The latest rebuild task is spearheaded by new leader Will Still, who has taken his first measurement into managing successful England aft impressing successful France pinch Reims and Lens.

He became nan youngest coach successful Europe's apical 5 leagues erstwhile appointed by Reims, aged 30, successful October 2022.

After relegation from nan Championship successful nan 2011-12 season, Portsmouth past faced different driblet arsenic they recovered themselves successful League Two for nan 2013-14 season.

Following a number of ownership changes, nan nine ran into immoderate superior financial troubles and were connected nan brink of bankruptcy.

However, successful April 2013, Pompey became nan largest community-owned shot nine successful England erstwhile nan club's supporters spot raised astir £2m done a stock ownership strategy and ended up buying nan nine and result redeeming it.

Current proprietor Michael Eisner bought nan nine successful 2017, and has since put millions of pounds into shot operations and infrastructure astatine Fratton Park.

Portsmouth won promotion from League Two that aforesaid twelvemonth nether Paul Cook, finishing apical of nan division, and spent 7 years successful League One earlier winning nan title successful nan 2023-24 season.

Boss John Mousinho joined midway done nan 2022-23 season, conscionable 1 twelvemonth aft gaining his pro licence, and was capable to deliver nan League One title successful his first afloat play successful management.

Last season, Portsmouth maintained their Championship status pinch 2 games remaining, yet finishing 16th.