South Coast Derby

On Tuesday 11th October, Southampton faced Portsmouth in the Hampshire Senior Cup. The two rivals came together for the first time in 3 years at Fratton Park. The last time they played was 24th September 2019, as Saints won 4-0, with Danny Ings, Nathan Redmond and Cedric Soarer on the scoresheet for the visitors that evening. The South Coast Derby was first played in 1899 (Portsmouth won 2-0), however the Derby isn’t just about the football, it’s about the rivalry simply between the two cities.

How did the Rivalry start out? Many people from the cities would say they hate their rival city, but for what reasons? Historically, Southampton was a commercial port, where ships entered in and out, including large cargo ships and cruise ships. Whereas Portsmouth has been a lot more military based instead. Therefore, there has always been economic tension between them. The rivalry to be the more modern city still carries on to this day. In 1976, Portsmouths international Port was built on the M275. This was seen as a threat to the Southampton Dockers. Southampton then rose to victory in the FA Cup Final against Manchester United 1-0 at Wembley Stadium. Shockingly, the goal for Saints was scored by Portsmouth born Bobby Stokes. This made Southampton dockers incredibly arrogant. This highly escalated the tensions between the people, and especially the clubs. Jealously and hatred were heavy between the opposing fans and the rise of football hooliganism in 1970s England is most likely the cause of the bitter rivalry that now exists between the cities and football fans. This has impacted the rivalry to this day, for example some Pompeys do not even associate with the colours red and white. In 2015, 10,000 Pompeys signed a petition against Portsmouth City Councils decision to use Emirates red and white colours as the sponsor on the Spinnaker Tower. Instead, they came to the agreement to use blue and gold. They were both economically competitive during the 1980s too. A Cross-Channel Ferry services moved from Southampton to Portsmouth International Port. This was to save fuel, journey time and saved a lot of money for the companies. This was seen a positive for Europeans as it was cheap and easy access to France, Northern Spain, Guernsey and Jersey. Portsmouth is also closer to London, which was seen as a huge benefit for Londoners who want to travel, and for business. Southampton Docks lost money due to this, which created an economic rivalry to be better.

The people of the cities would argue about who works harder, who is richer and whose is bigger. This was highly influenced by the football, as when they came together, fans went mental over it.

Harry Redknapp is seen as a football icon, managing teams all over England. He has been the manager for both Portsmouth and Southampton FC. From 2002-2004 he managed Portsmouth. Redknapp managed to keep Pompey in the Premier League, however resigned over a disagreement with the Portsmouth owner. Due to this, he went to Southampton 2004-2005. This infuriated Pompey supporters, some fans even bought shirts which referred to Redknapp as “Scummer” and “Judas”. Redknapp wasn’t happy with the clubs coaching staff at Southampton. Due to this, he went back to Portsmouth FC as he referred to it as his “spiritual home”. Therefore, Redknapp went back to Portsmouth 2005-2008. In 2017, he retired as a football manager.

Peter Crouch is seen as a legend in football who has played for big clubs such as Aston Villa (2002-2004), Liverpool FC (2005-2008) and Tottenham Hotspur (2009-2011). However, he has also been involved in the South Coast Derby. He has played for Portsmouth twice (2001-2002 and 2008-2009). Crouch played for Southampton during this time, being at Saints for a year in 2004. His manager was Harry Redknapp who also came from Portsmouth for the year. One of his most memorable moments is when he scored a late penalty against Portsmouth in the FA Cup. However, at the end of the season, he was sold to Liverpool FC for £7 million. However, he returned to Portsmouth in 2008 for £11 million, and on his first game he scored a goal against Everton at Goodison Park. The Striker became a derby icon, scoring goals for both clubs.

It is recognised that AFC Bournemouth have tried joining the derby due to their recent promotion to the Premier League. The Cherries main rivals are Brighton and Portsmouth due to them being on the South Coast, however Southampton fans have no interest. Most Saints fans would argue they are rivals, but it is not a derby.

In Conclusion, the rivalry between Saints and Pompey is huge, and would be argued to be one of the roughest in England due to the culture, history and football.