South Coast derby
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The South Coast Derby, or Hampshire Derby, are terms used to describe football matches played between Portsmouth F.C. and Southampton F.C.
The two clubs are the largest on the southern coast of England, and lie only 17 miles apart.
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[edit] Origin
Exactly when the rivalry between the supporters of the two clubs began is not entirely clear. However, until the 1970s, many fans would go and watch the other team when their side was playing away, indicating anything but hatred. Some ascribe the growing rivalry since then to the cities' diverging economic fortunes, which included the transfer to Portsmouth of cross-Channel ferry services once based in Southampton.
Matches between the two sides have been relatively infrequent due to the two sides seldom being in the same division, and cup competitions have sometimes been the platform for the matches.
[edit] Nicknames
Portsmouth supporters often refer to Southampton supporters as "Scum," or "Scummers," an epithet since adopted by supporters of a number of other clubs when referring to their local rivals. According to Portsmouth fans, the "scum" actually developed out of an acronym standing for 'Southampton City Union Men', with the term allegedly originating from when Southampton dockyard workers crossed the picket lines in the 1930s when Portsmouth dockyard workers were on strike. This story, however, is unlikely, as the two cities rely on entirely different types of ports - Southampton, a merchant port, and Portsmouth, a naval port. There is also no known record of any strike occurring during the mentioned time period. Rather, this seems to be a modern attempt to incorrectly describe the origins of the rivalry.
Southampton supporters have taken to referring to their local rivals as "Skates". This is a derisive term used to describe sailors, as Portsmouth is the home of the Royal Navy.
[edit] Changing Fortunes
Portsmouth enjoyed a much-superior league position and terms of success than their neighbours until the 1950s - however, from the 1960s onwards, Southampton found themselves in the ascendancy, being in a superior division nearly every season while defeating their rivals whenever the two sides met in cup clashes.
With Southampton's dominance during the 1990s, the two clubs' rivalry was arguably somewhat subdued during this time, flaring up only sporadically. Indeed, events such as the death of Portsmouth goalkeeper Aaron Flahavan, a Southampton-born footballer whose brother Darryl had played for Southampton, seemed to lead to a slight thaw in relations. However, events of recent years have altered this markedly.
Portsmouth's promotion to the Premiership in 2003 evened matters and reignited the clubs' rivalry - the first time the two teams had met in regular league competition since the 1987-88 First Division season. Honours were initially evenly shared, but the rivalry was galvanised with the appointment of Harry Redknapp as Southampton manager in the 2004-05 season, just days after he had resigned as manager of Portsmouth. In one of his first matches in charge, the Saints were drawn against and defeated their rivals in a fiery FA Cup match, with former Portsmouth striker Peter Crouch scoring the decisive penalty in the last minutes of the match.
However, Portsmouth struck back against their rivals in their next league encounter, with Southampton losing 4-1 away at Fratton Park in Redknapp's only return to the ground with the club. Southampton were subsequently relegated from the Premiership on the final day of the 2004-05 season, ending their 27 year run in the top flight of English Football.
[edit] Harry Redknapp
The acrimonious departure of Harry Redknapp from Portsmouth to Southampton brought the bitter rivalry between the two clubs to a new level. When Redknapp would again return to Portsmouth in November of 2005 following Southampton's relegation, it only served to further sour relations between the two clubs, which arguably remain at an all-time low. The former Southampton Chairmen, Rupert Lowe and former Portsmouth Chairmen Milan Mandaric publicly criticised one another on a number of occasions, with the Southampton Chairman calling for an inquest into irregular betting patterns in the run-up to Redknapp's re-appointment. Mandaric had even sent a boxed duck as a Christmas gift to Lowe as a token of goodwill between the two men (as Lowe had been on a hunting trip when the ordeal began), but the gesture only furthered the animosity between the two.
[edit] Current Positions
As of 2007, the rivalry between the two clubs remains incredibly fierce, but any derby between the two clubs can only occur if they are drawn together in either the Football League Cup or the FA Cup, as Southampton's relegation to the Football League Championship makes any league fixture temporarily impossible.
[edit] Players who have played for both clubs
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[edit] Managed both clubs
[edit] Played for one, Managed/coached the other
[edit] Women's football
Both Portsmouth and Southampton have women's counterparts. Although Southampton Saints L.F.C. has the better history, with their once-star player Sue Lopez having made it all the way to the English Football Hall of Fame, most of their achievements came before the creation of the actual Women's Premiership. Portsmouth L.F.C. is a relative newcomer to the women's game by contrast.
Both teams currently play in the Southern Championship. In the 2006-07 season so far, Portsmouth is a strong contender for promotion, while Southampton is facing relegation.
[edit] References
- Dave Juson & others (2004). Saints v Pompey - A history of unrelenting rivalry. Hagiology. ISBN 0-9534474-5-6.
- Colin Farmery (2004). Seventeen Miles From Paradise - Saints v Pompey: Passion, Pride and Prejudice. Desert Island Books. ISBN 1-874287-89-9.
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