Hi!
Today's piece is on the big south coast derby FA Cup game on February 13th, and my concerns over fans behaviour at the game.
Mark A.
South Coast rivals Southampton and Portsmouth have been drawn together in the pick of the FA Cup Fifth Round draw ties.
Though this may seem good news to the neutral, the football will undoubtedly be secondary news to what happens in the stands and around the ground.
The rivalry between these two clubs has so much attached to it, and it does not apply only to football.
The two cities compete for pride in everything from major shopping centres, to which is named as the south central point on the weather maps.
The rivalry is said to have started when both cities were major ports, Southampton’s trading and Portsmouth’s navy.
But this maritime theme lead to the terms ‘scum’ being branded predominantly by Portsmouth fans but occasionally mirrored by their rivals.
However it began the rivalry that fills the 17 miles between the cities is not to be underestimated- as has been shown in recent years.
Only three arrests were made when Southampton ran out 3-0 winners in 2003, this trebled the following year when a BBC cameraman and two police dogs were also injured and in the resulting days dozens more were arrested, then at Fratton Park in 2005 four hundred police offers were needed to keep the peace, making five arrests.
And this year’s meeting between the sides has seen so much change since then. The 4-1 defeat for Southampton last time the sides met contributed to the club’s relegation from the Premier League, something the club is only beginning to recover from.
Harry Redknapp has also come and gone from both clubs, neither Rupert Lowe nor Milan Mandaric own Saints or Pompey respectively anymore and it is Portsmouth who seem set to slip out of the top flight.
Blues fans already have a sense of red mist descending as they protest against their own owners and everyday there seems to be a new piece of bad news.
All of which background and context means this will be the hottest atmosphere the south coast derby has ever seen- there may well be trouble ahead.
Southampton police commander Chief Superintendant Matthew Greening said this week: “We will be delivering a top class police operation to help both clubs and both cities provide a safe and professional event in Southampton that everyone can be proud of and enjoy.”
But no matter how much of the police are detailed to St Mary’s Stadium on February 13th, there will be red on show on the south coast, and not because of Valentine’s.
Of course- I challenge both sets of fans to prove me wrong.
Today's piece is on the big south coast derby FA Cup game on February 13th, and my concerns over fans behaviour at the game.
Mark A.
South Coast rivals Southampton and Portsmouth have been drawn together in the pick of the FA Cup Fifth Round draw ties.Though this may seem good news to the neutral, the football will undoubtedly be secondary news to what happens in the stands and around the ground.
The rivalry between these two clubs has so much attached to it, and it does not apply only to football.
The two cities compete for pride in everything from major shopping centres, to which is named as the south central point on the weather maps.
The rivalry is said to have started when both cities were major ports, Southampton’s trading and Portsmouth’s navy.
But this maritime theme lead to the terms ‘scum’ being branded predominantly by Portsmouth fans but occasionally mirrored by their rivals.
However it began the rivalry that fills the 17 miles between the cities is not to be underestimated- as has been shown in recent years.
Only three arrests were made when Southampton ran out 3-0 winners in 2003, this trebled the following year when a BBC cameraman and two police dogs were also injured and in the resulting days dozens more were arrested, then at Fratton Park in 2005 four hundred police offers were needed to keep the peace, making five arrests.
And this year’s meeting between the sides has seen so much change since then. The 4-1 defeat for Southampton last time the sides met contributed to the club’s relegation from the Premier League, something the club is only beginning to recover from.
Harry Redknapp has also come and gone from both clubs, neither Rupert Lowe nor Milan Mandaric own Saints or Pompey respectively anymore and it is Portsmouth who seem set to slip out of the top flight.
Blues fans already have a sense of red mist descending as they protest against their own owners and everyday there seems to be a new piece of bad news.
All of which background and context means this will be the hottest atmosphere the south coast derby has ever seen- there may well be trouble ahead.
Southampton police commander Chief Superintendant Matthew Greening said this week: “We will be delivering a top class police operation to help both clubs and both cities provide a safe and professional event in Southampton that everyone can be proud of and enjoy.”
But no matter how much of the police are detailed to St Mary’s Stadium on February 13th, there will be red on show on the south coast, and not because of Valentine’s.
Of course- I challenge both sets of fans to prove me wrong.
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