I am told by our older members that there was a time when Saints and Pompey supporters used to go to the others grounds when their own team was away, and cheer their neighbours on. This seems a long time ago. During my teenage years, and before I started attending matches, most people would avoid the town centre on the odd derby days because, "there would be trouble" and there often was. For many years there were few matches as Pompey were a couple of divisions below the Saints. Then Portsmouth were back in the Prem and I was at St Marys for the last three meetings. The atmosphere was electric but it took many, many police to keep the mutters from both sides apart, particularly at the last meeting. So how did we get from the mutual support to here? My understanding is that all the theories, eg strike breaking, etc do not bear examination and we are left with two large conurbations quite close together who compete in many ways, including bragging rights for the local footy. So, since the dis-respect just seemed to happen, is it possible that one day we might learn some respect for each other? I don't know the answer, perhaps you have an opinion? As a side note, I did always look at the Bournemouth result and wish them well, yet I was not exactly cheering them on yesterday, and we certainly have had an amount of verbals on 606 from their posters which one might be bemused by....if there team wasn't doing so well.
To be honest I think it is the age we live in. I am of the generation that used to go to each others home games. We used to go each week to one or tother home games. We used to stand in the same part of the grounds and meet up before games. There used to be a group of 6 youngsters with their dads or uncles. Two were Saints 4 were Pompey. We still are life long friends although the group has somewhat depleted now, just 3 left. My two Pompey mates do not come to saints matches now so often although they did during our recent problems and dug deep into their pockets to help us out. As I did when when they were in trouble. Yes I went to Pompey games........although I was not silly enough to wear my Saints gear. We all agree that the troubles between the clubs is nothing to do with old strikes or dock squabbles or what ever. It started in the late sixties/early seventies. The rise of the so called soccer hooligan. The so called liberation era when discipline in family homes began to wain. Respect for authority became a dirty word. Respect for each other too left a lot to be desired. Bragging rights have always been there you just accepted that the higher league team had that right because of the league they were in. In the early years Pompey held that right. Unfortunately their decline more or less coincided with our rise. Then apart from one little blip Saints held those rights more or less for around 29 years. 27 years years continuous in the top flight. We rarely met during our hey day when we did it was Saints in the main that came away with the spoils. Then on Saints wain it was time for Pompey to regain those rights. It is an unfortunate fact that certain ellements like to rub the nose in the dirt of the team on the decline. Whatever the right or wrong of this you have to say it leaves a dirty mark on the way you think of the local team. It really doesn't matter who started it. Perhaps it is time for the more even minded of us to actually stand out and be counted and to try and stop the bad feeling between the clubs. It is not helped by members of both sides that like to goad people into an argument on these boards. If the more of you that prefer not to accept that behavior, prefer to have a decent honest debate and light hearted banter, agree to disagree at times try and persuade those that prefer to upset posters, that their behavior is not wanted. At least on this site you have the option of not actually receiving those posts. In other words you can be your own moderator..... Not a bad idea is it?
Well, they do that as you get older you tend to repeat yourself! Bit of nightmare with the board, let's hope they have fixed everything!
Very well put Beddytare. If a comment is worthy of the server printing it 3 times in error that certainly is one. I am a little younger than you, having my first taste of football in the early 70's, long after the days when people went to Fratton Park one week and The Dell the next. Because of the hooliganism that was starting to rear its ugly head in those days, many was the Saturday when my older brother would be allowed to go [from Cowplain] into Portsmouth for the game, while I had to settle for my dad to taking me to Jubilee Park to see Waterlooville! Unfortunately, even today, when the two sides meet, the ugly minority seem to get the attention for actions of hatred that decent people would distance themselves from. Happily though [with the very occasional exception] the people and comments on here seem to be of a more grown up nature, with a fine mix of serious football discussion and friendly banter - the onus being on friendly!
Well that's the point. We have all got to know each other on 606 and except for the braindead and the WUMS recognise the difference between irony and abuse. The question I was raising was more to do with the unthinking who are even now bringing up children at primary school age to hate the skates/scummers. Is there any escape from this cycle? I fear that once children have been indoctrinated then it's very difficult to change things for the better. I dream of a day that I could wear my Saints strip on a nice day in Southsea and only fear verbal joshing.
Having not grown up in Portsmouth, I can't answer this. As kids, in my Chichester school, I remember we were genuinely exited when Saints won the cup. I was only 13 at the time and dad had forbade me from going to FP, so it took a long time to find out how Pompey folk probably felt about it!
There is middle ground. Do I hate scummers. No. Do I condone violence. No. Do I dislike them immensely and want them to lose every game and stay firmly entrenched in the lower leagues. Bloody right I do. Do my kids dislike scummers. Not at all, even though they have been season ticket holders until this season I don’t think they even care about scums results or where they are in the league and see my total dislike for them as something rather pathetic. As far as I'm concerned we are skates, you are scummers, but to the majority of the younger, more intelligent generation I really dont think they care.
Colin, during most of my childhood (I am about the same vintage as Meowth) I had no feelings about Pompey at all as they were an irrelevant lower leagues team, but I do remember wondering why some of their fans seemed to hate us and had a bit of a chip on their shoulder. I wonder if your kids don't feel a bit the same about Saints. I actually understand exactly what you mean about a middle way. Having been on the brink of extinction ourselves I was glad that you survived, and even more pleased when you made such a bad start to the league campaign, a sentiment you no doubt returned! If things go the way we want for our teams (but not each others!) then we will have the derby back, and I hope to Pompey lose by, ahem, a 3 goal margin would suit me for one. If only we could stop the nutters
Sorry that my last post was repeated a couple of times. As you now can see the posts have been removed. Trouble is Colin......... there is an element that are not what you might call educated. I agree with you about the younger generation in the main not being the least interested about opposing teams score. I would like to ask you a question regarding your post. You statement amongst other things is that "you dislike Saints immensely" (not your actual words just their meaning) My question to you is WHY? What on earth has caused you to dislike a team or its fans so much? You have stated your own children do not seem to think that way, which is a credit to you for being so honest. So please can you tell us why you feel such dislike. By the way I am not on any crusade to try and change your mind. I have asked some of the Saints fans the same question. Usually I get "dunno never thought about it" just do is all!!! Is that the same for you?
Hate is such an emotive word. I don't hate Saints, I don't even dislike them. I have said in the past that the best way to describe my feeling is one of ambivalence, but even that might be too strong. I admit to cheering whenever it is announced they are losing over the Fratton Park tannoy, I gladly joke about them but I bear neither the club nor city any malice. As long as they are lower in the league than Pompey then they're ok by me!
Not so long as there are Wums like Rickie lamberts Golden boot(AKA PompeyBlue ) and barry Sanchez both of whom have been banned in the last day and in the case of RLGB today by the BBC 606 team !
At least now Singing blue 3 you do not have to put up with any Wums. You simply ignore them!!!!! They other way is that we stick together to try and ask them to consider doing Wumming else where as we collectively do not want it. You are always going to get someone who thinks they have a right to upset every one without a thought. So you just put them on your ignore list. If we all do it they will soon get fed up of speaking to them selves.
And there's rep power too. Click on the little star to boost your friends rep points and people who stay on zero are zeroes. Can anyone hear me?
Rep Power? Isn't that the mythical belief in extraordinary driving skill exhibited by those driving a company Vectra? Meowth, despite the oh so subtle (not) approach, I have added some Rep to your account. (cough)
I think not, especially if all four South Coast clubs are in the same division next season! Brighton and Bournemouth are showing more signs of competitive banter and this will in my view only increase!
Dunno, never thought about it, just do. But, seeing as you have made me think about it, here goes. Its not from my parents, even though they are (were) staunch Pompey. One of my Dads best mates was a Saints fan (see what I made myself do there?) and I remember Dad ringing him up to congratulate him when you one the cup sometime back in the early 70s. As kids we used to play matches between the two sets of sons and their mates. All very friendly. My Granddad (on my Mums side) owned a pub outside of Fratton Park and my Mum used to know a lot of the Pompey staff and went to all the games home and away but never installed in me a dislike for you lot. Probably because it was an era when we were on top and the two sides very rarely met so she had no feelings for you either way. I first started going on my own to watch Pompey in the late 70s and early 80s during the peak of football tribalism. This I believe is where the dislike probably comes from although in those days Millwall were considered our biggest rivals due to the two navy dockyards and the fact we actually got to play them more. I must state that I was never involved in hooliganism, but saw a lot and new a fair few that were involved. This leads to another contributing factor. Pompey is an island and we (some of us!) therefore have an island mentality. You should not feel special that we "hate" you, because we "hate" everyone whoââ¬â¢s not one of us. So, not sure I have answered your question BT, but being of an impressionable age when I first started going (some may call it being a sheep and following the crowd), and being Pompey born and bred, and having to suffer you always beating us and being more successful has led to the dislike that I have today. It is not a dislike of your fans as I have many friends and workmates who are scummers and the banter is all very good natured. But as a whole I want you to lose every game you play and be below us for ever more. I donââ¬â¢t even subscribe to the idea that it would be good if you were promoted so that we can have the derbies next season. And do you know why? Because we might lose and that would be hell.
Thinking back, my Mum has always disliked Leicester City since they beat us 3-1 at Highbury in 1949 in the FA Cup Semi, stopping us from winning the double. She was there (only 14) and remembers the Leicester fans singing "Poor old Pompey" to the chimes as they came out of the ground. She still cant stand them now 62 years on!! Therefore I blame my mum.
I've never really understood why Football has been singled out by the hooligan element so as to become so tribal. You don't require the same segregation of fans at Rugby or cricket, for example. You don't see Steven Hendry fans and Mark Williams fans throwing bricks and bottles at each other outside the Crucible, and I don't remember mounted police or dogs being needed at the Ryder Cup! So why football?
