Went to friends mums funeral in Southampton today and it really made me think about how life and particularly football have changed in the last 30 years or so. The lady in question was born in Portsmouth in the late 20's and was brought up there before moving to Eastleigh when she got married in the late 50's. She used to attend home matches at both Saints and Pompey when she was younger and in later life had a season ticket at the Dell. In those days there was no problem supporting both teams and it was common to go to watch both clubs on alternate Saturdays. Never any crowd trouble and the players were all just local lads. A far cry from the hate and venom between the sides these days and the huge salary cheques the modern player commands. I'm not sure it's all changed for the better?
Yep was working out that with train costs from London it would cost me the best part of £200 to take my 2 to St Mary's for a match. Ouch!
I could watch Pompey when Saintss aren't at home. With all my thick white whiskers I could pass myself off as an old sailor and I think their top match day ticket prices are about a fiver these days. I could get to Fratton on my bus pass so it would be a cheap day out for me. Also I wouldn't upset people when I went to the lavatory in the middle of a game as I would have the whole row to myself. Mind you I have heard some pretty nasty stories about the lavatories at Fratton Park being even worse than the ones at the Dell. I wouldn't dare take the very lovely Mrs Godders as she would sit there tuned into the Saints game on Radio Solent at high volume because of her poor hearing and cheering at the top of her voice when ever Morgan's name gets a mention or we score. I think their fans might take a pretty dim view of that.
I went to my cousin's 100th Birthday Party yesterday and she hasn't been to a football match in her life. What does that tell you about modern football? There was a frightening moment though when the band arrived, it was the Hungerford Town Brass Band, and plastered all over their hats jackets and music stands was Poor Old Pompey's badge and to think I once thought I might like to live in Hungerford. A close call I think. http://www.hungerfordvirtualmuseum.co.uk/Themes/Crescent_and_Star/crescent_and_star.html
One of my first Saints games was against Pompey at the Dell in season 75/76. Saints won 2-0 - I don`t recall there being any animosity, not in the Archers end anyway. Or maybe I`m losing the plot.
I remember walking back to the Above Bar after a Pompey game at the Dell in the 70s and Watts Park was just a sea of brawling bodies as Saints and Pompey fans engaged in a "little local rivalry".
Times have changed, & football is the least of the annoyance. Some days I find myself clinging to the memories of yesteryear as things pis......annoy me. But science says the brain remembers fondly, so perhaps we shouldn't moan so much, at least not out loud. I keep telling myself that, but its a crock, things were better when there wasn't 6 billion people clogging up the system. Wow, now I feel a bit better.
The Saints-Pompey rivalry is all post-war. Reasons are unknown as before that we were quite friendly with them: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2005/jan/23/newsstory.sport8?INTCMP=SRCH
