In September 1890 the dock workers of Southampton were in dispute with the docks operators and ship owners over their working conditions and pay. The strikers had congregated in Canute Road where they were confronted by a contingent of men from Portsmouth who with bayonets fixed charged the crowd bayoneting and wounding many men and women. The unarmed men of Southampton put up a good show but following the fracas the riot act was read, the strike was broken and many of the strikers jailed. The tragedy of the story is that the deluded people of Portsmouth actually believe that it was men from Southampton who went to Portsmouth and broke a strike by dock workers. The full story of this incident can be found in the issue of the Illustrated London News published 20th September, 1890 and in various copies of the local Southampton newspapers held at the local history archives in Southampton Central Library. I was inspired by a thread started by a Norwich fan containing some rhyming lines that I decided to write the following. Think of it what you will. I now throw down the gauntlet to all Pompey fans to come up with the hard evidence of their claim that Southampton men broke a dock strike in Portsmouth.
I have always thought it odd That of all the teams that tread the sod It's a team in blue I most despise. because it's followers tell such lies about the men of my fair city being unworthy of any pity for the reasons explained by them in a fiction of strike-breaking men. For I now know the reverse is true when in 1890 a number of Portsmouth men were summoned to Canute Road and there their rifles they did load and with their bayonets fixed they charged and with the striking Dockers mixed. In minutes the dust settled and when things were calm the men of Southampton saw with shocked alarm the street blood soaked and filled with the sound of groans of bayoneted men writhing on the ground. By this action the strike gave way and the capitalist ship owners won the day . To this day I find it perverse that the people of Portsmouth think the reverse that a group of brave Southampton workers broke a strike by Pompey shirkers.
Indeed. Never has been any proof of the Pompey dock strike broken by scab Soton Dockers in the 50's or 60's or whenever they claim it happened. The fact that hardly any part of Pompey docks at that time was used for non-royal navy commerce is overlooked. As is the fact that it was illegal for the dockers employed by the Navy to go on strike anyway. Just a nice piece of fantasy to detract from the real reason Pompey fans started hating Saints, good old fashioned jealousy.
I try not to get involved in the pitiful Saints/Pompey fracas but this is ridiculous. Look through the Daily Echo site at the spiteful tripe posted by your brethren trolling the Echo site. "Pony fiddlers", sidesplitting "sistermum" gags, tedious turdbags pretending to be a Saints fan for a month then slowly turning into a horrible troll, the list goes on. Pompey fans act like it's all one way and that you're the injured party. Isn't that always the way at Pompey; it's not your fault, it's someone else's. "Not our fault" and "we're always the victims" will follow your team into the grave. Even here, someone's started this thread to ask for a comment about a factual inaccuracy and the response is a meaningless diversion about some perceived hurt on the News site. Vin
I have to say I agree with you. I like to keep up with news from down the road but am quite ashamed of some of the stupid comments made by people posing as Saints fans. They are not funny and their stupid comments are not banter.
Indeed. Considering there no supposed hatred between the clubs, only a healthy rivalry, up until the late 1950's, I put the present overblown situation down to people who continue to refer to it at every opportunity. Where Saints are and where Pompey are, it'll simply go away of its own doing if people let it. Personally, I never refer to Pompey unless it is to comment on one of these threads. It is very difficult to sustain a hatred of a rival if the other decides not to bother to hate back. Let's all stop bothering.
The only thing that crossed my mind in regard to Pompey recently, was how they are able to afford the wages of ex-international & prem player, Nicky Storey? Bristol City allegedly released him as part of their massive cost cutting exercise.
I never said it was one way, those Portsmouth fans must stop trolling too, although personally I've only ever been on the echo once or twice so I can't really talk about something I have no experience of. You get saddos on both sides of the M27 though it would seem. Tbf, I very rarely hear the story about the strike breakers, and I think most Portsmouth fans in my experience realise scum is just a generic term of abuse for someone who you're not particular keen on even if a small number propagate the myth.
The funny thing about all this "scummer" business is that when I was younger and regularly attended away games at Portsmouth it was us who called them "scummers", albeit in a friendly kind of way of course! It is relatively recently that it got turned around and we resorted to 'skates' which I never heard in the 70's or before.
A Portsmouth fan repeated this story to me quite recently and was surprised when I said that it was actually the wrong way round. He was also surprised to find that scummers was actually used both ways as well. Have to say that the rivalry didn't used to be nasty. My brother, who is more of a Pompey fan, used to go to both matches on alternate Saturdays...shows rivalry wasn't that bad and tickets were a hell of a lot cheaper.
Insulting and winding up people who happen to support a neighboring football team is massively illogical and moronic. I can accept wanting the satisfaction of being the best team in a certain area (south coast for us). But I don't understand the hatred and anger so many spew, especially as those Pompey fans are probably very similar to us and indeed any other football fan.
The only thing more boring than the Saints/Pompey ire is the supposed rivalry we have with Bournemouth that's dredged up by desperate Cherries fans, and the word 'banter'.
First got insulted by a Pompey fan in about 1981. He called me a "scoundrel". It fair flew me into a rage and after swiping him across the face with the back of my glove, we settled matters by wrestling naked in front of an open fire. We are still very close to this day.
Having only just escaped being a Pompey fan, I have sympathy for them. I just want them below us (as is proper), but don't wish them real harm (they've had all that) and hope they stay up. There, I've said it
I was born in Southampton but my mother and grandfather came from Portsmouth. Luckily neither were interested in football so it was always Saints for me. However, I have historic ties to Portsmouth as my great great uncle was their Lords Mayor. The family has gone downhill ever since (apart from living in Southampton obviously). I also have a mate who lives in Southsea. I used to have a Saints sticker on my car but I got a bent wing mirror for my troubles. One visit too many. Sticker has now been removed.
All I wanted to do was to demonstrate that there was no truth in the myth and for some comment on my effort as a poet.
