WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ALONG THE ROAD...

Found this on a Pompey website...

The Demise Of The Enemy
By Jim Bonner Sunday, 26th April 2009

Is this the end of our greatest rivals?

It's safe to say that Pompey fans have enjoyed the past few days since Southampton finally took their impending punishment and were deducted 10 points on Thursday.

And after failing to beat Burnley yesterday it has now been confirmed (with inevitable failing appeal pending) that a team once regarded as the giants of the South Coast will begin next season in the third tier of English football with -10 points.

The fall of Southampton has been nothing short of spectacular since 2003 when they were in the FA Cup Final.

Since then Gordon Strachan left and was replaced by Paul Sturrock, then Steve Wigley and then Saints were relegated under Harry Redknapp after being humilated at Fratton Park in 2005.

In the Championship they suffered a heartbreaking (or hilarious depending on who you support) play-off semi-final defeat to Derby, survived on the final day of last season only to be officially relegated yesterday to the third tier of English football for the first time in over 50 years. All of that happened in six years.

In the same time Pompey were promoted to the top flight, have stayed there ever since despite the major scares and have also reached an FA Cup Final, the difference being we actually won ours.

But as much as I've rubbed it into my colleagues (and I have taken great pleasure in showing them where Yeovil and Hartlepool are on the map) there is a certain line that has to be drawn when laughing at the plight the Scummers find themselves in.

They're in desperate need of some financial help after being mismanaged by Rupert Lowe and co. and face the reality that they may go out of existance altogether. That is something I don't want to see happen to any football club, even Southampton.

Think about it, if they were to go bust then who would be our rivals? Brighton because they'd be the closest league team to us? Tottenham because of Redknapp? Saints fans may form a new club but would they even register on the radar of Pompey fans?

Whoever it would be it wouldn't be as intense as the current rivalry and I simply couldn't imagine football without the red & white Stains 27 miles down the road.

There is a small part of me that hopes that they manage to find their way out of their plight and become a top flight club again (provided that we're still there of course) because the novelty of being in the Premier League has worn off and we need a spicy derby to give us a fixture to look forward to and to restore some intensity to one of the most fierce rivalries in English football.

Those Pompey fans who are still laughing even now should realise that some Saints fans helped keep us going when we looked like going bust until Milan Mandaric came in and saved us. I would be happy to donate to Southampton if it helped keep them alive because every football fan deserves a club to support.

Besides, it's not like we're currently in a fantastic position ourselves is it? There are still serious questions being asked about our financial future whilst we're not safe from relegation ourselves so it's far from rosy on the blue side of Hampshire too.

But I don't want to put too much of a dampener on our current situation so I'll end by saying this. I spoke to a couple of Scummers who said that things could only get better from here so I reminded them that there is another league they can sink to yet.

On a positive note, they actually have a chance of winning some silverware next season. They may just win the Johnstone's Paint Trophy!

Jim Bonner can get bent. The skates are loving this. But at least he's honest enough to admit that it's not all rosy in the skates' own garden either.

tbh, i dare say that MOST of the Skates feel the same ,deep down. Much as i superficially loathe Pompey i would not want to see them disappear as , like the guy above says, that leaves us with no real passion about ANY fixture.......and how boring would THAT be?!!...

And for all those Saints fans getting a bit narky about all the gloating the Skates are doing, we did that to them for donkeys years while they were Hampshire's 2nd team, its only fair they have their revenge.....lets just hope that we are around for seasons to come to turn the tables on them again.

UP THE SAINTS!!!!

Different subject I know DH but will anyone be going to the charity match on the 17th. DH I presume you will be working thus doing your bit for the cause. I might even be there for the SW match as it is for charity on Thursday.

sorry SFC , only just seen your post.

i didnt do the SWF match , as i hadnt been asked to... LOL

i will be working the Charity match on Sunday tho........coz i'm generous like that!!! :lol:

I won't ask DH. If I can afford it I will go and take one or two of the kids. At the moment there aren't many tickets sold. Ther is talk it could be called off.