Bragging rights to be decided as south coast derby rolls into town

When is a derby a derby? And when it is a rivalry?

Wed, 19 Oct, 2022 - 06:30

Chris Hatherall

When is a derby a derby? And when it is a rivalry? It’s a conundrum that football has struggled to solve and one which comes into focus as Bournemouth face their south coast neighbours Southampton today.

The two teams are based only 48km apart, they are both in the Premier League and there will be a fiery atmosphere at the Vitality Stadium as they go head-to-head. But not even fans of the two clubs can agree on how to describe the fixture.

The Cambridge English Dictionary defines a derby in this context as a ‘sporting event between two teams from the same area’ – so the match certainly ticks those boxes. But under those rules Southampton against Basingstoke would be measured by the same stick.

Football demands a little more than that, it requires an historic rivalry and a deep antipathy which generates levels of passion that exceed that shown for a ‘normal’ fixture.

If we think about the biggest rivalries in football there is often more to it than sport. Southampton and Portsmouth’s mutual hatred started with a rivalry between two cities, one a base for the Royal Navy the other for the Merchant Navy. In Scotland, the Old Firm derby was drawn along religious lines and the Man United/Liverpool rivalry began with industrial competition in the 18th Century.

So, where does that leave Bournemouth v Southampton? A fixture which only really grew in intensity when Bournemouth were first promoted to the Premier League in 2016?

Current manager Gary O'Neill is in no doubt.

“If two local teams play then it’s a derby,” he said. “If I was playing in it then I would be feeling like it was a derby. There would definitely be an extra motivation.”

Not everyone agrees. The fixture does have history – the two teams played each other down in League One in 2011 when Southampton beat their rivals on the way to winning promotion.

Then there was a glorious win for Bournemouth in 2016 in the first every topflight meeting between the two sides, when the overspilling passion of the underdog started to really irritate their bigger neighbours for the first time.

But journalist Jack Tanner, who works for the Bournemouth Echo and Southern Daily Echo and has deep knowledge of both clubs, has his doubts about whether it qualifies as a real derby – the kind that makes you think of Liverpool v Everton, Arsenal v Tottenham, Manchester United v Manchester City.

Oh, and especially not in comparison to the real South Coast Derby between Saints and Portsmouth, one of the most bitter rivalries in football.

He said: “The general consensus is that Cherries-Saints will never be on the same level of Saints-Pompey, no matter how long they share a division. Even with Portsmouth languishing lower down the pyramid.

“The history between Portsmouth and Southampton as cities is far too strong, with Bournemouth a young town in comparison, and that historical backdrop is key.

“The dynamic between Cherries and Saints is hard to pin down, with sections of both fanbases playing down the rivalry. However, there can be a bit of an edge to it still.

“There is a section of Bournemouth fans that really do not like Southampton, and value beating them more than wins against other Premier League teams. But in general both sets of fans tend to play it down.” Jack recently asked supporters for memorable moments of Bournemouth’s 200 Premier League games and quite a few selected games against Southampton.

“I think there’s an element of getting one over their bigger neighbours,” he said. “But Cherries getting relegated poured cold water over the rivalry.” That’s very different to Saints-Pompey.

Earlier this month 2,500 people watched a Hampshire Senior Cup match between Portsmouth and Saints’ under-21s team, such is the interest. Pompey’s first team manager Danny Cowley took charge of the fixture and named first team players in his side.

Violence between Saints and Pompey fans has regularly made headlines, and there have been flash points in Cherries-Saints matches over the years, too.

But there has also been historical friendliness – especially in the days when Bournemouth were in the lower divisions. Southampton famously agreed to play Bournemouth in a friendly when their neighbours were in League 2 and needed cash to stay afloat. So, perhaps that’s why – for older fans especially – the rivalry has never really reached derby status.

The two clubs aren’t even in the same county. Bournemouth is in Dorset and Southampton in Hampshire – and the ‘The New Forest Derby’ never really stuck as a nickname But that doesn’t mean it won’t happen in future. The last time they met was Bournemouth’s last game of the 2019-20 season when the Cherries were relegated following a 2-0 defeat, so there will be no shortage of home fans wanting revenge tonight.

The potential is there for the rivalry to grow, even if you need to whisper it as the teams prepare for battle again with little Bournemouth sitting 10th in the Premier League table - eight places above their bigger neighbours, who have endured a difficult start to the campaign with manager Ralph Hasenhuttl under pressure.

“Overall, I don’t outright describe it as a derby when I’m covering the game,” insisted the Echo’s Jack Tanner as kick-off looms.

“It kicks up too much grief of people complaining that it isn’t!”