'Still living in the past' - the claims levelled at Portsmouth by Southampton tifo creator
Pompey were accompanied by 2,700 fans for Sunday's south-coast derby against Southampton which finished goalless
Pompey have been accused of ‘still living in the past’ by one of the creators behind the giant James Beattie tifo Southampton fans unfurled ahead of Sunday’s south-coast derby.
But that’s not all MatchDayVlogs founder Mike Smale has levelled at the Blues in the aftermath of the St Mary’s stalemate.
The Saints fan has also accused the Fratton faithful of having a ‘love to talk’ - while he claims Southampton supporters are ‘louder, prouder and still filling our ground’.
Smale - Pompey love to talk
Smale’s slant emerged after The News received a press release from the company behind the Beattie tifo, which was designed to remind Southampton fans of the striker’s goal celebration following the first of his two goals against Pompey in a Carling Cup game in December 2003 at St Mary’s.
The now 47-year-old and Saints legend admitted it brought a tear to his eye when he saw it rolled out ahead of the latest meeting between the two fierce rivals.
The primary image used was one of the striker cupping his left ear in front of Blues supporters - an ‘iconic’ moment chosen by the Midnite-sponsored tifo committee set up to produce a series of memorable, giant banners at St Mary’s this season.
That committee consists of key members of various supporter groups associated with Southampton Football Club, including Smale, Alex Graham (TotalSaintsPodcast), Louise Burke (Southampton Fan Advisory Board) and Yasmin Wiseman (Southampton Fan Advisory Board).
But while Andrew Mook, Head of Brand Marketing at Southampton training kit sponsors Midnite, chose his words more carefully when explaining the reason behind Saints’ second tifo of the new campaign, Smale was rather more spikey with his comments.
‘That Beattie moment – cupping his ear to the Pompey lot – it’s legendary for us Saints, and everyone in red and white knows it,’ said Smale.
‘We wanted the tifo to bring that memory right back in their faces, because nothing sums up this rivalry better.
‘Pompey love to talk, but our fans have shown time and again we’re louder, prouder, and still filling our ground while they’re still living in the past.’
Pompey fans at St Mary’s
The Beattie tifo certainly added to the occasion at St Mary’s, where 2,700 Pompey fans were housed in the away end after their early-morning police escort to the ground and were in fine voice throughout.
That carried on long after referee Matt Donohue blew his final whistle, with those Blues supporters inside the ground appreciative of their team’s performance against a side that was relegated from the Premier League last season but who spent north of £50m on new players during the summer.
In comparison, twice crowned English champions and FA Cup winners Pompey spent in the region of £5m during the recent transfer window, while seven of John Mousinho’s starting XI were free transfers.
Sharing his thoughts on the Southampton tifo, Mook said: ‘Tifos are a huge part of modern fan football culture, and we wanted to bring this to St Mary’s consistently throughout the season.
‘To mark the opening day of the new season, we unveiled a Tifo which paid homage to seven Saints legends, and it was very well-received by Saints fans. But we wanted to go bigger as the season progressed, while also leaning on the people who make the football club what it is - the fans.
‘For the south coast derby, we wanted to remind Southampton fans about James Beattie’s legendary celebration against Pompey all those years ago. While Sunday’s game didn’t live up to expectations, we’re pleased to see the Beattie tifo was a big talking point.’
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