Portsmouth are set to host a mouthwatering South Coast derby on Sunday — the first in the league at Fratton Park in over 14 years.
Pompey and Southampton haven’t met much over the past 20 or so years, given the opposite trajectories of the two clubs in that time, but their rivalry was reignited this season as the two share the same division for the first time since the 2011/12 campaign.
The two played out a cagey, competitive goalless affair at St Mary’s in September, where the main talking points actually came following the full-time whistle, when managers Will Still and John Mousinho exchanged a frosty handshake at the end of the game.
Evidently, no love was lost between the two coaches, with Still showing clear frustration at the stop-start nature of the game post-match, and then refusing to invite Mousinho to his office for the customary post-match drink between managers, per a report from The News.
Still would go on to win just one of his following nine matches before being sacked, and now Mousinho will have to deal with a Southampton game plan led by new man Tonda Eckert.
What is for certain, though, is that the Pompey manager will be offering the new Saints boss the opportunity to have a drink with him after the dust settles on what will be a feisty affair.
John Mousinho extends offer to Southampton boss Tonda Eckert as Will Still incident referenced
In the heat of the moment, things can get a little dicey on the touchline, but nine times out of ten, things quieten down after the game, and both managers share a drink after the game in the home boss’ office.
That didn’t happen when Will Still and John Mousinho clashed back in September, but the Pompey boss isn’t prepared to take the same approach towards Tonda Eckert.
“We will offer Tonda a drink after Sunday’s game, absolutely. He can have whatever is in the fridge,” Mousinho told the News.
“At St Mary’s, obviously, a lot was made of it with Will after the game. I thought he came in strong on the handshake, and that was it. I thought it was a funny moment, to be honest.
“I spoke after the game about what both sets of fans would expect from their players, coaches, everything. I was pretty clear that we’ve got a lot of mutual respect between professionals. But we’re not friends, we’re trying to win a game.
“I’ve had a few arguments [with managers] that haven’t been highlighted. Frank Lampard and I had that bit of handbags on the bench, and then we came in and had a drink afterwards. It was fine, we just laughed about it, it’s a bit pathetic, two grown men squabbling with each other.
“It happens on the touchline, sometimes it spills over, and there’s a bit of tension in the tunnel, and people don’t go in for a drink. Will didn’t offer me one; it was left at that.
“We will always go in if we get invited — we didn’t that day. That’s fine. Whether we win, lose or draw, if the opposing staff invite us in, we’ll go in. We always invite people into Fratton.”
Evidently, emotions were running high for the first South Coast derby in a league game for over a decade, and those continued post-match. Ultimately, John Mousinho planned to stop Southampton from getting any momentum at St Mary’s, and they left the happier of the two sides as a result.
But in front of a raucous Fratton Park crowd, there’ll be more of an expectation to come out and fight for three points, and the Pompey boss concedes that Sunday will be “a different game.”
No love will be lost on the pitch on Sunday between Portsmouth and Southampton
After the game, if he accepts the proposal, Tonda Eckert and John Mousinho, along with their staff, will come together for a drink and hopefully discuss what had been an entertaining derby day.
But before then, there’s work to do and three points to be won. With the reverse game being just the fifth one of the campaign, mere bragging rights were on offer, but now that more of the season has played out, there’s more riding on it.
Portsmouth climbed out of the bottom three with a big point at Watford in midweek. Meanwhile, Southampton returned to winning ways against Sheffield United and moved within seven points of the top six as a result.
Both sides have so much to play for in the second half of the season, whether that be avoiding relegation or perhaps putting together a late play-off run. Evidently, it’ll be a hotly-contested derby, but with added implications on the league table, too.
Eckert and Mousinho may come together following the full-time whistle, but make no mistake, it’ll be business as usual from midday on Sunday.
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