With Southampton looking set for a top seven finish in the Premier League, Bournemouth celebrating their first promotion to the the top flight in their history and Portsmouth’s drop through the leagues, this series takes a look at the South Coast clubs that have had a mixed history, and ten years in particular, across English football.
Ten years ago Portsmouth, now in the fourth tier of English football, were the highest ranked South Coast side and competing in the Premier League. Southampton were relegated from the top flight, ending their 27-year stay with England’s elite, and Bournemouth were struggling in League One.
But the tables have turned, for better or worse, and it’s Portsmouth who have suffered a significant downfall, with the other two clubs striving for success.
Part 1 begins in the 1980s and continues until 2005.
1980s
Ironically, Harry Redknapp has managed all three of these clubs. He began his managerial career in 1983 at Bournemouth: a club for whom he made over 100 appearances as a player, and took over when the Cherries had just achieved promotion back to Division Three. Redknapp spent nine seasons at Dean Court and avoided relegation to Division Four in his first season, before winning promotion to Division Two in the 1986-87 season.
At the same time the Cherries won promotion, Southampton were flying high in the top flight. In the 1983-84 season, the Saints had recorded their highest top flight finish in their history as they came second. They struggled to emulate that achievement, but managed a seventh-placed finish in the 1989-90 season.
Meanwhile Portsmouth were surging through the leagues. They won promotion to Division Three in 1979-80 and gained promotion from there in 1983. Another promotion followed in 1987 to the top flight, but they spent just the one season there before an immediate return to Division Two.
1990s
Harry Redknapp left Bournemouth in the 1992 season for personal reasons, stating that he was going to retire from management. However, Redknapp was to take over at West Ham two years later. Tony Pulis took over from Redknapp but arrived at a time when the club was suffering financially, and had taken over following his predecessor’s relegation to Division Three, the league in which the Cherries would remain until the turn of the millennium.
With the financial situation deteriorating, the receivers were called in during the 1996-97 season, which gained support for the supporters to rally a trust fund, eventually ensuring the club’s survival.
With Bournemouth sinking through the divisions and facing financial uncertainty, it was a different scenario for the other two clubs. Following Portsmouth’s relegation to the third tier, now named Division Two due to the advent of the Premier League, the club remained there for the next fifteen years, before once again they returned to the top flight in 2003. However, in 1998, Portsmouth were struggling financially and were placed into administration. Milan Mandarić took over, and his financial status aided towards the club’s promotion a few years later following huge investments in the club.
Southampton were still the strongest of the South Coast clubs, and had remained a top division side throughout the decade. The Saints never really challenged in the top half like they once had, but had established themselves as a top flight team.
2000 – 2005
In the 2001-02 season, Bournemouth suffered yet another relegation, this time to Division Four. The club’s finances remained uncertain but despite this, they won promotion back to Division Three at the first time of asking. They would remain in League One until they were once again relegated back to League Two at the end of the 2007-08 season where they’d stay until the next decade began.
2002 was the year that Harry Redknapp became manager of Portsmouth. He’d moved on from his role as West Ham manager a year earlier, and, under Mandarić, he joined Pompey initially as their Director Of Football, before taking over as manager for the 2002-03 season. In his first season in charge of the Division One club, Redknapp won promotion back to the now Premier League for the first time in fifteen years. Redknapp kept Pompey in the top flight but resigned in 2004 after numerous disagreements with Mandarić.
Southampton were still a top flight side, and in 2003 they recorded an eighth-placed finish; their best finish since they finished seventh thirteen years earlier. In the same year, the Saints also reached their first FA Cup final since they won the competition in 1976. Unfortunately for the Saints, they couldn’t replicate their win and succumbed to a 1-0 loss against Arsenal.
The following season and just one week after Harry Redknapp left Fratton Park, he, in controversial circumstances, became the new manager of fierce rivals Southampton. Redknapp’s task was to keep the Saints in the Premier League, but it was greeted with mixed emotions from both Southampton and Portsmouth fans. Redknapp failed to deliver and the club were relegated, ending their 27 year tenure in the top flight. Redknapp stayed on as the Saints began their campaign back in Division One, but he resigned to take his old position back at Portsmouth.
Again, both sets of fans were upset, angry and betrayed by what Redknapp had done. From Pompey’s point of view, he had left to take over at their club’s most fierce rivals, but others laughed as he saw them relegated. As for the Southampton supporters, the relegation, followed by Harry’s return to Fratton Park, left the majority fuming. This was the beginning of Southampton’s fall from grace.
