Since 2010 when we met them in the League for the first time in living memory, Bournemouth fans have tried to manufacture a rivalry, ironically why it is not is highlighted this weekend when they arrive at St Mary's.

These days they say the cups don't matter and it is all about the Premier League, try telling that to Saints fans, all the talk this week has not been about this weekend's fixture against Bournemouth, but about Tuesday's Carabao Cup tie at Fratton Park.

For Saints fans this is all that matters, ask most whether they would rather get three points against Bournemouth or beat Pompey and the answer will be virtually unanimous, all reasoning will go out the window, all that matters is beating the Skates.

Bournemouth will arrive and call us Scummers etc, but it is water off a ducks back, you cannot manufacture a true rivalry and Bournemouth to us are just another team, news of their wins broadcast over the tannoy after games at St Mary's still get a cheer as they always have done over the past decades, although in fairness it is not as big a cheer as it used to be, we might not see them as rivals, but that doesn't mean we can let the clear hatred of in fairness a minority of their fans pass without feeling something.

That is more sadness that they feel this way after all we did for them back in the days when they would seemingly go broke as often as Portsmouth and we used to send teams down to play them and boost their coffers to help keep them alive till they got another owner.

Promotion to the Premier League seems to have found them a new generation of fans who were not seen much prior to ten years ago when their average attendances were mainly between 3-6 k depending on how they were doing.

This new generation seem to have watched Sky too much and feel that they have to buy in to the modern game and that means having a derby day game on the TV live, so they look to Saints to try and find this, that means the aim each year is to finish above us and try and claim bragging rights, it is perhaps annoying forthem to find we don't care.

This evening at St Mary's is just another game, all the talk before, during and after will be about one other team and one other team only and it is a team that plays to the East of us and not to the West.

Photo: Action Images

SonicBoom added 12:40 - Sep 20 They are a weird bunch. Twitter is alive with them, yet tell them you don't really care and they take that as a sign that we really do !? I see them as another PL team who we need to beat. They are the same as Sheffield United, Watford or whoever. Of course I want us to beat them, but either way the result won't live long in the memory.
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SteveMoron added 18:46 - Sep 20 Let's hope the players haven't got the same viewpoint tonight. Personally I'd prefer 3 points.
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saintjf added 19:41 - Sep 20 Quite right Steve. A very strange preview. This game does matter as it is 3 points.
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