Pompey fans love to claim that Saints have no history and that it is their football club that has all the history and tradition, now however evidence has come to light that Pompey even plagiarised their own song from their older neighbours.

It is the proud boast of Pompey fans that it is the Fratton Park club that has the history and tradition in Hampshire, whilst it's true that Pompey did of course win a couple of league titles back in the days when rationing was still in force and football matches often had to be abandoned not because of the weather but because of malnutrition, the truth of the matter is that Saints being founded in 1885, some 13 years before Pompey are the club with the longer history, not to mention that back in those days when the Football League was for Northern teams whilst the top teams in the South competed in the Southern League, Saints won this competition on a regular basis from its inaugranation in 1894, indeed they had won it 3 times before Pompey joined in 1899, indeed in the league's first ten seasons Southampton won it on no less than six occasions.

This along with being the first Southern professional team to reach an FA Cup Final in 1899/00 as well as again in 1901/02, meant that Saints along with Tottenham Hotspur were considered the only clubs south of Birmingham good enough to take on the mighty Northern Clubs (Woolwich Arsenal & Luton did join the football league in the 1890's but were not a force) By the time the first world war had broken out Pompey had won the title once, but were no more than a footnote in the early years of professional football.

Over the years of course Pompey did enjoy a golden period from 1939 when they won the FA Cup and afterwards insulted Hitler so much at the champagne reception that he invaded the first country beginning with "P" that he could think of, thus starting World War 2 and allowing them to start the first great Portsmouth myth, that of holding the FA Cup for the longest.

But just as Saints have "When the Saints go marching in" as their anthem, Pompey have the Pompey Chimes, these actually were inherited from Royal Artillery Portsmouth who were kicked out of the Southern League in 1899 their first season for dodgy dealings, many of their supporters switched to the new boys on the block Portsmouth FC who took their place and brought the Chimes with them.

But even the words had been stolen and the evidence of who they were stolen from is in the brand new book "All The Saints" (available from all good bookshops as long as they are called Waterstones as far east as Fareham)

On page 192 of this epic read is the biography of Joe Turner, who played for the club in two spells the first being 1895-98 and then 1901-04, Joe played in our second cup final, but for this story we go back to February 1886 and the FA Cup tie with the club who were then known as just The Wednesday (not adding the Sheffield to 1929)

In All The Saints, Joe Turner's biography pictures a badge produced for this cup tie, his picture in our then kit of red & white quarters had the immortal words "Play Up Southampton" surrounding it.

Conclusive proof that the famous Pompey anthem is not a Portsea Island original but stolen from the biggest club in the South Of England at the time Southampton FC.

Of course we at the Western End of the M27 didn't really mind, the truth is as we met more and more Northern Football league clubs on our travels it wasn't long before Play Up Southampton/Wednesday/Bury etc etc was a regular rallying cry on the Victorian terraces, it had become rather passe so we looked for a song that wasn't now the preserve of every Tom Derby & Hotspur.

So m'lud the evidence is overwhelming, Saints fans were urging Play Up Southampton before the Royal Artillery joined the Southern League and at least two years before Portsmouth Football Club was formed, of course the Chimes are now associated with Pompey, like HMS Victory they failed to move forward much with the times and didn't evolve their support of the club, but like their famous ticker tape welcome its just another thing stolen along the way.

All swear words and abuse passed on to this site for this article from Pompey fans will be donated to Roy Chubby Brown's next stage show.

Photo: Action Images

Stephen added 14:33 - Dec 9 Please don't tell them that the dirge came from Southampton. We want them to continue singing the worst club song I know.
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