Portsmouth fans gutted at Ivan Juric news coming out of Southampton
Portsmouth fans now have a lot of reason to gloat, as local rivals Southampton are enduring a thoroughly miserable season.
Pompey are in the Championship for the first time in 12 years, but there was no local derby this season as Southampton reached the Premier League via last year’s play-offs.
However, the Saints have been a disaster in the Premier League, and became the earliest-ever team to be relegated, confirming their demotion with a 3-1 defeat at Tottenham on Sunday (6 April).
Southampton manager Ivan Juric, who joined in December, has now left the club, and Portsmouth fans are seeing the funny side.
Portsmouth fans react as Juric leaves Southampton
Southampton brought in Juric to replace Russell Martin as a Hail Mary to stay up, but the Croatian won just one of his 14 league games in charge, and has now been dismissed following their relegation.
| Manager | Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals | Conceded |
| Ivan Juric | 16 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 15 | 39 |
Portsmouth fans have taken to X to express their sadness that Juric has left, given the poor run his side embarked on under his management.
I’m gutted. He did a really goof job!🤩
— pompeyjc.fp (@Pompey_pjc) April 7, 2025
(Spelling mistake intended)#Pompey pic.twitter.com/aa4A6fZL27
Portsmouth and Southampton can reignite South Coast derby
Should Portsmouth beat the drop this season, they will confirm their place in the same division as Southampton for the first time since 2012, when both were in the Championship.
They have faced each other just once since, in the 2019 Carabao Cup as Pompey were beaten 4-0 at Fratton Park.
Next season, both can be on a level playing field, and the prospect of two South Coast derbies is a mouthwatering one.
For Pompey fans, they will hope that the Saints pick a manager with a similar success rate to Juric, and that their nightmare campaign continues into next season for when they may face each other.