'It's a nice little derby' - Former Manchester City defender Danny Mills has pop at Portsmouth v Southampton rivalry ahead of tonight's game

Danny Mills has had a pop at the Pompey v Southampton rivalry by claiming it would be on ‘page seven or eight’ of world derbies.
Former England defender Danny Mills  Picture: Tom Dulat/Getty ImagesFormer England defender Danny Mills  Picture: Tom Dulat/Getty Images
Former England defender Danny Mills Picture: Tom Dulat/Getty Images

The former England international, turned pundit, ridiculed the fixture by saying: ‘It’s a nice little derby down in Hampshire’.

His comments were made on talkSPORT’s The Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast with Danny Mills this morning.

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Throughout a clip posted by talkSPORT on Twitter, presenter Brazil defends the rivalry between both clubs and at one point offers to give the former Manchester City defender a history lesson on the origins of the antagonism that exists between both sets of supporters and even the cities.

Former England defender Danny Mills  Picture: Tom Dulat/Getty ImagesFormer England defender Danny Mills  Picture: Tom Dulat/Getty Images
Former England defender Danny Mills Picture: Tom Dulat/Getty Images

Brazil said: ‘This goes back, this is history about the dockers and strikes and stuff like that, you have to go back.’

But Mills was having none of it.

He said: ‘When you look at some of the big derbies around the world – Glasgow, you think maybe derbies in Istanbul, even Rome, and then you go: “Hampshire?”

‘It doesn’t stand out, does it, as one of the nastiest?

‘It’s a nice little derby down in Hampshire!’

He adds: ‘I get it’s a big derby in Hampshire, but if you’re a football fan and you’re thinking: “right, I’m going to go to some of the biggest derbies around the world”, where on the list does Portsmouth Southampton come?

‘I’d suggest on at least page seven.

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‘If I’m going round the world, it’s way down, it’s page seven or eight before you get to Pompey Southampton.’

Once again, Brazil interjects by saying: ‘Well, if you’re going round the world by cruise, you go to Southampton and they’ll tell you about it.’

Yet not won over by the argument put to him, Mills says: ‘No, I’m not having it’.

Pompey play host to Southampton tonight in the third round of the Carabao Cup –  a game that is a sell-out.

It’s the first meeting between the two sides since 2012.