‘Waving £20 notes…we remember’: Portsmouth faithful’s angry response to calls to support Reading protests

But it appears those efforts have fell on deaf ears among some members of the Fratton faithful, ahead of the trip to the Madejski Stadium on Saturday.

The Royals have urged Blues fans to show solidarity, as they battle against their owners with the club seemingly teetering on the brink of financial meltdown.

During the reign of Chinese businessman Dai Yongge, the Berkshire outfit have been deducted 16 points, are under a transfer embargo until January 2025 and are believed to have debts of around £100m.

That has led to Reading supporters mobilising with protest group ‘Sell Before We Dai’ organising a pre-match march and more than 1,000 people expected to be involved.

It’s a narrative Pompey, of course, are very familiar with after facing their own fights for survival, with an indomitable fanbase taking matters into their own hands to save their club.

Their demands for changes to football governance also resonates around these parts, but there’s been a forceful and angry response to calls to back their protest on Saturday from many Pompey fans.

The crux of the dismissive tone from those followers emanates from the manner in which Reading supporters are perceived to have stuck the boot in, when the Blues were facing a similar plight.

A wave of Fratton faithful members alleged members of the Royals fanbase waved £20 notes and sang ‘pay up Pompey’ at them when the two clubs met, while online video clips and posts of Reading fans launching tirades at Pompey and their supporters have resurfaced.

Here’s a selection of those responses:

No chance they didn’t care about us, what goes around comes around. All I want is three points.@derek46882

Oh hell no, we remember.@DrWatsonpfc

Pay up Pompey’ ‘We’ll never play you again’.@bobbeech

Didn’t they wave £20 notes at us?@Frattonegg

‘Deserves to be wound up’. I remember zero empathy for our situation and mocking. I’d quietly move on and not expect anything from us. We’re not bitter just learned that football was not a family that day - we lent our support to Blackpool/Charlton no problem PUP@VLCapital

You shouldn't even exist" - as they chanted at us last time we were there and in free fall. Remember them and Middlesbrough (for some reason) being the worst in choosing to celebrate our plight. And York City when we were in L2.@iburrell

Pompey fans never forget lol.@caseytwoNot all Pompey fans assumed that position, however, with some choosing to move on from the past, while many Reading supporters apologised for what took place.Must admit to all Pompey fans I don’t remember us giving you stick but can only apologise for a small minority glad you’re on the climb again!@1871loudmouth

They were disrespectful of us when we were in a similar position, but I was always taught to turn the other cheek. Personally, I would never want any football club to go through what we went through, and even worse, do a Bury or Wimbledon, so I personally wish them well.@PropPersonnel

Pompey fans aren't covering themselves in glory here. Whilst it shouldn't have to happen to you for it to matter to you, it did happen to us and we remember how it felt. I sympathise with any club in trouble from dodgy owners, football is nothing if we don't have each other.My support doesn't hinge on whether or not some fans were idiots a decade ago. I urge other PFC fans to put that to one side, but I can appreciate that the "it's karma" brigade feel strongly I remember it was a lonely place with Luton and only a couple of others sympathetic.@pompeytess

Reading fans were wrong for chanting what they were but that was well over a decade ago. But that doesn’t make doing the same thing a decade on right. Football is supposed to be a family when times are tough.

@james_e1871

Sorry if a few of our "fans" acted in that way when you had trouble. Its not representative of all our fans at all!! Nothing but respect if any of you fancy helping us.

@LeeHolb25650818