Much has happened to Portsmouth and Sunderland since February 2010 when the pair drew 1-1 at Fratton Park in their last Premier League meeting – little of it good.
Punctuated by debts and defeats, arrests and administration, relegation and regrets, the intervening years have not been kind to the Checkatrade Trophy finalists and League One promotion rivals.
So how did it come to this? Our season-by-season guide offers an inside track on parallel calamities.
2009-10
Portsmouth Sulaiman al-Fahim’s ill-starred six-week ownership sojourn represented the worst sort of watershed in a season which started with Glen Johnson’s £18m sale to Liverpool. Fahim sold to Saudi businessman Ali al-Faraj in October. By then player wages were late and in February Hong Kong money lender Balram Chainrai became the fourth owner in a year, administration was entered and nine points docked, making relegation inevitable. A 1-0 FA Cup final defeat to Chelsea for Avram Grant’s side – the Israeli had succeeded Paul Hart – offered scant consolation.
In 2018 Fahim was sentenced, in circumstances he disputes, to five years in prison by a United Arab Emirates court for forgery and stealing £5m from his wife’s bank account to help fund Portsmouth’s purchase.
Sunderland Steve Bruce’s first season prompted a 13th-place finish with Darren Bent scoring 24 goals and Jordan Henderson selected as young player of the year.
2010-11
Portsmouth They emerged from administration in October after agreement was reached with key creditor Alexandre “Sacha” Gaydamak. New manager Steve Cotterill’s Championship team finished 16th.
Sunderland Despite losing Bent to Aston Villa in January for £24m 10th place was secured.
2011-12
Portsmouth In June new chairman and joint owner Vladimir Antonov, a Russian banker, arrived. October saw Cotterrill defect to Nottingham Forest and Michael Appleton move in. An international arrest warrant was issued for Antonov as part of a November bank asset-stripping investigation in Lithuania. Antonov, who denied wrongdoing, was arrested, bailed and resigned as chairman. He was recently jailed in Russia for fraud after pleading guilty. January brought a winding-up order. With 10 points deducted and £58m debts reported, Appleton proved powerless to prevent relegation to League One.
Sunderland American billionaire owner Ellis Short sacked Bruce in November before introducing Martin O’Neill. O’Neill spoke of creating a Barcelona on Wear but after a 13th-placed finish tensions with Short were emerging.
2012-13
Portsmouth Following relegation to League One senior professionals departed and in November Appleton joined Blackpool. Guy Whittingham took caretaker charge but December featured another 10-point deduction, making a third relegation in four years inevitable. April brought emergence from administration as Pompey Supporters Trust (PST) announced its takeover.
Sunderland The March winds swept Paolo Di Canio in as the sacked O’Neill’s replacement. Immediately, the former foreign secretary David Miliband resigned from the board in protest at the new manager’s “past political statements”, most notably his views on Mussolini, a dictator the Italian described as “deeply misunderstood”. Partly thanks to a 3-0 win at Newcastle, Sunderland somehow escaped relegation, finishing 17th.
2013-14
Portsmouth A record 10,000 season tickets were sold for the League Two campaign and a team variously managed by Whittingham, Ritchie Barker and Andy Awford finished 13th.
Sunderland Di Canio spoke of reinventing himself as a latter-day Emperor Hadrian and galloping the length of the Roman Wall on a white stallion but dressing-room revolt preceded an October sacking. His successor Gus Poyet led the team to a 3-1 Wembley League Cup final defeat against Manchester City before Sunderland won four of their last five games to dodge relegation and finish 14th.
2014-15
Portsmouth In October the club – en route to 16th place under Awford and then Gary Waddock – declared itself debt free.
Sunderland Jermain Defoe arrived from Toronto in January, March saw Adam Johnson arrested on suspicion of sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl and the former Holland coach Dick Advocaat replaced the sacked Poyet. Advocaat presided over yet another 11th-hour relegation escape as Sunderland finished 16th. The Dutchman initially planned to retire but eventually agreed to remain.
2015-16
Portsmouth Paul Cook’s managerial advent prefaced a sixth-placed finish in League Two.
Sunderland Turmoil surrounded Advocaat’s dismissal and Sam Allardyce’s October installation. In March the sacked Adam Johnson received a six-year prison sentence. Chief executive Margaret Byrne stepped down. Allardyce took up transcendental meditation and eventually led Sunderland to 17th. He described it as his “hardest” job in football.
2016-17
Portsmouth Cook presided over a League Two title triumph before decamping to Wigan.
Sunderland David Moyes failed to prevent relegation after finishing 20th – and investing £13.6m on record signing Didier Ndong. Debts totalled at least £110m – a consequence of some shocking player recruitment – and Short wanted out. Backroom staff were made redundant as Moyes’s squad enjoyed a “bonding” trip to New York.
2017-18
Portsmouth In August 2017 the PST agreed to sell Pompey to the Tornante Company, headed by former Disney chief executive Michael Eisner and Kenny Jackett’s side headed for eighth place.
Sunderland Filming for Netflix’s Sunderland ’Til I Die documentary began. New manager Simon Grayson was swiftly succeeded by Chris Coleman but relegation to League One beckoned. The summer saw former Eastleigh owner Stewart Donald buy out Short for £40m and Jack Ross replace Coleman.
