GORDON STRACHAN has sent a note of congratulations to newly promoted Pompey - and admits he can't wait for next season's south coast derbies.

The Saints boss, pictured, insists it is good news for the region to have two Premiership clubs and has urged rival fans to adopt the correct spirit when the two clubs meet.

Strachan said: "I've sent my congratulations to Portsmouth. We are all delighted and I think a derby is absolutely fantastic.

"It's good for everybody. It's great fun and we should look forward to it.

"I didn't have too many big derbies as a player but it should be a great occasion.

"I've got a lot of friends who are Portsmouth fans and they are alright. I got treated absolutely fantastic at the club, couldn't have been better.

"The clubs get on fine. Everything about Milan Mandaric has impressed me, he has done magnificent. They have done really well as a team."

He added: "There must be an island where we can put the Portsmouth and Southampton fans who want to shout and scream and fight and let them get on with it.

"In the whole area there could be ten people on each side who ruin it, they should just get on with it and leave those who want to enjoy it to enjoy it."

Despite making it to the FA Cup final, Strachan admits the general quality of his team's play has dropped since Christmas.

The Saints boss believes this is reflective of the deterioration of pitches as the season goes on and he drew comparison with other clubs that have suffered.

"I think it's fair to say we are not playing our best football of the season, but we are still hard to beat because of the preparation we are putting in," he said.

"The organisation is not bad, we're okay with that and the fitness has been good.

"It's down to the players because the characters is theirs and they have the character to go along with that.

"The first half of the season they were excellent. When the surface was slicker we were better there is no doubt about that. The grounds for various reasons have hardened up and we have not been at our best.

"But I don't think there are many teams at their best. Newcastle and Arsenal are maybe down a level, and probably they like a slicker pitch as well."

Saints boast one of the leading defensive records in the league and Strachan praised the work the entire team has been doing.

"We work more on attacking, but the defenders have been decent," he said.

"But it's not just the defenders as we defend well as a unit. A lot of people say that but we really do.

"The two boys up front close down, put people off and harass people. When they come on Jo (Tessem) and Kevin (Davies) do the same."