Jamie O'Hara's new message to Portsmouth fans after West Ham rant

Jamie O'Hara took aim at Portsmouth during a rant regarding West Ham earlier this week

Jamie O’Hara has apologised to Portsmouth fans following a dig he took at the club during a rant regarding West Ham.

The 39-year-old spent a season on loan at Fratton Park, where he scored twice in 26 Premier League appearances.

But he caught the ire of supporters after he dismissed a question about whether West Ham or Tottenham Hotspur should be happier now.

The Hammers suffered relegation at the hands of Spurs last season, but Roberto de Zerbi’s side are now bottom of the Premier League table after five games.

Meanwhile, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side are second in the Championship, and have won four of their first eight league fixtures of the campaign.

Speaking on Talksport earlier this week, O’Hara claimed it was a small club mentality to want to be West Ham instead, suggesting it doesn’t mean much to get wins over Pompey or Lincoln City.

Jamie O’Hara issues Portsmouth apology

Action Images

O’Hara posted on his personal X account to apologise to Pompey supporters for his comments, reiterating that he loves the club and their fans.

He hopes that John Mousinho’s side will batter West Ham when they meet later in the season, claiming that he knows just how big of a club they are.

“I wanna apologise to my Pompey fans,” wrote O’Hara.

“I used there [sic] name [the] other day when giving it West Ham fan as they were first name that come to my head in the Championship.

“I love that club and I love the fans, they know this.

“Hope they batter West Ham and I know how big a club they are.”

O’Hara came through the Spurs academy system, but ended up on loan at Portsmouth in 2009/10, with the team finishing 20th in the Premier League table.

Pompey found themselves down in League Two just a few years later, as significant financial issues led to their decline down the football pyramid.

But Mousinho is now overseeing this third season in the Championship with Pompey after leading the club to the League One title in 2024.

The Hampshire outfit have earned eight points from their opening seven games, and sit 19th in the table during the September international break.

How Portsmouth and West Ham fans reacted to Jamie O’Hara apology

Portsmouth fans have dismissed O’Hara’s apology, in particular the claim that he loves the club off the back of one season on loan.

However, his goal against Southampton in the FA Cup that season is a moment that some supporters remember fondly, with the team winning 4-1 against their bitter rivals.

And West Ham fans also joined in to criticise O’Hara for his initial comments, claiming he won’t be making any Portsmouth best XIs.

Hammers supporters have claimed that the 39-year-old is one of the reasons that everyone hates Spurs.

Next up for Pompey is a trip to St. Mary’s to face the Saints on 11 October when the league returns to action from the international break.

Jamie O’Hara’s comments won’t be forgotten at Portsmouth

O’Hara’s comments about Portsmouth were quite disparaging, and they won’t be forgotten any time soon by supporters.

Pompey have been through a difficult few years, and have now stabilised themselves in the Championship again, but they were once a regular in the Premier League.

Portsmouth also won the 2008 FA Cup, and have won the top flight title a number of times in their history, so they are certainly a big club.

But O’Hara is stuck with a Premier League mindset that dismisses the previous 100 years of English football history.