Forza Italian Football‘s very own Features and News Editor, Conor Clancy, was recently interviewed by the Bergamo Post to discuss Atalanta.
If you are a listener to our podcast, you will be aware that Conor has never been one to hide his feelings for La Dea, as he manages to force discussion of the Bergamo side every time he appears on the pod.
The original interview can be read in Italian on bergamopost.it, but for you non-Italian speakers, we have translated the conversation.
Just as a quick note for clarity, the questions posed by Fabio Gennari of the Bergamo Post will be written in bold. The interview is as follows:
Conor, let’s start with the most simple question: why Atalanta?
It’s a bit of a random one, really. But bear with me! I have loved Italian football for a while and hope to build my career writing about it. I currently write for a couple of websites, including ForzaItalianFootball.com and we try to go over to Italy a couple of times a season for some matches.
On my first trip, in October 2013, one of the matches we went to was Atalanta vs Lazio in Bergamo. It was the early kick-off and it was a horrible rainy day. The atmosphere at the match was incredible, something I had never experienced before and Atalanta won 2-1 with goals from German Denis and Luca Cigarini and we were in the Curva Nord. We went mental and I fell in love from there. Before the game we had been put in contact with a friend of one of the ultras, who brought us to the ground and gave us a flag (I have a picture of four of us holding the flag.)
Then, when I got home I was given the role of Atalanta Club Correspondent for FIF. This basically meant I wrote a weekly Club Focus article for the website, keeping readers up to date with everything that was going on at the club. By doing that, my love grew and grew into something that I never expected.
I remember on Valentine’s Day the club put a photo on Instagram. It said: “Amore dal primo minuto,” [meaning, love from the first minute] I think that is appropriate to my story.
Where in Ireland do you live and what are the differences between Irish and Italian football?
I live in Bray, Ireland. It is a nice enough town just south of Dublin, in County Wicklow.
It’s difficult to compare Irish football with any other top league, really. Most people in Ireland support teams from the Premier League and nearly everybody over here is a Manchester United or Liverpool fan. My dad supports Chelsea and so as a kid I was a Chelsea fan as well.
The league over here has a lot of problems, and most teams don’t have many fans. My local team, Bray Wanderers, have barely any supporters and usually battle against relegation. Not all of the teams here are professional, and that causes problems. There are a handful of teams who are, so their players are much better and they always finish in the top half of the table. But the teams that are only semi-professional can only train a couple of nights a week because their players have to work normal jobs as well.
It’s a pity that not many people support the league over here, it used to have a much bigger fanbase. I have been a season ticket holder at Bray Wanderers since I was four years old, and to be honest, I can see some similarities between Bray and La Dea. Maybe that helped me develop an affection for the Nerazzurri.
Putting aside the recent defeat against Bologna, this is an exciting time for Atalanta. Do you think they can qualify for Europe?
I’m trying not to get too excited, to be honest. I was worried before the season started, but Edy Reja is doing a good job. He has the side well-organised and they are difficult to break down. Papu Gomez and Maxi Moralez can always create something in attack so hopefully the good form can continue.
Like I said, I’m trying not to think about Europe just yet. Last time I did that (2014-14 season) I ended up disappointed, so I have learned from the past.
How many times have you been to Italy to see Atalanta play?
I have been to 13 Serie A matches in total, but I have only seen Atalanta play 3 times. I saw them beat Lazio 2-1 at home in 2013. Then I saw them lose 3-1 against Roma in the Stadio Olimpico (Giulio Migliaccio scored a header,) and this season I was at the first home game of the season when La Dea won 2-0 against Frosinone.
I will be returning to Italy for another weekend of calcio this season, so hopefully I can take in another Atalanta match.
Who is your favourite current Atalanta player and your favourite all-time Atalanta player?
There are so many at the moment! I love Luca Cigarini and Marco Sportiello, and obviously I have to mention El Tanque Denis! But I think my favourite player at the moment is Marten De Roon. He is still new to the team but he has settled in so well so far. I really like that type of midfielder and he offers so much protection to the defence. He’s not bad on the ball either!
I need to mention Alberto Grassi, too. Maybe he will be my favourite in the future. I don’t think I can choose just one. Am I allowed to pick De Roon, Sportiello and Cigarini?
For my all-time favourite, unfortunately, I am too young to have ever seen Angelo Domenghini, Piero Gardoni, Gaetano Scirea play. Even the more recent names like Roberto Donadoni, Filippo Inzaghi and Claudio Caniggia played in Bergamo when I was too young to remember them, so I’m going to have to go for a current player here.
In my time watching Atalanta regularly I have always loved German Denis and obviously Cristian Raimondi is a bit of a legend, too.
You are active on social media on Twitter; where do you watch Atalanta matches?
I usually watch either online or on television. There are always Serie A matches on tv so if Atalanta are involved in the chosen game then great. If not, I do my best to find a stream on the Internet to tune in.
Unfortunately, I work most weekends, so I don’t get to watch every minute of every match, but I do my best to keep up by reading match reports and player ratings online as well as looking for highlights somewhere. The Internet helps me a lot!
