My Toro Story #2 : Brian Rea

Name : Brian Rea

Other Teams Supported : Man City and Glentoran

How and when did you start supporting Torino : Well the clue is Man City, the team I have supported since 1953! So when Denis Law went to Torino for one year in 1960/61 I think, I began to take an interest in Il Grande Torino and have never regretted it. Since retiring in 2001 I have been to Turin several times and at my first game at the Stadio delle Alpi I noticed a sign CIAO DENIS which sent a shiver down my spine. I have read the history of the club in the book The Day Italian Football Died by Alexandra Manna,a Torino supporter and her English husband Mike Gibbs,which I would recommend.

Apart from discovering Torino in the sixties, my first chance to see them live was on the old channel 4 coverage, though we did not appear that often. I do remember two old games in particular - Juventus v Torino(2001/2), 3 - 3 and the play off games against Mantova which I think were shown on Channel 5. The Juve game I saw on the midnight show and I knew the result otherwise I would have switched off at half time. 3 nil down Torino came back to draw 3 all and Juve missed a penalty in the last few minutes. Dramatic or what! I seem to remember also a Juve player mocking our supporters by running around with two fingers on top of his head imitating a bull. When Ferrante did the same after our equaliser, running the length of the pitch towards our end, the atmosphere was indescribable. I was,to use the old cliche, over the moon. The play off was equally memorable, 4 - 2 down after the first leg,having conceded 2 penalties and going 4 - 1 down, coming back to almost make it 4 - 3, things did not seem too promising. After 90 minutes of the 2nd leg the scores were tied, Torino winning 2 nil, so extra time began and we went 3 nil up. Game over but Mantova scored a penalty and needed one more to go up instead of Torino. The last 15/20 minutes were unbearable but the euphoria at the end was unsurpassed. I remember the team clambering on to a giant bull behind one of the goals. Not a real one of course. This was beginning of the Cairo years.

First Match Attended : This was against Albinoleffe in Serie B about 7/8 years ago in the Stadio Delle Alpi which was an easy victory. It was a very emotional moment for me when the team emerged from the tunnel in their famous colours. This was the first time I was seeing them in the flesh and seeing the Denis Law sign was the icing on the cake, even though he had returned to United after Torino.  Last season I was at the Inter game which ended 3 - 3 on a wet night in Turin. I am sure most of our exiled supporters saw it on TV, so no need to go into detail.

Favourite Current Players : I only have fairly recent memories. I always enjoyed watching Rosina and from last years team Immobile naturally. I hope he does well at Dortmund. I was really pleased to see 3 of our players in the national squad at the World Cup. Currently, I like Darmian and Glik who is a great captain and leader on the pitch.

Predictions/Hopes for this Season : I hope we can consolidate. We have signed a few new players which should give us depth.We will miss Immobile but I am reasonably hopeful. Ventura has done a really good job so far and I enjoy our style of play. We have been a great counter attacking side so I look forward to more of the same this season.

Feel free to email your Toro story to torinoblogger@hotmail.co.uk and I'll add it to the website.

Forza Toro

My Toro Story #1 : Rob Gillman

With there being so many Torino fans from all across the globe who visit this website or contact me on Twitter, I thought it would be a good idea to learn more about each fan, and how they came about supporting Toro.

I've decided to start this feature with 'My Toro Story' but the idea is to make this a regular feature throughout the new season, so please email me at torinoblogger@hotmail.co.uk with your answers to the below questions and you too can be featured on the blog.

Name : Rob Gillman

Age : 24

Other Teams Supported : Southampton

How and when did you start supporting Torino : I fell in love with the club after reading about its tragic history in a copy of ‘FourFourTwo’ magazine whilst on a family holiday to Milan in 2005. Having been a big fan of Italian football since the days it was presented by the magnificent James Richardson on Channel 4 in England, it was only natural that I would go and see some live Calcio whilst in Italy, and I was luckily enough to visit the San Siro to see both Milan (v Palermo) and Inter (v Roma) play. The passionate atmosphere that I witnessed at both of these matches increased my interest in Italian football, and therefore I decided it was essential to find an Italian club that I could support. Both Milan clubs were immediately eliminated, as despite enjoying my experiences at the San Siro, I didn’t want to be accused of being a glory supporter by choosing one of the established giants of the Italian game. And then, as if by chance, I read about Torino – once the greatest force in Italian football before being beset by the tragedy of Superga. My mind was made up; Torino would be my Italian team. The fact that in 2005 they were plying their trade in Serie B didn’t deter me (My English team Southampton had also recently been relegated to the second tier), and something that I did not know at the time, but obviously know now, is that Torino won their last scudetto in 1976, the same year that Southampton won their only major trophy, The FA Cup. Maybe it is a coincidence, but I like to think that it was my destiny to become a Torino fan, no matter how corny that sounds.

First Memories : I can remember watching my first Torino game on television in May 2006, as the Serie B playoffs were being broadcast on Eurosport in the UK. I was still in my early stages of being a Torino fan, so didn't really know much about the players, but can remember the commentators being confused about how the playoff system worked in Italy, and did not realise that the final against Mantova would go to extra time.

First Match Attended : My first Torino game was in October 2006, but unfortunately it didn't go so well as the Granata lost 1-0 to Fiorentina after an early Martin Jorgensen goal. 

Favourite Former Players : I only like to judge players who I have seen play, therefore these are both players from the last decade. My first Toro hero was Alessandro Rosina who the team was built around after initially gaining promotion from Serie B. Those who know me also know that I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with Rolando Bianchi, and I was lucky enough to meet him when his current club Bologna played in England last year.

Favourite Current Players : Kamil Glik, Omar El Kaddouri, Fabio Quagliarella

Favourite Torino Goal : Alessandro Rosina v Lazio. I'm slightly biased when judging this goal as I was able to witness this goal live in the stadium and literally couldn't believe what I had just seen. 

Predictions/Hopes for this Season : It will be difficult to replicate the sensational campaign of last year, especially with the departure of Ciro Immobile but another top half finish is certainly a realistic aim. A decent run in the Coppa Italia along with reaching the Group Stage of the Europa League (where we will hopefully face an English side) would represent a successful season in my opinion.