EDITOR’S LETTER
Welcome to the latest issue of Fourfourtwo magazine, which is the 299th and my first as Editor in Chief. I’ve been a reader since it launched back in 1994 and want to make sure it remains the number one most-read football magazine.
The football media landscape has exploded across all mediums during the last quarter of a century, from radio and television to streaming and podcasts, and independent magazines and expanded newspaper coverage to Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
My aim is to ensure that every football fan involves themselves with FFT on one of our many platforms. In my first two weeks here, we’ve adapted the online stories to make them punchier, more topical and more personal, and already we’re seeing significant traffic growth of over 35 per cent week on week. We’ve also had our biggest-ever tweet engagement, so make sure you’re following us on Twitter (@Fourfourtwo) and Instagram (fourfourtwouk), and visiting the website for unique daily content. This month we release our first podcast, discussing the biggest stories in this issue.
In the magazine we’ll be giving you much more of the things we’re great at and covering our lead stories in depth. This month’s main feature on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer by Andy Mitten is 5,000 words long, while the second feature, on Marcelo Bielsa by Phil Hay, is 3,800 words. Given the standout seasons both men have enjoyed, I felt the stories deserved that space.
Even if you don’t like Manchester United or Leeds, both managers have grabbed the attention of fans across the leagues. Yet neither is guaranteed to be in their respective dugouts come August.
Football writing at its best is engrossing and a true skill, and we’ll be publishing stories by an array of top writers within the existing team, a few new faces and some people who helped to define Fourfourtwo in its early days. There will also be plenty of classic images like the one of Johan Cruyff above.
This month, we have an excellent piece with Kevin Keegan by Sam Pilger about his time at Newcastle, a revamped front section, and the results of our best Football League players poll. How come so few of you voted for Swansea winger Daniel James? The poll has provoked plenty of debate among mates I’ve shown it to, with a train-driving Leeds fan simply saying, “this is madness, how can he be higher than him?”
The Fourfourtwo team have done a fantastic job of responding to my instant desire to jump-start the title and bring in some new ideas and sections. I hope you will, too. One of my main aims is to get as many clubs covered as possible each month, so if you feel your team has been ignored, get on Twitter and let me know.
Enjoy the issue.