Ode to the beautiful game

Just like a football club making its way up the leagues, scaffolders can also work their way through the ranks winning a higher standing in the industry as Grahame Anderson finds out when he talks to scaffolder and author, John McNicoll

Given the right formation of abilities, there’s every chance they can score a few precious victories along the way in terms of the end product. And if you think the sporting analogy doesn’t ring true take a closer look at scaffolder-turned-author John McNicoll who has three magic numbers on the brain: four four two.

He explained: “I’ve been in the scaffolding industry for 25 years now, having started out as an apprentice on the YTS scheme in 1996. I now work as a contracts manager at QFS Scaffolding Ltd, having worked my way up through various scaffolding abilities.

“I’m a keen football fan and was one day given the opportunity to write a few articles by a website on Twitter called By Far the Greatest Team. I did this for around six to 12 months, casually writing in my spare time. I also contributed to outlets such as From the Stands, Give Me Sport, We Are the Busby Boys and Manunited.uk.

“When we were about to go into the initial lockdown in March 2020, I thought I may have a little free time on my hands and decided to start designing a web page to blog on. I wrote a couple of articles and then decided maybe instead I could write a dozen or so articles and join them together to make a book. And off I went. Trouble was, we never went into lockdown as construction carried on. I had to try and write in the evenings after work and on a Saturday or Sunday morning, often spending hours sat at the dining room table typing away.

“I had made contacts on Twitter with an author and ended up sending some work for publication on his football website. He advised me to contact Pitch Publishing, who specialise in sports literature. I offered my submission and was completely shocked when they replied with a thumbs up to get it done and sent over.”

The result is a book called Ode to Four Four Two, examining how the game’s simplest and finest formation was used by coaches in Europe and particularly England, to build iconic teams able to dominate both domestically and on the continent.

He added: “Formations have continually evolved since the birth of the game in the mid-19th century. From teams playing with four or five forwards, to the modern era of teams with just the one, arguably the greatest formation has been 4-4-2. Some of the greatest teams have lined up in this multi-functional system.

“Flick through the football history books and it is filled with teams like AC Milan, Manchester United, Liverpool, Leeds United and Barcelona, all enjoying glorious eras playing 4-4-2. But it isn’t just the elite end of the game.

“Who can forget Leicester City, led by Claudio Ranieri, reviving the system against all odds to outperform the Premier League’s big six to claim a historic title in 2016?

“Without showing bias, the story of Wimbledon warms my heart although the Leicester title-winning campaign is just glorious. Sir Alex Ferguson is the greatest manager of all time but the coach I really admire is Leeds United’s Marcelo Bielsa. The man is an absolute genius.”

John looks very closely at how and why these teams used the formation to such effect. There’s complete analysis on how they dominated in their era to stand out from the rest. It’s the story of how teams, both big and small in status, have played the system to perfection.

For students of the beautiful game, it’s a masterclass in tactical strategy and a wonderful read.

John added: “I completed the draft in December and it was released on April 5th 2021. From first thought to sale was slightly over 12 months. My friends and family have been great in supporting me by purchasing and I cannot thank Pitch enough for giving me the opportunity to get some words out of my head and onto a page of a wonderfully crafted book. The day before release it was sitting at number two on Amazon’s hottest new releases.”

And the good news is there’s more to come from John with another riveting book in the pipeline to add to his cultured collection. John says he supports Manchester United, having fallen in love with football after seeing them winning the 1990 FA Cup and England perform in Italia 90.

At 256 pages Ode to Four Four Two; Football’s Simplest and Finest Formation is available on Amazon. Book two is in the pipeline but you will have to wait until pre-release for details.

So why not give John your support and learn more about how 4-4-2 has revolutionised the greatest game on earth.