One of the duties I had as a writer, and later a managing editor, for LWOS was to write previews on upcoming matches and tournaments.
This section shows the pre-match/tournament reports I wrote, from Champions League, F.A. Cup & Premier League matches to evaluation the chances of teams who would compete at Euro 2016, the only international tournament that took place during my time with LWOS.
Despite being a born & bred Manchester United fan, you may noticed that there are several articles here focusing on their neighbours, Manchester City. The reason for this was that we wanted to have one writer to focus on each specific Premier League club.
At the time, LWOS had several United fans on the staff, but no City supporters, so I took on that mantle, being from Manchester myself. Many of friends who support City told me they enjoyed reading the articles on their club, and that they couldn’t believe a Red had written them. Part of the battle of being a football writer was to remain impartial, even when writing about the cub you support; although I can’t say I always did that in the ones I published on my own website, Ultimate United.
All of these articles were published between May 2016 & 2017
Champions League Final Preview: Atlético’s Third Time Lucky
A preview of the 2016 UEFA Champions League final between the two Madrid clubs; Atlético & Real.
Euro 2016 Preview: Croatia’s Prospects in France
Weighing up the chances of Croatia ahead of Euro 2016.
Russia Might Enjoy Being a Euro 2016 Dark Horse
Evaluating what we could expect from Russia at Euro 2016.
Croatia: Euro 2016 Dark Horses
After Croatia progressed from the group stages, I looked at how they might get on in the knockout stages. One of the first writing mistakes I made was to publish two articles with similar titles in quick succession.
2016-17 Manchester City Season Preview
Looking ahead at Manchester City’s title chances, ahead of Pep Guardiola’s first season at the Etihad.
Fringe Players Await Manchester United’s September Programme
At look at how José Mourinho might have potentially rotated his squad during a packed September fixture programme.
Previewing Manchester United’s Europa League Opponents
Having missed out on Champions League football by finishing 5th in the previous season, I took an in-depth look at the teams Manchester United would face in the Europa League group stages.
The 172nd Manchester Derby: United vs City
José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola met several times when managing Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, this article previewed their first battle in the Manchester Derby.
Looking ahead to Manchester City’s Champions League tie at Parkhead.
Manchester United vs Stoke City
Assessing how this Premier League fixture at Old Trafford might pan out.
A preview of then-champions Leicester City’s trip to Chelsea, the team who would go on to take their crown at the end of that season.
Bayern Munich vs PSV Eindhoven
A Champions League Preview of a game between two former winners of the trophy.
Manchester City vs Southampton
Looking ahead to Southampton’s Premier League trip to the Etihad.
Pep Guardiola’s first trip to The Hawthorns.
This F.A. Cup 4th Round tie saw two United old boys return to Old Trafford with their new club.
Ultimate United 2017
Football Shirt Quiz (Guess the…