When did Four Four Two get so good?

My book reading quest has been held up a little in February - although I'm well into my next tome - but that's largely thanks to having my head turned by a couple of magazines. Still Four Four Two magazine has proved a particularly high quality diversion and well worth a few words of praise.

In the dim and distant past I used to read Four Four Two magazine semi-regularly. It was the natural graduation from Match magazine (and occasionally Shoot) in my childhood.  Fairly or not I felt I'd drifted apart from what it had to offer. I say 'fairly or not' because there was probably a part of me that lost interest in top flight football as a grumpy supporter of a club - Nottingham Forest - that has long since plied its trade away from the Premier League.

In recent months my eye has been drawn back to it, however. I've leafed through a colleague's copy and had a joint go at some of the quiz questions and, this month, actually picked up an issue for a proper read. 

A mere flick through was enough to prompt pleasant surprise. Hitesh Ratna and the team have delivered a cracking read of great variety and quality - a magazine that, to me, seemed to have really stepped it up since my last purchase several years ago.

First things first: that cover. To put Pep Guardiola on the front just before he was announced as joining Manchester City was a stroke of luck, true, but the luck was earned. Why? Well the material is skilfully handled in such a way that it didn't matter if Pep's decision was revealed after the print deadline. Indeed it wouldn't have mattered where he said he was going to. The article could easily have been about the potential destinations for the football's most in-demand manager - which would have disastrously dated the moment it hit the shelves - but instead focuses on his character and managerial style.

Having just read Pep Confidential I probably didn't learn as much as I would have done in the piece itself but this was a smart, well laid out analysis of the Premier League's newest arrival and made for a worthy 'splash'.

There certainly seems a much more international focus to the magazine now, with Pep joined by an article behind the scenes at Thomas Tuchel's impressive Dortmund set up - probably the highlight of the magazine - and the MLS draft. The varied fare also includes the National League, a piece on football hard men and - in a welcome continuation of a tradition - a one on one with Eidur Gudjohnsen.

The beauty is in the balance of insight and entertainment, treading the line between mainstream coverage offered by the tabloids and major websites and the 'hipster' publications such as the Blizzard that cater for more cerebral matters. It's a balance that suits me fine and feels much more in touch with my tastes than ever before.

Hats off too for the excellent use of photos and images, making for a package that looks and reads like a class act.

It's heartening to see print publications like this continuing to thrive. It appears as though niche and special interest products are much better suited to surviving the tough competition offered by digital. If Four Four Two can deliver this level of quality I'd certainly return for more...