Since his appointment, he has authored several notable books, including Manchester United Opus, which he co-wrote with Hugh McIlvanney, Patrick Barclay and Jim White amongst others.
[2] The book gained widespread notability after a copy signed by the Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum was sold at auction for $1.6m, which was a world record price for a sporting publication.
[3] Northcroft then wrote Fearless: How Leicester City Shook the Premier League and What it Means For Sport after Leicester City's surprise Premier League victory in 2016,[4] and Deadlines, and Darts with Dele[5] after he lost a game of darts against England midfielder Dele Alli during the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
In his professional life he has appeared many times for the Scottish Journalists' Eleven and was once 'Man of the Match' at Wembley when his team triumphed over their English counterparts.
As an adult he was a regular for Sefton Sunday Elevens in Liverpool, where he acted as a consistent if underachieving, batsman, succeeding in getting into the forties many times but never managing to go any further.