KickAbout Rulebook

Player Positions

Each player is assigned a position which essentially defines where he can play and his effects on each match. There are essentially five normal playing positions, and each player in your team will fit into one of these slots in some manner.

These positions are

ItemGoalkeeper (GK),
Sweeper (SW),
Defender (DF),
Midfielder (MF) and
Forward (FW).

GK - This player is your Goalkeeper, and cannot play in any other position. They can be chosen to take penalties if you so wish, but that is the extent of their flexibility. Every match requires a Keeper of ANY skill level to be played.

SW - A Sweeper is basically a defender with additional responsibilities. Adopted from the continental game, the Sweeper tends to play behind the men at the back, forming a mobile, roving line of defence that can move to lend aid where needed, and to make timely interceptions in attacks that might otherwise result in a goal scoring opportunity. The use of Sweepers reduces the tactics available to your side, as they will be unable to play an Offside game, due to the Sweeper’s position throughout the match.

When played in the Sweeper’s role, this player has one major benefit and one major drawback. The benefit is that if the opposing side is fielding a FWT in their team, the SW automatically “man-marks” him for the duration of the game, ensuring that the FWT is unable to play his normal game. The drawback is that if your side chooses to push too many players forward, the SW is forced to move into a solely defensive position, playing as a DF only.

DF - A defender normally sticks to the back third of the pitch throughout the match, his role being to prevent the opposition from creating chances rather than making them himself.

MF - Midfield players adopt a role playing across the middle third of the pitch. MF’s may be the guiding hand of your attack, or the instrument of your Offside trap. Goal scorers and goal makers it is this area of the game that we tend to see the more talented players ‘special’ emerge from.

FW - A player whose prime concern is getting the ball in the net, they play in the front third of the pitch. FW’s are any team’s means to victory, and any side that cannot field an effective forward line is likely to find goals hard to come by.

(NB – when completing your team sheets please note that these are the only five POSITIONS that you will ever use, IE a FWT is always put down as a FW!!)

WG- A winger is an attacker who specialises in playing a wide role, sprinting down the flanks of the pitch to help negate any attempts at catching his side too far up field, and trying to beat any Offside trap. As football has progressed over the years, Wingers are now fielded in either a forward role, or on the edge of midfield, where they can slip backwards and forwards along the length of the pitch for the duration of the game. They can play in either a MF or FW role without any subsequent penalties, but if chosen to play in midfield, their use in unlocking the offside game is dependent upon the number of players they have in support from that position.

Obviously, the more players in midfield (say, another four), the greater the support and cover they’ll receive, while if a manager tried to play a two-man midfield composed entirely of Wingers he would find that their contributions to any unlocking of the offside game is going to be very tiny indeed. Any team can only make use of up to two WG’s (a pitch has only two flanks!), and any additional WG’s in the same team will play only as a standard FW or MF would, dependant on where they have been played.

FWS - This player is the typical goal- poacher or predator, in that he has a far greater chance of snatching you an extra chance at goal, or being on the end of an on-target shot to knock it over the line. The FWS will more than likely be the one on top of the High-Score Charts, and also has a chance of turning on the magic to affect the course of the match in the same way as a STAR might do. Though the FWS is likely to have a greater effect when playing in the forward line, he can also use his talents to a lesser degree when in midfield, and may even pull off a shock from a defensive post. An additional benefit of the FWS is that he qualifies to play in virtually any position on the field, in the same manner as the Utility player (see below).

FWT - A player that is generally called a “target man”, who is usually thought of as a big, physically strong individual who is supposed to get on the end of everything punted forward or crossed from the wings. Mark Hughes was perhaps the classic make of this player in recent times, but within the game a FWT is only able to utilize his talents when played in a side that has wide men, be they WG’s or DF/A’s.

His strength and speed of reactions means that he more likely to send a chance directly on-target, forcing the keeper to make a save, or a clearance to be made. Wingers are the better option of giving supply to the FWT, but DF/A’s are nearly as good.

UT - Utility players can play in ANY outfield position (DF, MF or FW), giving a team great flexibility, and these players provide the most valuable role of substitutes, being able to fill the role of any injured player, regardless of where they normally play. UT’s can only play in outfield roles though, and cannot fill the shoes of a Sweeper or Goalkeeper. The one drawback of a UT player is that he tends to be slightly less experienced than a similar player who occupies the same position. Hence an equally talented MF player might have a better match than a UT performing the same positional role.

DF/A - The Stuart Pearce or Dennis Irwin style player, that often adds the duties of a flying winger to his defensive play. They have a number of abilities that make them very valuable indeed, but tend only to be able to use these talents if they have the chance to ease up on their defensive duties.

If their team is on top of things, they are much more likely to have an important role in the game than if they are constantly under pressure.

They play in a similar manner to WG’s, unlocking an opposing side’s Offside trap by breaking on long runs from the back, and only providing the final ball when the Offside trap has been defeated. However, they occupy a certain amount of `space’ on the pitch and the front line must have the room to accommodate their runs forward. DF/A’s also tend to be thwarted in their runs in playing in the same team as a Winger, as they often find themselves getting in each other’s way when chances to attack appear; a team can play with a maximum of one DF/A and one WG, two WG’s or two DF/A’s.

If a side has two WG’s and a DF/A then the DF/A will simply perform as a normal DF. If the opposition plays a WG, then the DF/A will be able to cut down his contributions to the game, by blocking their runs that will try to unlock HIS team’s Offside trap if played. In effect the DF/A always marks the winger.

In all cases, the benefits a DF/A can give to your attack are dependent upon the game itself, and cannot be predicted from your team selection. If a team plays with five FW’s anyway, then the DF/A will not have space to play as he wishes, and hence be ineffective. The same goes for the side that plays with a DF/A on both wings, and has four or more FW’s in play also. No side can use more than two DF/A (as for WG’s), and any WG’s in the same team will disrupt the DF/A’s game.

MF/D - A defending midfield player is one of the games true talents, having the stamina, speed and skill to fill the shoes of a regular MF player, but also cover the ground at the back! Any team that has a MF/D player is able to add his playing levels to both the Midfield skill totals AND the Defensive skill totals at the same time.

MF/A - A Midfield Attackers main ability is in surging runs forward, creating additional chances for his strikers, and hitting the target himself when the chance arises. As with the above, MF/A’s are seen in the same light as if there was an additional player on the pitch almost, and their contribution to their side can be added to both the Midfield AND Forward skill totals of the side.

MF/A/D - The rarest, and most valuable, of all footballers is the player who seems to be everywhere at once, covering ground with ease and having the stamina to keep it up throughout the whole match. Roy Keane is generally looked upon as a player capable of such a feat (though perhaps not anymore!), and though these players will be few and far between, they will command the highest prices imaginable if they come up on the transfer market. Brilliant and resourceful, these players add their playing levels to the skill totals of ALL THREE outfield areas.

MF/G - The “Midfield General” or MF/G for short, is a motivator, a workhorse, a harrier and a chaser. His inspiration works in a similar manner to a Captain, but it tends to be determined by the way the game unfolds rather than at the option of the manager. An MF/G plays an “adaptive” game all by himself and his additional levels are placed where they are most needed. In the same way as an MF/A and an MF/D get to add their skill levels into two areas of the field, and MF/G counts as two players worth of levels. His additional levels are placed on the field by conforming to the same rules as the Adaptive playing style work (see later). The computer calculates where the side is being most overrun, and the additional levels are placed in that area. If your side is stronger in all areas than your opponents, then no extra levels are gained at all, the MF/G functions as a normal midfielder.

Please note we DO NOT expect you to try allocating these extra MF/G levels. They, as playing style levels, get allocated by the computer during play. If a team tries to play more than one MF/G in the side, then only the better skilled of the two will perform as an MF/G, the other acting as a normal midfielder.

NB: Remember, even if you are playing with all of these players in your side at once, the only positions you indicate them as playing in are the five normal areas. The computer knows if they are a FWS, UT, or MF/A, and all you need tell us is where they will be playing for the chosen match.

Should you play any of the MF specialists, the WG or the DF/A out of their normal positions, they will not gain the benefits normally associated with their usual play. Also, when playing a specialist who will affect the skill levels of your team in a predetermined manner (MF/A, MF/D, MF/A/D); you must add the additional skill levels to your team totals. E.g. when playing a level 7 MF/A/D, seven levels must be added to EVERY outfield area of your team.

Finally, remember that as any MF specialist is counted as an extra player in other areas of the pitch , this might affect the efficiency of your team, etc. A MF/A/D in your side and you are regarded as having a 4-4-4 formation, have two and you are starting to break the five players in an area rule and your team will not play as effectively as you had hoped?