The Playing Field
If a team is successful enough in its financial management and league and cup successes, then it is possible for a side to become something of a “super team”, being laden with MF specialists that hike the playing levels of the team to very high ranges. This could result in a side being unbeatable in normal play, and as we all now, there is no such thing in football.
A pitch is only wide enough to have five men playing in any one area effectively. As has been pointed out in the description of the DF/A, too many men have problems trying to occupy the same space on the field; Six men into a fifty yard wide pitch simply don’t go. If you have five defenders, or five forwards, then there simply isn’t enough space for a MF Specialist to operate properly, though they don’t quite suffer exactly the same penalty as regards the loss of their abilities.
So does this mean that your specialists are now useless? No it doesn’t, but it does constrain some sides to keeping things a bit more playable. How does it work? Well as there can only be five player in any one area at any one time, this means that four forwards and one MF/A will equal five players, and the same for defenders and MF/D’s, or four FW’s and four DF’s and a MF/A/D. For every specialist that brings this total above five, the effective levels that he adds to that area will be reduced. For the first specialist over and above the normal five, only around half his skill total will go towards the area, while a second one breaking this same rule will be worth roughly a quarter of his totals. If there are more than two breaching the “pitch width” rules, then they will simply be unable to play there, and will contribute nothing at all.
For example:-
A team playing 3-3-4 formation may look like this-
GK
DF - DF - DF
MF/D - MF/A/D - MF/D
FW - FW - FW - FW
In the above side, there are four FW’s playing and just one midfield specialist that can add his skills to the attack, thus all additions within the match will be done as normal for that area. However, the side is also playing three defenders with three specialists that aid the defence, two MF/D’s and the MF/A/D. This means that one of these specialists will have his contributions reduced by one half for the defensive area. Which one depends upon the skill levels of all the midfield specialists; reductions are done from the highest skill levels first, through to the lowest chosen last. If the MF/A/D was a level 12, and the MF/D’s both level 10, then the MF/A/D’s contribution would be the one reduced.
Very few Kickabout sides will fall foul of this rule, and those sides who do have probably won more than they deserve already anyway!
(Note: – the manager still adds up his levels as normal, DO NOT TRY TO REDUCE THEM TO TAKE THIS RULE INTO EFFECT, we have a super smart computer that does this for you!!)
See also…