Rules - Player details

For each player in the game the following information exists:

Age

The players' age. An older player will be full of experience but a young player will have more stamina and speed.
At the end of each season players age one year.

Position

A players' position on the field. The positions are as follows:

Goalkeeper (GK)
The player will stand in the goal area.
Left Full Back (LD)
The player will defend on the left hand side of the pitch.
Right Full Back (RD)
The player will defend on the right hand side of the pitch.
Left Wing Back (LB)
The player will defend on the left hand side of the pitch but will also join in attacking.
Right Wing Back (RB)
The player will defend on the right hand side of the pitch but will also join in attacking.
Sweeper (SW)
The player will player behind the defence as a very last line of cover.
Central Defender (CD)
The player will defend centrally.
Defensive Midfielder (DM)
The player will play between the defence and the midfield.
Central Midfielder (CM)
The player will play in the centre of the pitch assisting defence and attack.
Left Midfielder (LM)
The player will play on the left of the pitch assisting defence and attack.
Right Midfielder (RM)
The player will play on the right of the pitch assisting defence and attack.
Left Winger (LW)
The player will play on the left of the pitch mainly assisting attack.
Right Winger (RW)
The player will play on the right of the pitch mainly assisting attack.
Attacking Midfielder (AM)
The player will play behind the attackers getting forward as much as possible.
Centre Forward (CF)
The player will play up front trying to hold the ball up and will do a lot of work in the general attacking area.
Striker (ST)
The player will attempt to get on the end of chances and mainly hang around the opponents penalty area.

Players will move around the pitch as the game is played. The descriptions above are just a guide as to their main roles.

Pitch positions

A player will specialise in his assigned position. They can play in other positions if you so wish but the further away from their specialised position that they play, the worse they may perform. For example, a striker will play better in midfield than in defence.

Skills and abilities

Players are assigned values between 0 and 100 for each of the following abilities. The higher the value, the better the player.

Handling
The value assigned here establishes how good a player is at using his hands. This is relevant only to the players when playing as a goalkeeper and relates to their abilities at saving shots and catching crosses.

Tackling
This value relates to the skill of the player when trying to win the ball off opposition players. It includes holding players up, knowing when to attempt a tackle, blocking crosses and shots and the ability to tackle a player and win the ball without giving away a foul.

Passing
The value displayed for passing relates to the ability of a player to pass the ball successfully to another team mate. It includes all lengths of passing from short to long and in all directions, including their ability to cross the ball. Higher valued players are also good at feigning passes to confuse the opposition.

Heading
The heading skill of a player relates to their prowess in the air. It includes all kinds of heading. How good they are at clearing high balls, their ability at bringing balls down to the ground and giving the ball to teammates via a header. It also includes their general jumping ability to get to the ball first, without fouling the opposition.

Dribbling
This value relates to a player being able to control the ball at his feet and run with it. It also relates to their ability at taking the ball past opposition players.

Shooting
The shooting ability of a player relates to their decision making of when to shoot as well as their skill of getting the ball on target from various angles. It includes the general striking ability of a player and higher valued players should score more goals.

Fitness
How match fit a player is. A players fitness lowers after every match and is regained with breaks from playing. Injuries cause players to lose match fitness. The maximum figure for a players fitness is 100. Uninjured players are set to 100 at the start of each season.

Shirt number

Players can be assigned shirt numbers. This is purely to assist in organising them and nothing more. Players who are transferred or loaned will have their shirt number cleared at the time of team change.

Morale

Players have a factor to display how happy they are with things. Happier players will generally be more motivated. The possible values for a players' morale, in order of happiness, are as follows;

  • Miserable
  • Very unhappy
  • Unhappy
  • Disappointed
  • Average
  • Pleased
  • Happy
  • Very happy
  • Ecstatic

The morale of a player can be improved to some extent by paying them a bonus of 50% of their salary.

Games played

The number of games started by the player this season.

Goals scored

The number of goals scored in all competitions by the player this season.

Yellow cards

The number of yellow cards the player has received throughout the season. This number is reset to 0 at the end of each season. Players will be suspended for 1 match after recieving 5 yellow cards, and then for another match every 3 yellow cards afterwards.

Red cards

The number of red cards the player has received during the season. This number is reset to 0 at the end of each season. Players are suspended for 2 matches every time they are sent off.

Injured

If a player is injured it will show up under squad availability. Injuries can be picked up in games and during training but they will only show up after the weekend's matches.

Suspended

When a player reaches a set number of yellow cards (see above) or a red card he will become suspended for 2 games and the length of ban is shown here. He can not be played during this time.

Player retirements

During the second half of a season some players may decide that they are going to retire. Their decision will be based on their age and the number of games they are playing. The older a player, the more chance of them coming to a retirement decision. However, to be fair to managers so they can plan their squads, players will announce their decision to retire before the last 5 weeks of the season.

Players who decide to retire will see a significant drop in their value but still be available for selection and loan until the end of the current season when they will leave the game. They will not be available for transfer but they will also not count towards the number of players in a squad so that replacements can be made before the new season.

If player retirements cause a team to have less than 16 players in their squad then, at the end of the season, youth players will be generated (and promoted) automatically to make the numbers up. These players will have low skill ratings.

Match playing