Keeper Distribution

So I have a front pairing of a 5'8 poacher and a 6'4 target man. It would seem obvious which player my keeper should aim for from goal kicks that go long. But yes, you've guessed it, he kicks to the poacher and we lose the header!

Surely we should have the capability to decide which player he kicks to. I understand that we can choose long kick distribution and subsequently choose from there but if you want to build from the back (as I do and so have distribution set on defender collect) there should be an additional option to indicate who the GK should kick to when he is forced to go long, without having to assign that player as target man supply to head.

Can you not select one of the strikers as the target man (in the player/team settings) and set passing to his head?

Can you not select one of the strikers as the target man (in the player/team settings) and set passing to his head?

OP say: "...without having to assign that player as target man supply to head..."

OP say: "...without having to assign that player as target man supply to head..."

Ooops, should have read this more carefully. I do like how you point out my error instead of trying to help the OP.

If the ball always goes to the poacher, have you tried swapping the players around.

No, but switching the players round would mean altering the whole setup of my team so that's not really an option.

No, but switching the players round would mean altering the whole setup of my team so that's not really an option.

The only other way is to de-select the defender collect the ball and select pass to target man. There's no other way that I know of. You will have to slightly change your tactic or just live with it. Hopefully common sense prevails for the next FM and the GK auto kicks to the striker with the highest jumping.

That's what I mean. I know that's the only way to do it now. My hope is that in future versions they'll be an additional option.

Maybe I am misreading the situation, in which case the following advice is useless. But I am figuring you are talking about keeper kicking when his under pressure as you say you normally build from the back. In that case, it will probably be due to the keeper footedness. The only solution to that would be to either switch the strikers around which you've already stated unwillingness to do, or get another keeper who's other foot is his best, which is again not at all ideal.

If its a case that its from normal goalkicks... the only thing I can think that can be causing it other then a stupid engine not allowing you to set it as an option is that the bigger man is being marked more tightly (or the poacher is being given plenty of space), causing the keeper to think the poacher is the better option.

No, but switching the players round would mean altering the whole setup of my team so that's not really an option.

Wouldn't work anyway, for some reason the keepers insist on kicking it to the shortest of the strikers when they go long (Goal-kicks etc..), swap them around and he'll still kick it to the shorter striker... It's frustrated me for years, I have a big man and a shorter, pacy guy and it's always the shorter guy that is the target (probably because he scores more goals?) and this holds true even if you swap the strikers over (including roles..).

I'm kind of fortunate in so far as the fact that my keeper mainly passes it short so I don't often have the problem of the keeper hoofing it to the little guy... but it does happen several times a match

As well as the keeper kicking under pressure, what's going on the other end of the pitch. Does your TM have good mobility (off the ball) - is he marked? In other words, is he actually in the best position to receive the ball?

Wouldn't work anyway, for some reason the keepers insist on kicking it to the shortest of the strikers when they go long (Goal-kicks etc..), swap them around and he'll still kick it to the shorter striker... It's frustrated me for years, I have a big man and a shorter, pacy guy and it's always the shorter guy that is the target (probably because he scores more goals?) and this holds true even if you swap the strikers over (including roles..).

I would think it seems like that because most people only watch highlights and when there is a highlight it is often because somebody screws up. Almost every goal scored anywhere in the world only happens because of one or more errors from the conceding team. So it could be that your keeper kicks the ball roughly the same amount of times to each of the two players, but when big man wins the header it doesn't lead to a highlight and it does when the short guy challenges for it.

I would think it seems like that because most people only watch highlights and when there is a highlight it is often because somebody screws up. Almost every goal scored anywhere in the world only happens because of one or more errors from the conceding team. So it could be that your keeper kicks the ball roughly the same amount of times to each of the two players, but when big man wins the header it doesn't lead to a highlight and it does when the short guy challenges for it.

I watch the full 90... always have since the introduction of the 3D match view in FM09 and my keeper (regardless of which I use) invariably launches the goal-kicks to the shorter/more prolific of my strikers. I know what I see and it isn't a 50/50 split it is more like a 95/5 split...

I had this problem in FM11.1/2. I had one big guy and one small guy up front, and the keeper always kicked the ball to the one who would never have a chance to win the aerial challenge. Setting distribution to the big striker didn't make a difference at all.

I later figured out that he kicks the ball to the BEST striker. I am not sure if this is the case in FM11.3. My big striker often receives goal kicks now, but he is the best of them...