FM2011 Player Position Calculator

[Kazza]

Hi

First off thank you for making this tool and I appreciate the time and effort you must have put in.

I tried this on some of my NUFC players and got surprising results:

Kevin Nolan: Midfielder/AttMid (centre) seems to come out best as a Target Man (support) - his top6 scores cover defender and forward but not midfielder

Cheick Tiote: Def Mid/M C seems also to come out best as a Target Man (support) closely followed by a Ball Winning Midfielder his DM role is not in the top 6 best scores for his attributes

I also have an interesting mixed score for a couple of defenders that seem to prefer midfield roles.

Still going through the rest of my team but it is quite fascinating what scores are thrown up for certain players re their roles.

Again thanks for this.

K

[gr8spot]

At the bottom of the page, right-click the Gerrard tab and copy it. Do this many times, one for each player you want data for (and copy Reina's for your goalkeepers). Then on each age enter the data of your player. The page will automatically work out the ratings for each position/role.

Thanks. i will try this..

[robzilla]

Thanks for all the feedback chaps, it is interesting stuff but I must just make the point that no weighting is applied to any of the attributes in the spreadsheet and I have no plans to do so. I don't have any knowledge of how the match engine "weights" attributes when doing its calculations - not even sure if it does at all - as my thinking is each calculation would take into account only certain attributes relevant to the situation at any given moment.

To be honest, this is an area that I don't really have the time or inclination to study in any great deal anyway. The spreadsheet is, and is intended to be, a blunt tool.

If some definitive information information were to be made available by SI regarding the weighting of attributes for a given role & duty (maybe also position) then it might be something I would consider including in the calculations in the spreadsheet. Failing that, anyone is welcome to take what I have done and extend it, make it available, whatever really. I'm just happy that people find it useful, I know that I have been able to put together much more effective tactics for my players since I've been using it.

[Guido]

I have done a fair bit of testing with this tool and it is great to use to get a guage of what roles to use your players in.

However just used stats of many random world class and solid La Liga & EPL players and what I have found is:

1: Central Defenders best role always seems to be limited defender.

2: I have not been able to find a complete striker (this may be due to the number a stats required for position).

3: I have not been able to find a box to box forward (this may be due to the number a stats required for position).

[Yuen]

thx~~~~let me try

[robzilla]

Thanks for the feedback Guido. I'm at a bit of a disadvantage here as my PC is still out of action and I haven't actually got FM11 yet!

1: Central Defenders best role always seems to be limited defender.

Yes, this often seems to be the case with central defenders, not sure why.

2: I have not been able to find a complete striker (this may be due to the number a stats required for position).

I agree that the number of attributes required for the complete forward role is what causes the shortage, although I think it's probably right that they are rare - how many players IRL would you actually say were that good? I seem to remember that back on FM09, Ibrahimovic had this as his best role, defo top 3 anyway. Not sure what he is in FM11, would be interested to find out. What about Drogba?

3: I have not been able to find a box to box forward (this may be due to the number a stats required for position).

Same as with complete forward, there are so many attributes required for this role, it is very unlikely that a player will have this as his optimum role. In FM09, Fellaini was one player I remember that suited this role well.

Thanks again to everyone who is having a go with this, keep the feedback coming!

[Trent End Tree]

I think you have to be careful of using this tool as the answer to your positioning of players, it is a tool. The best position may be limited defender but you can see what the score for ball playing defender is and judge from that and your knowledge of the player whether to try them in that role. use the tool as a way of understanding your players better and how they fit into different role rather than as a one answer system.

[Dixienormous]

I have a question relating to this.

There are some positions where the stats are highlighted in 2 colours (a darker blue and then a lighter blue if you use the default skin) which I have presumed that the darker blue attributes are the 'main' ones for the position and the lighter blue are 'secondary'. The 'complete forward' is a good example of this.

Have you prioritised the darker coloured attributes over the lighter ones ? If so, how ?

I hope this is understood. Hard to explain without a screenshot.

[robzilla]

I have a question relating to this.

There are some positions where the stats are highlighted in 2 colours (a darker blue and then a lighter blue if you use the default skin) which I have presumed that the darker blue attributes are the 'main' ones for the position and the lighter blue are 'secondary'. The 'complete forward' is a good example of this.

Have you prioritised the darker coloured attributes over the lighter ones ? If so, how ?

I hope this is understood. Hard to explain without a screenshot.

If that is true, I was not aware of it. Unfortunately like I said my main PC is out of action so I can't check it out. If this is the case, then it could lead to a significant development of the spreadsheet. Perhaps someone who has access to the game could confirm this?

[robzilla]

I think you have to be careful of using this tool as the answer to your positioning of players, it is a tool. The best position may be limited defender but you can see what the score for ball playing defender is and judge from that and your knowledge of the player whether to try them in that role. use the tool as a way of understanding your players better and how they fit into different role rather than as a one answer system.

Exactly. You need to look at more than just the "optimum" role/duty. The median and high/low columns are there for a reason. And just because a player has a particular role/duty showing as his optimum, that doesn't mean it is the best fit for your tactical vision.

[Kazza]

If that is true, I was not aware of it. Unfortunately like I said my main PC is out of action so I can't check it out. If this is the case, then it could lead to a significant development of the spreadsheet. Perhaps someone who has access to the game could confirm this?

Not sure if i got this right but the spreadsheet (I use OpenOffice) has 4 colours ranging from light yellow/orange/pink then red. Red being the highest score and so on down to light yellow being lower scores?

K

[robzilla]

Not sure if i got this right but the spreadsheet (I use OpenOffice) has 4 colours ranging from light yellow/orange/pink then red. Red being the highest score and so on down to light yellow being lower scores?

K

The light yellow is just the default background colour for the column, it means nothing.

The top one is highlight in red.

The top 3 are highlighted in "dark orange"

The top 6 are highlighted in "light orange"

HTH.

[McBride]

Do you have this in reverse? Meaning, what are the attributes you want to look for in each of these roles when using the SEARCH FUNCTION if you don't want to enter dozens of players stats to see if they're a good Deep Lying forward, for instance.

[mkabas]

why there's only two sheets and two player space only????

[robzilla]

I know exactly what you mean and I can go one better. There were actually a couple of forum users who made player search filters based on the relevant attributes for each position that you can download and put import into your game. These were for FM10, but somebody might have updated them for FM11. If they haven't you can do this quite easily yourself if you have OpenOffice because if you click on one of the cells in the "Mean" column, then click on the formula bar, it highlights the attributes that are used in the calculation for that cell (i.e. the attributes for that position). So, you'd have to go through each role/duty in the spreadsheet and create a player search filter in the game based on the highlighted attributes. It will take a while, but you only need to do it once.

[robzilla]

why there's only two sheets and two player space only????

To keep the file size down, I only included one template for outfield players and one for goalkeepers. Simply copy each sheet as many times as you need for the number of players you have.

[Froobra]

Rob, is there a quick and dirty way to export all the player attributes from the FM database? It would it make it soooo much easier to plug the info into your spreadsheet rather than entering each attribute manually

[robzilla]

It is possible but as far as I know the only way would be to read it directly from memory (a la FMScout et al) but I'm afraid it's a bit beyond my technical ability.

[Guest dempo76]

I've created a similar spreadsheet, but it does pick up the stats directly from FM11 - you just create a view that shows all stats, then print the page as a webpage, then copy and paste the info into Excel.

It's on my work computer which I've not brought home with me, so I can't upload at the moment, but it does exactly the same as Robzilla's sheets above.

The key point is that the calculated "best" position and role for a player is often not a player's natural position - in fact it's often a red dot position!!! So as Rob says - doing this is nothing more than a blunt tool, and not the be all and end all of picking your team.

[kiastumpy]

parden me for beeing dumb

But what do u do with zip file? install it ?

put it were?

plz

[robzilla]

parden me for beeing dumb

But what do u do with zip file? install it ?

put it were?

plz

Unzip it dude

It doesn't matter where you put it and there is nothing to install - it's just a spreadsheet.

[RabidBadger]

Thanks for this, it's been very helpful for me (FM11 is my first in the series). I added a stdev column and have found it helpful as it gives a little more insight along with min, max, and mean.

[jim morrow]

The only way for the moment to export data without Genie scout, it's to make a squad panel with all attributes in the same order need by this sheet...(so you need a long screen and good resolution). After that CTRL+P to print in a html file....

So this html file can be easy opened with excel or openoffice. You will find all players attributes and on the first line, attributes names. that's it !!!

[LorDJm]

Some roles have "all" as their duty, eg wide midfielder. Does that mean the player would have the same mean regardless of whether it is set as attack or support?

[robzilla]

Some roles have "all" as their duty, eg wide midfielder. Does that mean the player would have the same mean regardless of whether it is set as attack or support?

Yes it means the attributes are the same for that role, regardless of duty.

[Coolcup]

Hi Robzilla

Have the attributes that are important to each role changed since FM10? If so, do you know for which positions?

This is a great tool by the way mate.

Cheers

[robzilla]

Yes a few have changed, although I can't give you the exact details. Also some new role/duty combos are available now. Scroll up to post 30 for the FM10 version, if you feel inclined you can study the FM10 version and the FM11 version side by side and see the differences

[Coolcup]

Cheers mate

[LorDJm]

I entered Cesc Fabregas and it gave me Deep lying forward, really???

[ron.e]

Not sure what you mean by keeping the players sheet? What I do is create multiple copies of the sheet within the workbook, one for each player. So for the team I'm currently managing I will have about 25 sheets.

And how do i create multiple copies of the sheet within the workbook then?

[RobinGoodey]

And how do i create multiple copies of the sheet within the workbook then?

Right click on the tab and select 'Move or copy' - tick the copy box and hey presto

[Jedi Spur]

Forgive me if this has been covered, but is this a manual input tool? Someone made one for FM10 where you could export the data thru print screen in the options.

[robzilla]

Yes this is a manual-input tool.

[Jedi Spur]

Ok, thanks. Doesn't mean I won't use it, just need to know. Good job.

[Riziger]

Having a go at this. Interesting to see what my players turn out as

[Morphiushell]

HI,

I have been using this and its pretty helpful. I added an extra formula to the spreadsheet which auto pulls through the players best role for quick reference. For example with Steven Gerrard, next to the cell that shows his rating of 16.00 I have a formula that finds that value and pulls through its relative position and in this case WIde Midfielder.

I didnt want to upload the spreadsheet and take any credit for the great work you have already done so I will post the formula for people to use if they like.

In cell J1 put this formula in: =INDEX(D3: D50;MATCH(H1;F3:F50;0) this should pull through the players best role.

Thanks

Allan

[robzilla]

Great work Allan, I bow to your superior Excel skillz

[Morphiushell]

No problem just felt that it needed that little added touch.

I am too lazy to look down the list to find the best role

[Morphiushell]

It's up to you but you might want to add it to your current sheet for others to use. I need to edit my post as I see it put a smiley face in the middle of my formula lol.

[Matt Langdon]

This is a great tool, but I think many of you are using it in a way that it's not designed for. If you simply enter each player and choose their best role, you're going to have an odd looking tactic - ie, lots of limited defenders, wide midfielders, poachers etc. You shouldn't be comparing each player's positions with each other, you should be comparing each player's score for each position.

For example, it should be clear that Gerrard shouldn't be playing wide midfielder - just ask him.

Instead, create your tactic and then look for the best player in each position in your squad, comparing their ratings. So if you have a Ball Winning Midfielder, Gerrard is your guy because he's got a higher score than Lucas, Mereiles, etc.

However, he might be also rated as your highest Advanced Playmaker. Then you need to balance things out. How much better is he than the next best BWM? How much better than the next best AP?

Use your judgment with this tool and it will pay dividends.

Also, someone noted that Complete Strikers are difficult to find. It is partially to do with how many skills they require, but mainly to do with the fact that the other striker positions all require subsets of those skills. So a forward is almost always going to look to be a better Poacher than a Complete Forward because for a Complete Forward to get a higher average they'd have to have all of the "extra" skills higher than those of a Poacher.

[Yaniv123]

Heya i didnt really understand how to use this..if you could make a short guide i would be delighted

THanks very much

[Maverick]

Might it be a good idea to weight the scores based on the number of attributes it's based on? That might stop every defender being given the limited defender role, and I think it makes sense to give more weight to the more complex roles. Why play somebody as a target man, when they've got the skills to be a complete forward?

[MartinGregory84]

My strikers are being rated as ball winning midfielders :S

[Frank327]

Might it be a good idea to weight the scores based on the number of attributes it's based on? That might stop every defender being given the limited defender role, and I think it makes sense to give more weight to the more complex roles. Why play somebody as a target man, when they've got the skills to be a complete forward?

This is a good point. A complete striker with an average of 15 is a lot more useful than a poacher with an average of 16. So for example I'd put the player in the opening post (rated as a poacher) in a complete forward role. The same goes for central defenders. They'll always have better defending skills than ball playing skills obviously, because they're central defenders. The point is that any defender with decent enough ball playing skills is useful as a ball playing defender. So add an additional column. Take the average number of attributes a role needs. For every extra attribute a role has, add 0.1 to the mean attributes. For every attribute a role has less, subtract 0.1. That way, you have a better idea of wether a player is suited for specialized role or a more all-round role.

[JiggyDempsey]

I think its very good as a rule of thumb but I do think that some attributes should be weighted higher than others, even for key attributes in a given position.

E.g. fullback/attack

Is crossing just as important as anticipation, positioning or stamina? I wouldnt think so and I'm sure that there is people that would disagree with me.

Maybe weighting attributes could help improve the tools accuracy or have a method of allowing people to giving alternate weight to attributes so people analyse the data to what they consider most important of a player in a given position or for their tactic

[Andreh68]

First thanks for the tool. May not give all the answers but help us think on our tactics and players

Instead, create your tactic and then look for the best player in each position in your squad, comparing their ratings. So if you have a Ball Winning Midfielder, Gerrard is your guy because he's got a higher score than Lucas, Mereiles, etc.

Thats exactly what I thought. I wonder that there might be some formula to find this (like find out who would be my best anchor man) but have no excel skiils to make this other than go sheet after sheet. Can someone?

[Riziger]

This is just a very basic tool to give a rough idea on your players strenghts and weaknesses. I find it pretty useful. With the weighted additions though, it'd be even better.

[madm0nkeh]

I may be stupid, but where is the seperate excel sheet for goalkeepers?

[robzilla]

I may be stupid, but where is the seperate excel sheet for goalkeepers?

The first sheet is for outfield players, the second one is for goalkeepers. You can tell it's the GK one as it has Aerial ability, Command of Area etc in the attributes list and only have Goalkeeper and Sweeper Keeper in the Role list, rather than the full list of outfield role/duty combinations.

[bluesjunior]

I may be stupid, but where is the seperate excel sheet for goalkeepers?

Bottom left on the spreadsheet on your screen, click on Gerrard for outfield players and Reina for Goalies.