1. Goalkeeper
2. & 3. Full backs (but is 1 of the conventionally RB and the other LB?)
4. Defence minded midfielder
5 & 6. Centre backs but is there a convention about which side
7. 8. In my mind 7 is more likely a wide midfielder. 8 might be a box to box midfielder
9. More mobile forward, not typically playing back to goal? Ian Wright type
10. A Mark Bright type
11. Winger

This is an attempt to identify the classic 4 4 2 positions of yesteryear. Anyone wish to finesse or rubbish my list?

Note I don't actually know what numbers Wright or Bright actually wore.

If you want to live in a world full of kindness, respect and love, try to show these qualities.

Ah, now that's the sort of terminology that I understand!

My fading memory tells me that back in the fifties and sixties goalies in the home leagues (as opposed to overseas) didn't have a number on their back. I certainly don't recall John Jackson wearing a number. The other thing about that era was that goalies almost invariably wore a plain green top, and I remember Vic Rouse (I think it was him) having to change into blue because of a clash with Chester's green.

Yes Teddy, this speaks volumes to those of us of a certain age. Personally, I would love to see these numbers reintroduced, but I know it'll never happen.

Dad and I watched games standing on the muddy slope of the Holmesdale Road end. He cheered and I rattled.

that was the old W-M line up - 442 9 and 10 are strikers, but with one up front these days the number 10 plays in the hole of course. 4 is midfield thug, 8 is a playmaker, 11 is always a winger, 7 usually is but can be a midfielder. In our current squad the defenders would go 2,3,5,6 as before, Kouyate would be 4, Schlupp 7 and Gallagher 8, Zaha is 11, Mateta is 9, and either Eze, Oduard or Olise would be 10 if they're on the left wing, maybe ,ake them 8 and Conor 10?

We should do favourite players in those numbers - Palace and general.

4 Kember/Nicholas/Gray
7 Thomas? Bryan Robson?
8 Murphy Colin Bell
10 Byrne? Pele/Maradona
11 Peter Taylor/Don Rogers George Best

I meant to say agree with those numbers and you got Wright and Bright’s playing style correct. However Wrighty was 10 and Brighty was 9.

In the middle 1960s manager Dick Graham often changed all the numbers round say number 11 appeared at number 3. Palace changed their programme from 2-3-5 to players numbers in a straight line. It did confuse their opponents. Nothing in the rules to say it was wrong.