English Top Flight: how to play

Name the mystery English top-flight team and season from its players, one clue at a time.

How do you play English Top Flight?

You're shown a real English top-flight squad with the player names hidden, and you name both the club and the season from the line-up. Players are revealed one at a time as clues, so you build a picture position by position, from the goalkeeper and back line up to the forwards, until you're confident enough to lock in a guess for the team and the exact campaign.

How is the score worked out?

The fewer clues you reveal before guessing correctly, the higher your score. Every player you uncover costs you, so the game rewards recognising a side early rather than waiting for the whole eleven. Back yourself the moment a distinctive name or a familiar spine gives the team away, and don't waste reveals confirming what you already suspect.

How do I identify the exact season?

Name the club first, then date it. A single distinctive signing often pins the year, and the youngest player in the squad sets the earliest possible date. Think about who arrived and who left between seasons: a player who was only at the club for one campaign, or a short-term loan, can narrow a decade of squads down to a single season.

What are the best anchors to guess the club?

Read the spine first. Long-serving club legends and goalkeepers stay put for years and reliably identify the club, and centre-backs churn less than attackers. A famous captain, a returning academy graduate, or a marquee arrival will usually point you straight at the side before you've revealed the whole team.

What era does English Top Flight cover?

English top-flight squads from 2012 to today: more than a decade of line-ups. It rewards a genuine feel for the modern league: the title-winning cores, the surprise European qualifiers, the relegation battlers, and the cult heroes who came and went.

How do I get better at it?

Play regularly and study the squads you get wrong. Learn which players are strong club anchors and which signings mark a specific season, and you'll soon place a side from just three or four names, which is where the best low-clue scores come from.

Step by step

  1. Look at the revealed players and make your guess at the team and season.
  2. Reveal another player as a clue if you're stuck, but each clue costs you.
  3. Solve it in as few clues as possible.

Tips