JAMES HELMon a craze sweeping through schools across the country

The country has been inundated with a bevy of would-be Premier League bosses thanks to a new football game - Match Attax.

The craze for collecting the trading cards has swept across Ireland in recent weeks and school playgrounds are awash with youngsters swapping star names in order to compete against their pals.

Fans of the game, which is made by Topps, have been clambering to get their hands on cards featuring footballing idols such as Steven Gerrard, Cristiano Ronaldo and Cesc Fabregas, with many local retailers reportedly being forced to ration sales of the packs.

Over 360 different players are available, each showing a photo of a footballer, his club's logo, position, defensive rating and attacking rating.

Tanya Hogg of Walkers Newsagents said: "We have been selling loads of them, mostly to school kids. They come in and buy two or three packs at once though you get a few who take six or seven with them."

Many businesses across the country have completely sold-out of packs and one newsagent had to restrict sales to five per person. Hogg continued: "We are the only place in the town with stock and we have had people coming from 20 miles away to get them.

"There are also people who come in and pick them up for relatives who aren't able to buy them elsewhere."

Match Attax is a two-player game in which the opposing players try to outscore one another, just like in a proper Premier League match.

To begin with, a squad of 14 individuals is selected, including three subs. Once the best 11 are chosen, a formation is picked and the game starts in the traditional manner - by tossing a coin.

Each player picks up a card and chooses to "defend" or "attack". The cards are then flipped over to reveal the star's personal attributes.

If the attack score is higher than the defence a goal is scored. The cards are then set to the side and two other cards are selected.

You can make three substitutions during a game but they must be made before each round.

Once all 11 players have been used the game is over, with the highest scorer claiming victory.

The game has proved a phenomenal hit across the UK and Ireland with a Match Attax Tour drawing in thousands of eager fans.

To spice things up, the highest ranking Stevie Gerrard 101 card is the one all the kids want to get their hands on. Fans can build their dream team or collect a full squad of players from their favourite Premier League team.

A starter pack, priced at €7.49, contains 30 players, a playing pitch, binder and rules guide. The cards themselves on their own retail at 55c per pack.