2015 Nathan Byrne

[samhardy]

General Information

Name - Nathan Byrne
Club - Swindon Town
Nationality - English
Age - 21
Position - Right Back
Bought For - Sunderland
Cost - £300K

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Initial Stats at the start



Nathan Byrne starts off with some very average stats in League One with Swindon Town. I took a risk when buying him in the first season for Sunderland but it paid off as he bagged loads of assists and helped the team move forward. His star improvement breakdown is below:

Current stats (2020, Sunderland)

Technical



Aerial (+3)
Crossing (+3)
Dribbling (+1)
Passing (+3)
Shooting (+1)
Tackling (-1)
Technique (+1)

Nathan Byrne's technical stats are outstanding and are part of the reason why he's been performing incredibly consistently for me in the Premiership. It's obvious that he's an attacking wing back and his outstanding crossing outlines this whilst sometimes he can he weak at the back and in the tackle. I like to accompany him with a more defensive minded left back to balance it out.

Mental



Aggression (-1)
Creativity (+3)
Decisions (No Change)
Leadership (No Change)
Movement (+2)
Positioning (+3)
Teamwork (+1)

Not that much change here in the mental stats but none of these are really that important to an attacking wing back, with the exception of creativity, positioning and teamwork which he seems to be incredibly good at. Sometimes can struggle to get back to help defend though.

Physical



Pace (+2)
Stamina (+2)
Strength (+2)

Another solid area of his game with solid pace and stamina. These are key for him being such an attacking wing back. The poor strength is a bit of a problem and could put a few managers off at first glance but I've never really noticed it to be an issue.

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Full back or Wing back?

As above mentioned I have comfortably concluded that Nathan Byrne's best role is a wing back . Please do not try him as a full back, with his relatively weak defensive stats.

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How has he performed for me?
- Note: In all seasons he was played as a wing back.

Season One

Appearances (Starts/Sub Appearances): 30 (21/9)
Goals: 1
Assists: 8
Av.R: 7.29
Position in League: 6th

Season Two

Appearances (Starts/Sub Appearances): 44 (39/5)
Goals: 1
Assists: 11
Av.R: 7.31
Position in League: 2nd

Season Three

Appearances (Starts/Sub Appearances): 32(31/1)
Goals: 0
Assists: 18
Av.R: 7.60
Position in League: 1st

Season Four

Appearances (Starts/Sub Appearances): 44 (40/4)
Goals: 1
Assists: 18
Av.R: 7.61
Position in League: 2nd

Season Five

Appearances (Starts/Sub Appearances): 49 (39/10)
Goals: 2
Assists: 12
Av.R: 7.49
Position in League: 1st

Season Six

Appearances (Starts/Sub Appearances): 42 (39/3)
Goals: 1
Assists: 12
Av.R: 7.46
Position in League: 1st

So, as you can see he is a solid attacking wing back that loves to get forward and chip in with making goals and bagging loads of assists. Unfortunately, he gets several niggles and is out for annoying periods of time. Not great in the big games.

Is it possible to retrain him?

Yes, he can be retrained all the way up to right midfield, and that may be a better position to use him in with his weak defensive stats, but I haven't tried it or experimented with it.

Verdict

Pros

Young
English
Quick
Assist King
Impressive physical stats
Consistent
Can be retrained

Cons

Poor defensive stats including aerial ability and tackling
A bit injury prone
Doesn't perform very well in the big games


Overall

I think it's clear to see that the risk I took in purchasing Nathan Byrne at the beginning of the first season paid off, as he has delivered and paid me back with plenty of good performances and assists. So, if you want a cheap wing back for mid table or top half Premiership teams, look no further than Nathan Byrne from Swindon Town.

[goodjob]

Good to see players from the lower divisions. Most iscouts are mostly from the first divisions of the league.

[Ashez]

Interesting find, I'd love to see his results from a weaker league like Scotland for example, he could be even better!

[samhardy]

Good to see players from the lower divisions. Most iscouts are mostly from the first divisions of the league.

 

The lower gems are always the best ones

 

Interesting find, I'd love to see his results from a weaker league like Scotland for example, he could be even better!

I believe he would tear up Scotland and be too good for the league! Can see him going past Adam Matthews at Celtic in terms of quality tbh

[Scott]

Nice find, not a player I would of thought about signing before

[JustM1kePlays]

Would be interested to see how we did after just one season. Great find though