Everton are never far from the headlines these days, whether it's for miraculously surviving relegation from the Premier League for two seasons in a row or having a record number of points deducted for profit and sustainability breaches – the blue half of Merseyside are always a talking point.
That said, compared to the last two years, the Toffees have been genuinely impressive at points this season, and were it not for their ten-point deduction, they would currently find themselves in 13th place and well clear of the drop zone.
Sean Dyche has his men singing from the same hymn sheet, and while they will have a proper fight on their hands to survive this year, you'd be a fool to bet against them.
However, with a challenging game against Newcastle United to come on this evening, Dyche must look to shore up their defence and look for ways to keep former player Anthony Gordon quiet.
Ashley Young has been entrusted to play on the right side of the defence in recent weeks, but with high-profile mistakes against Liverpool and Manchester United, the former Burnley boss must use Nathan Patterson to bully Gordon and stop him from impacting the game at his old stomping ground.
Nathan Patterson's stats this year
Patterson hasn't been the team's starting right-back for most of this season – that role has been given to Young – but he has still featured reasonably regularly for the side.
In the 14 games Everton have played in the league so far, he has started in five and made a further seven appearances from the bench.
While he potentially lacks some end product in the attacking side of his game, he has proven himself to be a brilliant defender over the last year, and that will likely be his primary concern against the Toon this week.
According to FBref, which compares players in Europe's top five leagues, the "tremendous" Scotsman, as described by his own manager on BT Sport, sits in the top 6% of full-backs for blocks, the top 9% for tackles and the top 12% for clearances per 90.
Those are the sorts of characteristics that could come in handy when trying to stop the in-form Newcastle man, and you can be sure that the Goodison crowd will erupt every time he has the ball taken off him or is the recipient of a questionable tackle.
Nathan Patterson must start over Ashley Young against Newcastle
First of all, it should be said that Young is still a fantastic footballer, and he clearly has a lot left to offer the Toffees, but for all the reasons we have already mentioned, he cannot start against the Toon.
When you compare the two players' underlying numbers, this becomes even more obvious as the £28k-per-week right-back comes out on top in almost every meaningful defensive statistic.
Stat
Nathan Patterson
Ashley Young
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.23
0.09
Attempted Passes per 90
53.9
50.3
Pass Completion
72.0%
70.5%
Tackles Won per 90
2.34
1.14
Interceptions per 90
1.04
0.93
Clearances per 90
2.79
2.08
Errors Leading to Goals
0
2
Red Cards
0
1
Penalties Conceded
0
1
All Stats via FBref for All Domestic Competitions in the 2023/24 Season
He wins more tackles, makes more interceptions and clearances and has made zero errors leading to a goal, something Young cannot say after recent performances.
Another thing that goes against Young is his disciplinary record this season, as the former United man has also picked up four yellow cards so far, meaning one more before matchweek 19 would see him suspended for a game.
Ultimately, Young's recent performances against the best teams in the league should be evidence enough that the "brilliant" Patterson, as described by former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan, deserves to be the starting right-back on Thursday.
Such an inclusion could ensure that the aforementioned Gordon is in for a tough outing this evening.
