From My Seat: Crystal Palace (H)

Happy that the game was postponed tonight; Bobby named a shite team and if we went one down, we would struggle to break them down.

Onwards and upwards

There's an awful lot of twists and turns left in this season; we are 12 pts behind Chelsea with a game in hand, just supposing we beat them at the Bridge (okay, a big ask), we'll be 9 pts behind them with a game in hand and suddenly the picture looks completely different.

Keep the faith – the game ain't over till the rotund female etc etc.

I echo Patrick - 840 - made up that Ken and all the others on here who braved the weather seem to have got home safe and sound. Nice.

And as Ken says Goodison Road is a people jam in the half-hour before the match and I don't want a tile to fall on a single one of my blue brothers and sisters.

Also, The Winslow thing needs to be sorted out. Was it a brewery pub or one fella coz I can't believe that it hasn't reopened under new owner(s). So many good memories: Gordon West buying a round for what must have been 40 blues. Okay it's not St Luke's but it is somehow, like the Goodison chippy and Ladbrokes on the corner, a part of The Old Lady architecture and panorama.

I think it was a tenanted pub, and like all of them it was clearly struggling, only worse as traffic on non-match days was non-existent. Also, IIRC, he used to put the prices up on matchdays (not crazily so, but easily 10-15%).

I saw someone ask why the club didn't take it over. Possibly for the same reason the guy who was the tenant couldn't make it work. And don't assume you could just buy it off them. Recently The Priory in Litherland went – Punch Taverns sold to a property developer. Big local campaign to save it (I think most of the grounds had already been sold off years ago). Punch Taverns said, "Ok, if you want to buy it, the price is £465,000". In other words, not for sale. You know when someone prices something way over what it's worth, it's not really for sale... oh, wrong thread.

Anyway, half the houses on Goodison Road operate as unofficial lounges on match day (and for RS when they're at home). The club could easily have rented those houses as well, but didn't.

In the UK, the best selling album of all time is ABBA Gold (and I have a copy to my shame).

Globally it is likely Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd (and I have a copy of that too but without the shame). I say "likely" because the figures are disputed.

We won, and, call me stupid, I sauntered back to the Queens after the match and had two or three. I have a chill scouse accent, but can do a decent cockney, and got back to Cambridge where I was living then about 10. As Lou said, a perfect day.

Of course my slack-bladdered mate couldn't hold it till we got into the ground over the other side of the road, and just had to go into the Queens. Stupidly, I walked in behind and didn't realise you're straight at the bar. Packed, but amazingly no-one waiting.

"Wotchoo 'avin?" says she, "Um, er, ah, 2 halves of bitter?" says I.

"Make 'em pints" from the chap along from me, clocking immediately "we wuz scouse". Explained I thought it rude to just use the bogs (remember the sign on the pub by Bootle Strand "Toilets for Customers Only. Please take note, as a smack in the mouth often offends".) and we got chatting.

Ended up in a group of them, they showed us to our turnstiles before the game, and asked us to meet them back there afterwards. "Sure" we said. "No way" we said to each other after we got in. Anyway after a 2-2 draw with a few talking points, decided it couldn't hurt, and spent the night in there after. Great time, and we went back each season after for a while.

Despite the perception, the pubs closest to the grounds are generally okay, if they allow away fans in. I can recall The Winslow always having a few in, and never being aware of any issues.

Seems strange the club wouldn't take the place on but who know what the asking is. It's a piece of Everton heritage though and a real shame for the doors to be closed.

Spurs are an average team but in Adebayor, they have a player who will win them games. They are also in the middle of a huge streak of confidence. The RS are an average team but have 66 league goals scored already. That's only two behind what City have scored.

Us, we have 37 league goals and have no player yet to reach double figures for goals scored.

In terms of pubs, I have never drank near the ground as I have only ever been in Liverpool once, and that was with my other half. I did find a lovely pub called the Globe, which is between the train station and Liverpool One shopping centre. The bar maid apologised for charging us 5 quid in total for two pints, apparently they were the guest beers. You would be charged 9 quid here in Dublin.

Re the Winslow, I remember in the early 60s standing outside it early mornings waiting for the players to arrive so me and my mates could get their autographs. In those days, they reported to Goodison each morning, did some training at the ground, on what is now the car park and then they got the coach to Bellefield.

Thinking about that brings to mind the full page photographs of the players the Echo published from time to time. When they were published we would be up to Goodison the next day to get them autographed. Wish I could remember what I did with those scrapbooks?

It will really be a victory for cynical football if they win something this year.

Looking at fixtures, I think Arsenal are the ones to catch; they play Bayern (A), Tottenham (A), Chelsea (A), Man City (H) before travelling to Goodison. We win our game in hand and we're 8 points behind them which I think is achievable. I said it on other posts but I think our home games against Arsenal, Man Utd and Man City will determine our season.

My fear is that those games you mention will determine the other lot's season.

We do Swansea; they do the Arse.

We draw them at home, play em under the lights at Goodison, and put right that disaster of a game the other week.

No I wont be listening to ABBA later Ken! but most of the rest are in with a shout. I might start collecting the top 24.

We are playing for 5th but everyone has started to look tired just at the moment several other teams have come into form. Our best hope of 4th is if one or two teams above us have important injuries or we pass Arsenal as they fall. Our neighbours are in with a very good chance of winning the damn thing – CL matches starting soon!

AC/DC - Back in Black, by the way. 2nd to Thriller by MJ.

I went to the Winslow once, I went to a committee meeting at Goodison only to find the ground locked and the Winslow allowed us in and we held the meeting in there.

While I feel Moyes had reached his glass ceiling with us, the last six weeks have shown that by no means was his departure the answer. Having such a small squad – due to the club's lack of squids – is a massive limitation, whether we have Moyes, Bobby M or Guardiola managing us.

I really think we looked at our best after Baines got injured in the Goodison derby, and have looked nowhere near as good after his return/ Whether this is coincidence or not, I'm unsure, but to my mind, our best football was played with Mr Oviedo at left back.

I think we can only really afford one more defeat this season in the league, if we are going to get fourth (Chelski away), and we will need to beat the big teams at home, and cut out the draws. Liverpool will drop points yet for sure, and we have a run of form in us. But honestly, I expect it will require the kind of run of form we've not seen at this club in decades (maybe 27-30points from the 39 available) to claim fourth. I think Arsenal getting dragged into things is looking more likely at the moment, given their general level of tiredness and the bad feeling around their club following the failure to get in support for Giroud in January.

4th is nothing but a few prestige games (if we qualify) and it's far too great a price to allow them fuckers to win the lea...... nope can't even say it!

That said, it's irrelevant anyway. Chelski will win the league above Liverpool, and City (Second). Their fixtures, despite a lack of a striker, are so much better than their competitors.

On our visit to the ground, we found ourselves safely ensconced in one of the corporate lounges in the main stand since 6pm when we heard of the postponement and I nearly choked on a voul au vent!

However I'm sure you'll be glad to know that the club still looked after everyone and we still got served our meals and had a few jars to celebrate not getting beat.

When we left the 'Old Lady' the wind had certainly dropped but the correct decision was made, and I've got to say, it probably suited us not to play the game. Players carrying injuries like Barkley were given that much extra time to recover and hopefully when we do play the re-arranged game, we'll have the benefit of Mr Lukaku back and raring to go.