Taking it to the wire

We were playing a team with a very average home record (5-5-5). It was one of the most winnable games left.

We are now in the Bottom 3. Anyone that says it wasn't 2 points dropped needs to give their head a shake.

We need Seamus back in the fold for the run-in, Dyche has obviously come to the view that Patterson is useless, we will have Doucouré for Newcastle; I suspect Gray will drop out and Iwobi will move wide right. I also expect Garner to retain his position.

The points haul from the past two games has been disappointing and I agree with you, Palace was a game that we should have been hoping to pick up a win.

I am hoping that 34/35 points might be enough as I find it hard to see where we will pick up more than 7 points in our remaining 6 games.

Any addition to the tally on Thursday will be a bonus!

Having now watched it back, I agree. I don't think the first foul was a yellow card at all. And thinking about it with the second one, had that been one of them aforementioned players already on a yellow card they'd have been given the benefit of the doubt. James Milner against Manchester City last season and Trent Alexander-Arnold on Anthony Gordon last season are two which spring to mind.

That said, once on a yellow you're asking for trouble diving in like that, but you make a good point.

Dyche has had no part in buying any of these players for Everton but knows Tarkowski, McNeil and Keane from their Burnley days and is getting the best out of McNeil, Tarkowski has proved to be a good signing and was outstanding yesterday, Keane worries me more than Holgate, I thought the two yellows were harsh considering they were pretty mild to some of the tackles that were going in yesterday, and last week with a very small striker Pickford kicked nearly every ball right down the field to this striker and it came back just as quickly to him, yesterday with Dominic on the field he throws one ball out to Iwobi in his own half with an opponent close to him and loses the ball immediately putting Palace on a break, then he tries the short pass to Holgate who is again closely marked and is given a yellow trying to retrieve the ball after that pass, he constantly screams and shouts at his defence maybe Jordan should shut up now and again and screw his nut and think what he is doing himself, No complaints about his actual goalkeeping ability yesterday I have to say.

I agree the first booking was really soft and was influenced by the home crowd. For the second yellow the moment Pickford attempted the long pass wide to Holgate we were in trouble. It went straight to Ayew who had a yard or more start on Holgate. Again it was a case of the home crowd playing its part in influencing the referee's decision. Incidentally it was the first red card given by John Brooks in fourteen Premier League matches this season

Without Seamus we have a huge problem at right back. Patterson has looked promising, but no more than that, when he goes forward and is wayward defensively. Godfrey is all over the place. He lacks discipline in his positioning and makes poor decisions. We have spent over £30m on these two players.

They would have been professional enough not prolonged the obstruction with the referee looking at them and they would have been facing the goalkeeper to be ready for what he was about to do. In both cases, Holgate was not thinking of what he was doing. Which is something he has often done.

We were about 6 inches away from gaining 2 points and, had Palace equalised late on, then it would have been 2 points lost. Alternatively, had Palace scored a late winner, then it would have been 1 point lost. You can't lose what you never had, and we never had 3 points yesterday. Am I being pedantic? Of course I am.

That point will be priceless come the end of the season when we're all dancing and singing again on the pitch and in the pubs around the stadium when we 'celebrate' (not the word I want to use, by the way) survival again.

There's a lot of hope but not much reality.

I still think we'll win our last game so need minimum 3 points from the next 5. Win on Thursday would obviously be huge. Did it a year ago and The Barcodes thrashing Spurs today only helps us as they've all but guaranteed their Champions League place.

Bottom 5 collectively have managed just 2 league wins in the last 25 games. Shockingly bad and unfortunately we're part of the statistics.

Onto Thursday. No idea what result I want from Leeds Utd vs Leicester City, but irrelevant if we can't pick up points. ourselves.

Newcastle have had periods of being very ordinary, even if not so right now. They aren't easily beaten but have drawn a lot of games, 11; something to go at.

Have to do our best, and that's it.

Why do you need to ask? Another statement of the obvious in that we aren't likely to win?

Anything can happen, 11 v 11 after all and playing at St James isn't the same as playing at Goodison.

We can beat Newcastle. Of course we can. The players need to believe it, though.

What happens in one game one week is totally irrelevant to what will or may happen the next.

We get Doucouré, Onana and Coleman back, we could beat them. I think we'll win.

October 1896: Burnley beat Everton 2-1
The following month, November 1896: Everton beat Burnley 6-0

Dave Abrahams will no doubt remember the scorers.

I waas at the '66 final – magic. Then at the '68 final – so poor. Astle the villain at the time ('68); sadly the first British footballer known to have died as a result of all those headers.

Fortunately most of that team stayed and they won the title two years later.

Scary the way the Barcodes took Spurs apart and whilst appreciating how good they are this season no two games are ever alike and we all sincerely hope that Thursday will be totally different from today.

Everton know what is required and every point will be precious. Any three teams from six can go down but suffice it to say we have to beat Leicester and Bournemouth and maybe pick up a point or two from the other games.

It is a sad position that the hierarchy at Goodison have put us in and the quicker this nightmare season is over the better.

The return of one or two players may just have come at the right time.

I feared the selection of Holgate before yesterday's game and so it proved.
He along with a few others should be let go when the time comes.

First Everton Goals

A classic example is the fact that Wigan Athletic who were destined to suffer relegation from the Premier League, beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final. It suggests to me that predicting results is futile, and it's the reason that I attend games with an open mind.

Regarding those who have forecast relegation for Everton [some predicting it as early as Christmas] may well be correct, but I will only accept it if the points gained fall short of the points required [eg] 4 points needed with one 1 game to play.

One of the best bits of the Palace game was Pickford clearly telling a Palace fan (who must have been goading him) to fuck off and then turning to the Evertonians with a clenched fist and huge smile. Even the home support saw the funny side of it.

This has hampered the offence more than anything and is the reason we have struggled so badly this season and to be honest a few seasons before this.

Yes, experienced managers have also made some bad choices but overall Everton lack speed and commitment where it matters.

When I see some of the Fulham, Brighton, Brentford games I see so much more determination especially in the middle of the park than the midfield of Everton.

Of all the teams in the Prem. Everton are the worst in moving the ball out of defence and are easily pressed into mistakes.

That was evident from early on and has never improved.

To say there needs to be a complete overhaul is an understatement whether they survive the drop or not.

I don't bet on football Dave, certainly not on Everton, but we can and will get a result on Thursday.

Neil, see you at the next one. Saturday was a great day out.

I think I had us drawing at Leicester though so it's obviously got no margin for error.

I had Leeds only gaining another 2 points.

All useless of course. There will be a couple of freak outcomes that blow every prediction out of the water. But the teams around us aren't looking too pretty either. Every little bit of fight that we can muster might just make the difference.

For Newcastle: Perhaps we should use 4-4-2 with the midfield 4 being Doucouré, Garner, Gana and Onana. Up front McNeil (Gray? Iwobi?) and Calvert-Lewin.

Back line - Patterson, Keane, Tarkowski, Mykolenko. plus Pickford of course.Assuming Seamus will not be fit.

Bench - Begovic, Coady, Godfrey, Davies, Maupay, Simms, (Gray, Iwobi),

(I'm assuming Yerry Mina is still not available - if he is, replace Maupay with him.)

UTFT