Post by staggerstag on Apr 21, 2019 9:25:35 GMT
The Black Horse, a Greene King establishment, is okay for a cheap feed and quick drink. It's a short taxi ride from Goodison Park and is a favourite for locals and passers by alike. As Everton prepare to face Man Utd, two away fans, Mr and Mrs Doggett, are occupying a corner table as the kick off time approaches.
The couple has gone full on with their orders after a night on the ale at the bingo hall last night. Mrs Doggett is still a little upset with her husband but is heartily tucking into her food. Her husband has ordered the hand-battered fish (cod) and chips, with garden peas and tartare sauce. He is impressed with the crunchiness of the batter and the firmness of the chips. "Fried twice," he grunts between mouthfuls.
"Eh?" says Mrs Doggett, without looking at him.
"Chips. Fried twice for optimum crisp." He continues to tuck in to his £6.59 lunch.
Mrs Doggett is rather hungry and in front of her, almost spilling off the table, is a portion of cheese garlic bread (£2.99) breaded garlic mushrooms (£2.89) a plate of Big Hunters Chicken (a quartet of roast chicken fillets topped with smoked streaky bacon, melted cheese and BBQ sauce, accompanied by a large portion of chips, peas, onion rings and dressed salad leaves, £8.59 and very good value) and, adventurously for her, two portions of Beef Burnt Ends in Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce, £3 per portion.
To wash it all down they have ordered a bottle of Mionetto Gran, a sparkling Italian rosé for £12.29.
"Two lines, ye missed," she laments across the table. "Two blawdy lines! How could ye miss two blawdy lines?"
"It were t'ale, my love. Time I crossed off 76 he'd called t'next number."
"Ye daft big sod," she hisses. "Fifteh pound. Fifteh pound ye lost there. Then auld Mrs Winklewright calls up on t'next number. 'Er of all folk!"
"Sorry, my love. It were t'ale. I were too slow. Ale slowed me down."
"Fifteh pound. Woulda paid for us lunch 'ere, eh. Next time ye do that I'll have summat to say, no fear about that, ye great daft lummox. Eat your peas, they're good for ye."
Meanwhile, their team went out of the Champions League during the week at the hands of a Messi/Coutinho wonder show. They currently sit 6th in the table and a win here today would see them move, if only temporarily, up into 4th spot. Manager Scholskear has stated he does not plan a summer spending spree (as casually as if the option to splash the cash was already his for the taking - stuff asking the Board!) No, he's planning some kind of rebuild with what he already has. You'd think he'd be offloading one or two of them, surely, possibly the ex-Chelsea boys Mata and Matic, one becoming less and less influential, the other getting slower with every match.
But who cares? It's an Everton win that matters around these parts. They occupy tenth spot and were on a 3 game winning run without conceding until last week's unexpected defeat at Fulham. The motivation is certainly there for them - a win would see them nudging Watford out of 7th spot on goal difference. Yes, it could be quite a battling little encounter, this.
It's a clement day and my Easi-Trav portable barometer informs me that the temperature inside the stadium come kick-off will be a warm 20c with a south south easterly wind speed of 7mph (gusts up to 11mph) and humidity at about 37%. So it's excellent playing conditions and there can be no excuses for a poor performance from either side.
Everton 11/5
Man Utd 13/10
Draw 13/5
The couple has gone full on with their orders after a night on the ale at the bingo hall last night. Mrs Doggett is still a little upset with her husband but is heartily tucking into her food. Her husband has ordered the hand-battered fish (cod) and chips, with garden peas and tartare sauce. He is impressed with the crunchiness of the batter and the firmness of the chips. "Fried twice," he grunts between mouthfuls.
"Eh?" says Mrs Doggett, without looking at him.
"Chips. Fried twice for optimum crisp." He continues to tuck in to his £6.59 lunch.
Mrs Doggett is rather hungry and in front of her, almost spilling off the table, is a portion of cheese garlic bread (£2.99) breaded garlic mushrooms (£2.89) a plate of Big Hunters Chicken (a quartet of roast chicken fillets topped with smoked streaky bacon, melted cheese and BBQ sauce, accompanied by a large portion of chips, peas, onion rings and dressed salad leaves, £8.59 and very good value) and, adventurously for her, two portions of Beef Burnt Ends in Jack Daniel's BBQ sauce, £3 per portion.
To wash it all down they have ordered a bottle of Mionetto Gran, a sparkling Italian rosé for £12.29.
"Two lines, ye missed," she laments across the table. "Two blawdy lines! How could ye miss two blawdy lines?"
"It were t'ale, my love. Time I crossed off 76 he'd called t'next number."
"Ye daft big sod," she hisses. "Fifteh pound. Fifteh pound ye lost there. Then auld Mrs Winklewright calls up on t'next number. 'Er of all folk!"
"Sorry, my love. It were t'ale. I were too slow. Ale slowed me down."
"Fifteh pound. Woulda paid for us lunch 'ere, eh. Next time ye do that I'll have summat to say, no fear about that, ye great daft lummox. Eat your peas, they're good for ye."
Meanwhile, their team went out of the Champions League during the week at the hands of a Messi/Coutinho wonder show. They currently sit 6th in the table and a win here today would see them move, if only temporarily, up into 4th spot. Manager Scholskear has stated he does not plan a summer spending spree (as casually as if the option to splash the cash was already his for the taking - stuff asking the Board!) No, he's planning some kind of rebuild with what he already has. You'd think he'd be offloading one or two of them, surely, possibly the ex-Chelsea boys Mata and Matic, one becoming less and less influential, the other getting slower with every match.
But who cares? It's an Everton win that matters around these parts. They occupy tenth spot and were on a 3 game winning run without conceding until last week's unexpected defeat at Fulham. The motivation is certainly there for them - a win would see them nudging Watford out of 7th spot on goal difference. Yes, it could be quite a battling little encounter, this.
It's a clement day and my Easi-Trav portable barometer informs me that the temperature inside the stadium come kick-off will be a warm 20c with a south south easterly wind speed of 7mph (gusts up to 11mph) and humidity at about 37%. So it's excellent playing conditions and there can be no excuses for a poor performance from either side.
Everton 11/5
Man Utd 13/10
Draw 13/5
