While he said they were closing - I went for the "final" season, obviously long before this was published - the restaurant never actually closed. I kept receiving invitations to new seasons in Copenhagen.
For some reason I really want a packet of roast chicken crisps.
You can make a reasonable argument that the forward line wasn't shaped in the right way/ended up being imbalanced, or that players were moved on who shouldn't have been, etc, but I don't think it's fair to say that the time wasn't taken to actually shape the forward line.
Whatever the club's possible intentions might have been regarding his future, the consequences themselves render that irrelevant. Moreover, 2024-25 was Diaz, Nunez, Salah, Chiesa, Gakpo, Jota (Elliott). 2025-26 is Isak, Salah, Chiesa, Gakpo, Ekitike, Ngumoha (Wirtz).
Ah, but is it really a case of getting oil *out* of the Persian Gulf, or more about getting everyone who needs oil *in* to the Persian Gulf?
*Gestures at deserts* - there's plenty of room, and we also remove the environmentally costly need for tankers.
Ah, but is it really a case of getting oil *out* of the Persian Gulf, or more about getting everyone who needs oil *in* to the Persian Gulf?
*Gestures at deserts* - there's plenty of room, and we also remove the environmentally costly need for tankers.
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And I write that acknowledging that there are other things which remain entirely within Slot's control regarding performance and for which he's ultimately accountable, not the least of which is his inexplicable treatment of Curtis Jones.
That's an entirely reasonable range and not enough for a challenge - which was the question. A broken leg and an ACL in your 1st game aren't predictable. Diogo, his passing, and those effects weren't predictable. The (many) dips in form for several players (not just older ones) weren't predictable.
I suspect challenging wouldn't have been an expectation. THat's dependent on lots going right (integrating many players quickly) and a reasonable (?) assumption that we wouldn't suffer either freakish injuries (Isak, Bradley, Leoni) or a collapse in form for key players. And above all, Diogo.
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If there's any logic to this season it's LFC sacrificing the short-term for the long-term (very much underpins how FSG operates) in the face of lots of clubs ironically sacrificing the long-term for the short-term.
This longer 2008 article (free) including scenarios by @proftalmadge.bsky.social is certainly worth your time.
www.belfercenter.org/sites/defaul...
Cordesman (CSIS) wrote a prescient 2007 note: " ... Iran plans to defeat the US by attrition ... Iran could not “close the Gulf” for more than a few days to two weeks ... [but] nations often fail to act as rational bargainers in a crisis, particularly if attacked or if their regimes are threatened."
Saudi obviously is already taking action to increase flow on the Yanbu pipeline (reports differ on the 7-12m bpd max). What's been interesting to me is reading Us thinktank reports on the Iranian government's appetite for sustained conflict and for how long it would seek to "close" the Strait.
But ... there's already a 1.5 to 1.8m (max) bpd pipeline (Bab-Habshan–Fujairah) which runs from Abu Dhabi to Fujairah and was actually built to reduce reliance on transport through the Strait of Hormuz. That's <10% of daily capacity through the Strait. If pipelines won't do it, nothing will.
Very, very easy to make fun because of the tanker-sized trucks required to transport it, but *in theory* there's a deep-water port integrated with ADNOC's fuel bunkers at Mina (Abu Dhabi), and road access is available to Sharjah's Khor Fakkan or Fujairah's port (c. 3 hours).
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Which is not to say that it wouldn't be unreasonable for Iran to withdraw for thoss reasons - it would. Force majeure notwithstanding, it would also be somewhat ironic that an MA many have reasonably pushed to be suspended for its treatment of women might instead be punished for a legitimate reason.
Until Iran's FA has formally notified FIFA of its withdrawal, the country is still participating. I'd hazard everything else is positioning, especially from a state which will be desperate to avoid any further potential opportunity for players seeking asylum.
bsky.app/profile/nkal...
Until some point in the 20th century - I forget the decade, but maybe 30s or 40s - you could exchange Japanese bank notes for gold coins, which I believe is called "convertible currency".
My favourite bank note fact is that the Bank of England issued a series of notes in 1725 including £20, £30, £40, £70, £90, £300, £500, and £1,000, many of which were legal tender until 1945.
None, of course, contained images of the monarch, nevermind other people.
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Chelsea losing 5-2 tonight was a rough equivalent of Liverpool losing 3-0 to Barcelona. An utterly ridiculous scoreline which in no way reflected the game.
If you buy Cambridge Audio headphones and change the voice setting to "Southwark", you get Matt speaking all the various prompts into your ears and it's delightful.
Making this a gift article is really the sports journalism equivalent of the "Stop he's already dead" meme.
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Newcastle might question why time beyond the four minutes was played, but Eddie Howe chose to make a substitution in the 91st minute. The penalty was awarded on 94.22. Perfectly legitimate for the referee to play beyond the minimum allotted time.
Not even AI would generate this drink.
The referee has been remarkably lenient to both sides in Newcastle - Barca where cards are concerned. Yamal should be suspended for the second leg, absolutely no doubt whatsoever.
I think this plus the just inexplicable mismanagement of Curtis Jones means regardless of outcome Slot will be gone at the end of the season. There was *nothing* to justify Mac Allister playing 90 and not having someone composed in midfield who would just retain and recycle possession.
The Champions League is far, far more enjoyable than the Premier League.
There is nothing to justify the absence of Curtis Jones in this midfield. Nothing. #lfc
