Mic09

Of course it's a theory and some are dismissing it. I'd bet to think it could have been the case. But, it wasn't written down, it wasn't formal, and it was made between leaders 30 years ago. Times change, geopolitics change, and people in power change. So while it could have been the case that assurances are made, this argument cannot be used in a reasonable discussion of what was or wasn't the deal - all parties signed trieties, and no treaty said that Poland/Estonia/Latvia/Ukraine wouldn't join NATO.

I always thought they are a much more 'boutique' club compared to Man City or United. Yes, they are limited in capacity, but even if VP was to expand to 60k they would still bring in more funds via commercial/hospitality means. I am sure the world's most powerful people visit Chelsea more frequently compared to Liverpool, and the London location plays a part in this. They have a good business model - having 753 players on loan doesn't feel right to you or me, but it makes commercial sense. Much like Man United, they have flown too high to now fall down drastically.

Grant Holt(e) End

Well, 2023 suggested next year. I guess spring/summer 2023. If the are talking about it, we must have some solid developments behind the scenes already.

Late winter/spring 2023?

I hope my theory is wrong, but it's entirely possible Russia wanted to go in, make a mess, start a war, end enter yesterday's negotiations with "you have not seen anything just yet".

Do you think Var is a computer generated decision? It's just a video replay. It's still stupid refs making wrong calls.

I wonder if FIFA will still entertain "respect" badges everywhere. No backbone, no respect. It's a joke.

And, I don't think Bielsa was a likable manager in a way that Hassenhutl or Dean Smith are. He was spying on teams, going for gung ho tactics for no clear reason, selected FIFA best for no clear reason, made a big deal out of giving Villa a "free goal" in that infamous game. And he sat on a bucket. As an outside fan, I can appreciate it was entertaining, but not an example to follow. Just like Klopp stopped being likeable sometime in his 2nd season at plop, I don't think Bielsa was likeble to an outside fan.

Maybe the lawyers are busy counting the Qatar money.

Still no FIFA decision about Russia. Poland has been offered a free training camp by Athletic Bilbao and a friendly to thank them for the decision to refuse playing Russia. As I understand Sweden and Cechs have now followed. What (and when) will FIFA do?

What do you mean by positive and pusstfotting?

I think that Ukraine that will now be even more westernised is unlikely to start any military offensives of their own.

I'm a bit worried, because as much as I despise Putin, I don't think he is an idiot. This must have all been calculated. What we don't know, is what is Putin's aim of this attack. I hope he is losing, but depending on his objectives (political, not military), the truth might be different.

Not only that, if we accept Putin is Hitler, we need to start a mass attack on Russia. So let's be careful with these comparisons.

It might also look like a good thing in the eyes of Ukrainians looking through Western Media. And that's enough of a reason to support such events.

And they did it in a relatively peaceful way. Putin is getting old. Maybe a long term game of political meddling wasn't as appealing as taking Ukraine by force.

We think we are somehow better than people of early 20th century or earlier ages. We are the same. We just have faster planes and computers.

brother in law who lives in Warsaw said there is plenty of buses with Ukrainians going back to fight.

Ukraine would have lost a military conflict with Russia anyway. Information is warfare just as much as a cannon, so giving Russians a 'plausible deniability' of intentions would have counterproductive.

I hope you are right. I also hope that, should he take entire Ukraine and move his troops on Polish border, NATO won't be trigger happy. Ukraine did so well in not giving Russians a single excuse. No provocation, no rush actions. Politically, they acted very smartly and there is no argument that Russia is in the wrong. Militarily, they have paid a price for this - instead of meeting Russians heads on near their borders, they weren't set up for a military action as to not cause provocation. Entire western block should take example of how Ukraine acted in the days leading to this. US seems to be doing that by sending troops to Germany, rather than directly to Poland (which obviously has a large US presence already)

He knew weeks in advance what the sanctions could be, and he must have clearly analysed the pros and cons. He didn't wake up yesterday thinking 'shit, what about the economy'.

I don't think he is. I think his speech with the remarks of history, lenin, the Russia Empire, that's all to appease the Russian public. Propaganda. Putin is cold and calculating. I think the comparisons to Hitler and Nazis in 39 are very far off the mark, and we should be careful with those. If Putin is Hitler, the entire west should attack now. If we believe that, we need to act now. Personally, I think this is a much more calculated conflict (in my opinion).

He would call in niko kranjcar as his eastern political expert

Putin really isn't mad. He is cold, calculating, clearly an evil man. I appreciate what you are saying, but Ukraine has not been a sticking point since 2 weeks ago - it's been that for 30 years. Not to mention the wealth of the natural resources of Ukraine which must be appealing to Putin. I am in two minds about this - I cannot imagine Putin invading Estonia or Latvia, let alone Poland. But, while that is a cold calculation, I am also weary of the western leadership reaction. If Putin decided he fancied going west, how would Europe/NATO react? Would the world risk a 3rd world war because of Estonia? Surely, they would have to call Putin's bluff and go all in? Putin might fancy seeing how much he can rock the boat. But I think Ukraine is as far as it goes. I don't know. Biden clearly stated that they will use full power to protect NATO allies, but reality can prove much different. On one hand, the American public is opposed to getting militarily involved in Ukraine, but we all know USA likes to get that military industrial complex happy. I don't think Putin will attack the west. But while I was prepared to bet on it last month, I am not so sure now.