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The alum didn't just have to be "imported from Europe" - for most of the Middle Ages the only known sources were on Greek islands (i.e. Byzantine Empire) and imported via Constantinople (especially by the Genoese who got a monopoly on the trade to the West after c 1261.) And it wasn't just needed for tanning, it was a vital ingredient in dying cloth.
Textiles were the big industry in Europe before large scale steel working - clothes were probably the main thing you spent your money on if you had cash. So as a commodity, alum was the equivalent of, I dunno, probably not oil, but maybe rubber, back before plastics took off.
After 1453, when the Turks took Constantinople (cue: They Might Be Giants) things got really tricky for a bit, then the Pope's nephew found a big alum deposit in the Papal States and for a period the Pope got very rich indeed on the proceeds - I think I'm right in saying the English source was found after Henry VIII had that little difficulty with the Pope, which I'm guessing also put the price up.
I hope Varane gets another, otherwise when he's an old man and wants to show the video to the grandkids they'll get the impression he played back in the days of pea-souper fogs, round about the time of Sherlock Holmes.
Of course, perspective works both ways - it was a disappointing result, scoreline, and performance from some players - essentially, all of our weakest players (out of those available for selection and anywhere near the first team) showed all their flaws. No-one has to pretend otherwise.
But going out of the cup to a Premier League side who put a full-strength side out isn't that surprising, there was some good stuff on the attacking side of things in the first half, and I don't suppose the conditions helped much.
And it has been scientifically proven that Varane can in fact score goals after all!
Obviously he wasn't haring round the pitch putting in tackles, but the point was that any time we got the ball there he was - available, a simple touch away from whoever had won the ball, knowing exactly where he was going to play the ball, and it was always going to feet.
The guy just read the game so well and controlled it when he had the ball.
I'd love it for Madsen to be doing that, I really would, but so far he just hasn't.
I'm not sure we need "better" than Frey, but we could do with Frey being available to start, if not do the full 90 minutes, all through the season, and at 30 it's not ideal to have to count on that.
It was certainly a very odd loan, (Aldershot, I think), IIRC their fan forum said something along the lines of "he must have done something terrible to be sent here"
I was hoping that it might be a bit like Eze going to Wycombe, but it looked more like they didn't know what to do with him and he was p*ssed off by being sent into exile.
He had looked very good for us in cameos like that pre-season friendly v Man U (or was it the Leicester one?) but then so did Odubaju for about one game.
EDIT, sorry Esox, just realised I was talking about Bettache and you were talking about Bansal-Mcnulty
IIRC correctly it's because he has a unicorn tattoo and Jimmy Dunne suggested it as a celebration.
Why he has a unicorn tattoo in the first place wan't mentioned, maybe its because he'd heard that goal scoring centre forwards employed by QPR were believed to be mythical beasts or at best extinct.
Can't argue with any of that, but it seems quite sad for the bloke.
Was clearly keen to play last season, couldn't get into the NUFC side so took. a loan with us when we weren't exactly a holiday camp, did a decent job, didn't lead to anything due to no fault of his, now kicking his heels again and struggling to get a club due to age.
When you look at some of the players happy to pick up a pay cheque for never playing, it seems a shame he can't get a gig.
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