... and in lots of traditional old RL towns the game has all but died.

Primarily because the clubs in those towns are no longer able to convince enough people they have a product worth watching.

Quite what that has to do with the RL media or Harlequins RL though, only you know.

Has anyone on this thread suggested doing without Sky? I know I didn't. I suggested that the game could do with Sky taking a more quizzical and analytical approach in its magazine programme's dealing with the governing body. Due to its financial input, they have the possibility to do so and quite frankly you would think they would want to in order to protect the product.

(and this is the case in all areas of their coverage - the inane witterings whenever England's present "coach" announces a squad are just as bad: is he ever asked to justify why he has picked certain players in his "squad to beat the Aussies"icon_wink.gif

I hardly think that Boots'n'All is pretty rubbish is that controversial a viewpoint.

Which journos fawn and what have they said??

On Twitter Martyn Sadler has said that "the RFL must reveal the full story" about Cru and also called for an independent inquiry.

I can't imagine the next editions of League Express and Rugby League World are going to be cheery reads.

We do need investigative journalism.
Cru have been going down the pan almost from the day they started.
This was never covered.
Their predecessors at Celtic in Bridgend were the same. That was not covered!

Next scandal will be the court case v HMRC which if the RL clubs lose they could be looking to find £ms in payment to the Revenue for overclaiming on ebt's image rights etc.
Who gave the advice to clubs to claim all this? What tax advice did the clubs themselves seek?
This should have been gone into by the RL journos but hardly a word has been written.

With 'phone hacking or not?

My take on journo's fawing to the establishment is really about their failure to quiz the games sacred cows i) the need / wisdon and practicality of geographical expansion of super league ii) the value of licencing and the competence of the games higher ups to operate the licence system.

These are the issues that do the rounds in the pubs and on the forums but where do they feature in the work of the RL media? The first one in particular is conspicuous by its absence in the critical rhetoric (sport the irony there) of RL journos. Ignore the issues that I think are important and need questioning and consider this;

Name me a journalist who rocks the establishments boat?

Perhaps they feel they have got better things to do than peddling myths put around by pub bores?

And which myth are you referring to?