I can sell you massive prawns: £65.00 for a 2 kilo box (8-10 prawns)

Because it adds excitement to maybe 4 games at the end of the season between the worst sides in SL and almost guarantees massive financial problems to both the promoted and relegated teams the following year?

As you say, it doesn't work in RU - it was only the threat of legal action which allowed London Welsh to be promoted this season at the expense of Newcastle. This year LW have virtually imploded whilst Newcastle could have taken half the season off and still won promotion.

The funny thing is, whilst the RU cap has increased, they have some problems which are familiar to RL - financial problems at some clubs, far too many imports etc.

Yeh, snorkelling on Saturdyas, taking the boat out on Sundays, swimming with the dog down the beach before I go to work, being able to plan outdoor parties weeks in advance and not worry about the weather, no de icer, not worrying about my car being nicked, 4 bedroom house with a swimming pool, movie room and gym. Geez life has got no better since I moved to Oz from Hull!!

In all fairness moving from Hull to Lebanon would be a massive improvement.

But Smokey's "Get on with selling tickets" is pretty much the ultimate 'silver bullet' statement. It implies that clubs are run by people who haven't actually thought of 'selling tickets'. If only they'd just 'get on with it', hey?

What determines whether or not you go to watch a game? Does advertising make a difference to you? The reason clubs don't spend fortunes advertising tickets is that, in the main, *it doesn't work*. People go to games when the game 'matters'. If you're an absolute hardcore fan, then every game probably matters to you, and that's great. From a cynical business point of view, in that sense, nobody needs to worry about you, you'll turn up whatever.

But then, we have the idiots who 'blame the fans' for not *all* being hardcore and turning up to every game. Fine, they can feel like that, but its a totally useless attitude. People more in touch with the real world will realise that the challenge is to make each game 'matter' to as many people as possible. This is a many-faceted challenge - for example, for a few people, a game can matter simply because the opponent has a player that winds you up ( I guarantee you that Sam Tomkins and Ryan Bailey put bums on seats at away fixtures, just as the likes of Sean Long did ), or because its a historical derby, but generally, the biggest factor in whether or not a game is important is the structure of the competition. It's entirely reasonable to look at that issue. "Get on with making as many games as possible relevant" is a better contribution to a debate than "get on with selling tickets".

The Myth of a guarantees 'better lifestyle' is just that - a myth.

Sure for some its paradise and good luck to them but I found it Expensive, insular, very remote, a bit behind the times and lacking in culture, but as I say each to there own. I am however looking forward to my next holiday there.

For balance, I've gone from a $3000 a month mortgage to owning a beautiful Victorian house, being able to visit some of the best cities in the world by a short plane ride, got all my friends around me, being able to go see decent gigs and also have a wide choice of theatre productions all close by. Don't have to worry about the horrible heat in the summer, I have a proper insulated double glazed centrally heated house for the winter (I've never been as cold as I was in Sydney in the winter) I don't have big spiders crawling round my house, etc etc..

Interesting points Chris.
Expensive in relation to the Wages that are paid?
Insular in what way?
Where is it remote from? Its a long way from Europe but its not that far to Asia. Many people never leave their own town or city never mind country.
Behind the times? what does that mean? in technology, education, something else?

How do you define Culture? is it going to the West End to see a play? is it having a long colourful history? Or just a local old fashioned Pub.
Most Australians I know if asked about their culture would reply something like this..
There is a modern outdoors Culture, Beaches and BBQ's outdoor living, a population that embraces sport in general.
Australia is made up of emigrants from all over the World and each one of those "Aussies" bring something to the mix, whether that is in outlook or ideas or the diverse range of cuisine that is available, its a melting Pot.

You have lived in Australia Chris, what part did not suit you? I believe there is a "Love it or leave it" attitude but that is a good thing, without that you would have 100 different cultures that move to Australia and want to change it to be like where they are from and have no respect for the way of life they have chosen to move to.

Interested to hear what made you come back to the UK after moving to Oz.

Big Spiders crawling around your House? did you live in a Tent?
Were they Daddy Long Legs?
Sydney never gets much below 8C (at night) in Winter, you get some frosts on winter morning out past Parramatta.

You were in a Tent ?

That post contains the most bollox of any of yours yet. Well done, you have set the bar pretty high.

You should go back to complaining that an interview with Nigel Wood about the World Cup is, in what im sure is a shock to everyone, and completely unexplainable, headlined with a picture of Nigel Wood and the World Cup.

I lived in a 800,000 dollar house which had no insulation and no double glazing and was cold in winter, I lived in Abbotsford in the inner west (a lovely suburb which I miss by the way) 8c without heating is quite cold.

Huntsmen spiders were regularly roaming round my house, not dangerous but not pleasant either.

Australia especially Sydney is a very expensive place to live, my wages are actually around 3 times higher in the UK than they were in Australia, I realise this will not be the case for everyone. Grocery shopping is ridiculously expensive over there and the choice is nowhere near as good as the UK (I live within 3 miles of around 4 farm shops selling great produce)

It is isolated from everywhere, where I live I can be in 10 different cities in just a relatively short car journey, In sydney you need to get (a quite expensive) internal flight to get to the next city of any merit, this would be even worse living in the West of Australia ( I got married in Western Australia, Ive no need to return)

By Culture I mean the arts, history, Architecture, Design etc etc, I agree Australias 'culture' is a far more modern one, I donot care for the beach and if your classing a BBQ as culture this is where we disagree.

Australia is indeed a melting pot but not one without its problems, casual racism is rife as is a sexist attitude which permeates through the media as well, the TV is just shocking, ABC is just about passable but the 'Aussie is the best in the world' stuff that comes out from the other networks is nauseating.

I moved back for many reasons, including Financial we are far far better off over here rather than having to worry about money this helps a great deal. I also just didn't see myself living there long term (which was the original plan) it wasn't for me, IMHO Australia has done a very good job in selling itself (as seen by posts on here by people that think its paradise without ever having been!) but in reality its just another first world country with all the problems associated with that. As for the weather I prefer the british climate, I hated the summer in Sydney and it never seemed to stop raining in the winter (it has more rainfall per year than Manchester), I also missed my friends and family which is something that people thinking of emigrating shouldn't underestimate. ATEOTD it wasnt for me but that is just my observations and whats right for me isn't right for another.

I absolutely love the UK, and moving away made me realise this a lot more and ir avnnoys me when people slag the place off having never lived somewhere else, the grass isn't always greener, sometimes its a weird shad of brown because the heat

I'd rather be in Blackpool!