Yes, we should all be embarrassed because you don’t like Nigel Woods suit.

I know you like a whinge, but Christ almighty, it’s a mans suit ffs,.

Its quite funny that you have spent your time over the past few days whining about a problem you made up and admit you have no idea whether or not it exists or is even a realistic possibility, and the fact you didn’t like Nigel Woods suit in a picture headlining an interview with him. That’s not normal. Its quite funny, but it isn’t normal.

Im not sure its an immaturity, I just think that the RFL try and present the game in the best light they can. As they are paid to do.

The success/failures of franchising are I think, a bit irrelevant to the problems we are facing. We wont magically sell loads more tickets by going back to P+R, we wouldn’t have better sponsors had the criteria been changed slightly or judging system was a little different. Realistically the problems the game faces are pretty much the problems it has faced for years.

The success/failure of franchising is also difficult to judge because its supposed to give clubs time and space to grow. If those clubs don’t do that, is that down to the clubs or franchising? If clubs make a mess of their finances is that franchising or the clubs?

Right now, I see nothing in the structure of the game which stops clubs selling more tickets or bringing in better sponsors. The clubs do that, they are responsible for it. If clubs do that poorly what can the RFL do? We aren’t exactly besieged by clubs ready and capable knocking on the door of SL.

And i totally agree that we are dependent on clubs being run by competent people, Clubs need to get out there and sell tickets, actually sell them, not take orders for them, go out and sell. Make people who weren’t planning on buying a ticket buy one. Make those who were planning on buying one, bring a friend.

Clubs seem to think that sales and marketing consists of putting up a poster or a billboard if we are lucky, maybe a few things on facebook and the orders will come rolling in. How many truly innovative campaigns do we see from clubs? We seem to have an attitude within the game that if only the league structure was this, or if only club A got some success, or if only we got a tv ad, or more space in the papers, or on sky sports news a bit more, crowds will just turn up. They wont. The opportunity is there, clubs need to go and grab it and stop waiting for it to come to them.

Quote: RLBandit "The voices in your head aren't the same thing as reality. Read, then try to remember what you've read. Then, after you've written your post, before you press send, go back and read the thing you're shouting about again, to check that you replied to the things written rather than the voices.'" Dont blame me, its you that got yourself all upset because you didnt know how the RLWC website worked and for some reason thought the RFL had decided to have the landing page of it as a picture of Nigel Wood. Only it turned out every bit of your though process was wrong. You even made a thread about it viewtopic.php?f=2&t=548760&tsmp=1366379836 Maybe you should set 'learn how websites work, and read the article before jumping to conclusions based on the picture' as some of your SMART objectives. You know, like you were some corporate big shot. Then you can put them into a list, like adults do.

Quote: RLBandit "The voices in your head aren't the same thing as reality. Read, then try to remember what you've read. Then, after you've written your post, before you press send, go back and read the thing you're shouting about again, to check that you replied to the things written rather than the voices.'" Dont blame me, its you that got yourself all upset because you didnt know how the RLWC website worked and for some reason thought the RFL had decided to have the landing page of it as a picture of Nigel Wood. Only it turned out every bit of your though process was wrong. You even made a thread about it viewtopic.php?f=2&t=548760&tsmp=1366379836 Maybe you should set 'learn how websites work, and read the article before jumping to conclusions based on the picture' as some of your SMART objectives. You know, like you were some corporate big shot. Then you can put them into a list, like adults do.

There should be a Smokey High-jacked thread option, so i don't get them in my EGO threads.

One problem is, IF this 10 team SL1 is a success then after a few years people will want the cap increased again and again......will this SL2 be able to keep up with the raises or will the salary cap gaps between the two divisions widen to the point its almost virtually impossible for promoted clubs to compete.

A SL2 would just be The Championship but under a new name and with better attendances (but not enough to cope with continuous cap raises). IF a SL1 turns out to be better for having less teams then eventually you'll run into the same problem as now of the gap becoming too wide.

I think the reasoning behind that not happening is the yearly Promotion and relegation interest created

Yeah for the 4 or 5 SL2 teams who enter the season with a shot at promotion. What about the bottom few teams propping up that particular division. The mistake people make concerning this idea is comparing the likes of Cas, London and Widnes with Featherstone and Halifax and that they're easily interchangeable. But the comparison should be between the likes of Leeds and Wigan and whatever teams will be around 9th - 10th place in SL2.

Some SL2 clubs will be able to go with the increases in SC, not all will and theirs where your problems start again.

Relegation to the Championship , in fact I find it quite funny that several Leigh fans are quite keen on this format when we would given our current position by now starting a relegation battle to avoid dropping into the Championship

But then again at least the games would mean something tangible , even I might start going again if that was the case

But the Championship wouldn't be full time so still presents a problem of teams yoyo-ing between a full time £1million capped league to a part time league.

Yes but it is still a ' middle ' step between the 200 k and the 1.7 million it currently is

But how can SL2 teams (or SL1 for that matter) that are tipped to occupy the relegation spots go about signing quality players on say 2/3/4 year contracts when the club might have to go from full time to part time in the period of a player's contract and have to slash its wage bill from anywhere between 50%-75%. In salary capped sport P/R can't work that simple, hell even in football teams that get relegated from the Premiership are to be given £60million 'parachute payments'.

Look I dont think it'll work either , I'm just pointing out the idea behind it

There is no perfect system , and if you believe things are OK as they are then fine , stick with it , My solution is extra investment to improve the Championships , to bring them up to push the underperformers in SL to shape up or ship out

Your solution is ?

Could've settled this a few posts ago.

Aye lad. Like many places in the world it has its ups and downs. What people often mean is "it has nicer, warmer weather as a rule". Take warm weather out of the equation and what else?

Personally I can't see how you can seriously argue that quality of life is "better" in Australia, we have such a rich variety of old, new, city, country, hills, dales, lakes, coasts, rich heritage etc etc etc and given that I actually prefer a huge variety of weather to hot-hot-hot, that sort of clinches it.

It was funny when Leon said he preferred Blackpool to Bondi. But why on earth not? OK a few steps off the mile, Blackpool is a rough place but then that wasn't the criterion. Unless you're a sun obsessive and love being packed on a too hot beach like sardines, Blackpool actually beats Bondi into fits. It has character. A tower. Piers. And they have donkeys.