The trouble with good old-fashioned romance is that, well, it's not really a man thing.
All those flowers and chocolates and fluffy stuff - it doesn't exactly come naturally to blokes. It's not that they can't do it; it's just a bit of an alien language to them. Until now.
The website Friends Reunited Dating has embarked on a campaign to instruct men in how to do what women have seemingly been able to perform for years: preparing for a date with military precision.
And who better to assist them with the task than members of the British Army's most elite infantry, the Irish Guards.
Said Rhoda Breakell, Head of Romance at Friends Reunited, "It's all about communication. Men need to explore the rules of the dating game in a way that comes more naturally to them.
"Perhaps if chaps approached the battle of the sexes as just that - a military operation - it would be more second-nature."
She said she hit upon the idea of enlisting the help of troops after Friends Reunited started talking to military advisers for the launch of a new website aimed at reuniting old comrades, called Forces Reunited.
"When I listened to the unique way in which soldiers talk and approach things, I suddenly realised that here was an untapped way of communicating with the male membership of our Dating site as well."
Thus Operation Red Rose was born, aimed at exploring dating strategy and tactical romance for officers and gentlemen.
To that end, Friends Reunited turned to Lance Sergeant Matthew Bull-Edwards of the Irish Guards for advice.
After receiving special permission from the top brass, Lance Sgt Bull-Edwards briefed the Friends Reunited team on the best way of planning a military operation.
Shortly before returning to Iraq for a seven-month tour of duty, Lance Sergeant Bull-Edwards, 28, said, "At first I thought they were absolutely mad. But when I talked it over with some of my colleagues we could all remember how nerve-wracking a date can be.
"We came to the conclusion that there must be a lot of lads out there who would value a bit of advice from the boys in The Micks."
Although happily married with a three month son himself, Lance Sergeant Bull-Edwards nevertheless found it easy to plan a 'tactical romance operation'.
"It turned out to be like any other briefing. You have your preliminaries, your route out, the final rendezvous point and, of course the bit where the actions starts, H-Hour - or 'D-Hour' for the Date Hour in this case.
"The only differences were that instead of planning marching formation and checking your ammunition, we were talking about washing behind your ears, getting the hair gel right and making sure you know exactly where the restaurant is."
Lance-Sergeant Bull-Edwards' advice is contained in a full-colour military briefing book available at www.friendsreunited.co.uk
It contains gems for the single man such as practising wearing sunglasses like Tom Cruise in Top Gun, and what to say if the date says she hates the Kaiser Chiefs or cars.
At "D-Hour minus 5" it recommends:
Work through each stage of the Op, paying attention to any potential traps and hazards. Place miniatures of you, Best Mate, insurgents, ex-girlfriend and the intended date on the model. Borrow some of your mum's cotton-reels if miniatures not available.
As for what happens after the meal, the top-flight tactical advice has the following to say:
This is an area fraught with disaster and negotiating your way through it will require exceptional self-discipline. Focus on these three golden rules:
For more information contact the press office on: 01883 717468 / 07932723866 or email press@friendsreunited.co.uk
Operation Red Rose can be accessed on the Friends Reunited Dating website by clicking here: http://www.friendsreuniteddating.co.uk/military/operation-red-rose.pdf