World Snooker’s latest competition reminds me of a line in Fawlty Towers when Basil is explaining to a guest about the refurbishment of the bar area.
“We thought the carpet would go with the curtains,” he tells him.
“Yes,” replies the guest, “one of them will have to go.”
World Snooker’s competition will see one lucky individual win a piece of carpet that has been well trodden in the Crucible foyer since 1987.
The carpet is described by World Snooker as “iconic.” This is, I would suggest, true as it very much resembles the coat worn by Joseph in the musical of the same name.
Its dizzying array of colours reminds me of those magic eye pictures that were all the rage in the 1990s.
You remember them: you stared at them for 15 minutes and either saw a 3D image or got a headache.
If you would like to enter the competition, email competitions@worldsnooker.com with ‘carpet’ in the subject line and tell them who the current world champion is.
For the record, I’m not entering.
I’m holding out for when they start giving away the blinds in the press room.
9 comments:
It's sad that you take every opportunity to have a dig at World Snooker.
Sure the competition is rubbish and,undoubtedly,the board are doing an equally rubbish job running the game.However instead of pointing out the obvious deficiencies of the board and game perhaps you could come up with some solutions?
Is Snooker Scene trying to improve the games outlook?If so how?
Why not do something proactive?
Surely you(Snooker Scene)have enough contacts in the various fields to,at least,introduce people.
I'm not aware of snooker scenes financial situation so if you cannot afford to contribute financially to the game how about something else.
I appreciate the fact that the board of WS has made it,almost,impossible to work with them but in these dark times someone has to stand up for the sake of the game.I don't believe that the constant negative comments about the game are going to improve the situation.
Of course the truth has to be told but surely in conjunction with,at least,some of the players or their management you can formulate a plan for the good of the game?
The amateur game will always survive but the future of the professional game is in serious doubt.Unless something is done soon you will have nothing to criticise.
Des
The above piece was meant to be humourous, not critical.
I don't take every opportunity to criticise World Snooker or make them look foolish. Just this week I noticed a mistake on their ranking list and privately alerted them to it rather than post on here about it.
As for your other point, journalists are paid to report. I dare say many governing bodies and governments would rather their failings were not reported but that's bad luck.
However, Snooker Scene has, for 37 years, provided a living history of snooker and I think that, and in particular Clive Everton's role as editor, has been an invaluable contribution to the sport.
Clive has always tried to be friendly to anyone wishing to help the game and has played many roles in trying to take the sport forward. For instance, he devised the Masters which has been running for 33 years.
"You" might not take every opportunity to criticise the board but they are criticised on a fairly consistent basis.
Of course much of it is justified but surely the time has come to move on from the petty issues and deal with the major problems facing our sport.
The current board won't improve snooker's fortunes.They have consistently failed and something needs to be done soon.
Of course Clive has done a wonderful job reporting the game over the years and his love of it shines through.I agree that snooker scene has done a wonderful job giving us the true facts over the years.
However things need to change now.Perhaps a little effort by yourselves can be the start?
It is no good continually criticising without coming up with any solutions because then you become part of the problem.
If you and the players are so upset with how the game is run why can't you instigate some form of change?
The lack of ranking events means everyone suffers.I know you have played a major part in the downfall of various boards over the years so perhaps it is time to do so again.
I don't think the cheap shots at the board are going to make a difference.As Dave said in his posting earlier this week something needs to be done now.
All I'm asking is can you do something to improve the fortunes of our game?Someone needs to!
Des
The comments from Des show a lot of naivete, and also suggest he hasn't read Snooker Scene much over the years.
Among his comments are:
"Of course the truth has to be told but surely in conjunction with,at least,some of the players or their management you can formulate a plan for the good of the game?"
All sorts of plans have been put forward which would have been for the good of the name, most notably the Altium deal, and all were fully supported by Snooker Scene. Unfortunately in the case of Altium, half of the players were too stupid to see what a good deal it was and voted against it.
"Perhaps a little effort by yourselves can be the start?"
What, 37 years acting as watchdog to a series of incompetent and corrupt boards and executives doesn't constitute a little effort.
"Is Snooker Scene trying to improve the games outlook?If so how?"
Quite clearly the answer to the first bit is yes. And the answer to the second bit is: by pointing out where things are being done wrong and suggesting ways in which they could be sone differently, and by highlighting positive developments in the game when they happen.
There's also quite a contradiction when Des asks why Snooker Scene can't "instigate some form of change", having earlier made the point himself that the magazine "has done a wonderful job giving us the true facts over the years". The whole point of giving the facts has been in the hope of instigating change.
Unlike a lot of people, Des seems to understand that the game's problems come from a succession of bad boards.
It's a shame then that he can't carry that logic into his comments here. As he says, the board "are criticised on a fairly consistent basis... of course much of it is justified".
Actually, pretty much of all it is justified. And it isn't about what Des refers to as "petty issues", it's generally about the "major problems facing our sport", the very thing which he wants dealt with.
The bottom line is this - World Snooker are making a mess of running the game, have been doing so for some years.
This needs to be highlighted as much as possible until the message is understood by the only people who can really bring about change - i.e. the players who vote for the board.
Snooker Scene are the only people who will highlight this, and as such should be supported by people like Des.
It is tiresome to see people suggesting that Clive would somehow do the game a service by overlooking and covering up the many inadequacies of the people who are supposed to be running the game.
It's nice to be misunderstood.
The petty comment I made was in relation to the constant digs by snooker scene about almost everything world snooker does.There used to be remarks nearly every month in snooker scene about misspelt words on the website or in world snooker press releases.The carpet "joke" is another petty dig at world snooker by a magazine who doesn't need to resort to this.
Of course I can understand why Clive deemed it necessary to attack the board in any/every way possible(he was/is treated disgracefully by the board)but surely there has to come a time when it's time to move on?
I fully understand the role snooker scene has played in removing previous boards-indeed I did mention this.However I don't believe just highlighting positives and negatives is providing any answers to snookers problems.I agree it is good for the game when snooker scene does this but,and this is the crux of the matter,snooker needs more.It needs answers.
It's funny that the Altium debacle was mentioned because since then snooker has gone from bad to worse.
I don't believe snooker scene has come up with any viable solutions to the many problems facing snooker since then.
Of course I don't hold snooker scene responsible for yet another boards failings but as Dave wrote earlier this week "things have to change."
If any points I have made on this thread have come across as an attack on Clive then I'm sorry because that certainly isn't my intention.I support snooker scene by being a subscriber of many years.However this doesn't mean I have to support everything they say.
Perhaps I am being unrealistic in expecting snooker scene to be radically pro active in this matter?
Des
The last post says "surely there has to come a time when it's time to move on".
So tell me, what does "move on" mean?
Does it mean - stop criticising World Snooker? That's exactly what they want, and how exactly would it help the game?
And why exactly is now the time to move on? What do you suggest Clive does instead?
The point is also made that "snooker has gone from bad to worse" since the Altium debacle, and that Snooker Scene hasn't "come up with any viable solutions to the many problems facing snooker since then".
But therein lies the problem - snooker's current difficulties stem from the Altium debacle. The damage has been done, and having done their bit by supporting the a very good deal at the time, all Snooker Scene are left to do is report the consequences.
But it seems the person who made the last post would rather they didn't do that, in the belief that this would somehow help the situation and lead to better times.
I am having a piece of the carpet. And I paid real money for it!
Having trodden over it for the last 15 years I felt I ought have a piece of it; it is, as Dave says, hideous but it is iconic to all those who have gone to the snooker in Sheffield.
I shall identify myself only as 'C' lest I elicit lifelong ridicule!
Good for you, Chris, er, I mean, whoever you are!
I have not said that snooker scene shouldn't report the failings of any of the incompetent boards which have overseen the gradual demise of our game.Indeed I quite clearly stated otherwise.
Surely it is time for the petty point scoring to stop though.
Snooker Scene has played an instrumental part in the downfall of various regimes and what I'm suggesting is they try to do something similar again.As no one from snooker scene has commented on this issue I guess it is something beyond their remit.
Des
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