The Snooker Scene podcast is returning for a special edition featuring Barry Hearn.
And I will be putting questions from readers of this blog directly to the new WPBSA chairman.
So if you have any queries regarding his new plan for the future of the sport or any other snooker releated issues then drop me an email at snookersceneblog@aol.com.
The deadline for entries is 6pm on Tuesday.
34 comments:
What is your response to Peter Ebdon, Rex Williams and Del Hill?
I would like to ask why he only pays £1 to get wpbsa and he offered darts 1 million !!!
FURIOUS BDO darts chiefs have told Barry Hearn: "You're talking a load of Bull."
Hearn's bid to buy out the British Darts Organisation for £1million has sparked more trouble than trebles at oches across the nation.
SunSport revealed exclusively yesterday how Hearn's Professional Darts Corporation has launched an ambitious takeover of its big rival.
But angry BDO supremo Olly Croft declared: "This is just a cheap publicity stunt. It has nothing to do with unifying darts and all to do with Hearn's inflated ego.
"The PDC says it wants to make darts global. The BDO has already done that. We have 66 counties and 70 affiliated countries. We have 12,000 members compared to 200 in the PDC. The BDO is also a founder of the World Darts Federation which has millions of members.
"Hearn has gone on record as saying that he wants to 'destroy' the BDO and is not interested in women's darts, youth darts and county darts, because they are not profitable.
"Now he claims he wants to buy the BDO. It is not for sale. The BDO is a priceless asset that is there to foster, promote and ensure the future of our great sport for players at all levels."
PDC chairman Hearn reckons he could add cash and glitter to transform the BDO's annual profit of just £16,000 last year.
He said: "An offer of £1m to bring darts under the control of a single organisation is the best way forward."
The rift between the two camps has split the sport since a breakaway by the players in 1993 and now it is more divided than ever.
The BDO will today make the draw for the Lakeside 2010 World Championships - its marquee event at Frimley Green, Surrey, in the New Year.
And Croft added: "The reason that the BDO doesn't produce vast net profits, is because we plough back the money we receive into the sport.
"The PDC is the business of darts, while the BDO is the sport.
"We gained recognition for darts as a sport in 2005 because we have the systems in place to provide darts from grass roots right through to national, international and world levels.
"Barry Hearn thinks only of profit and has little or no time for proper, constituted governing bodies."
The SPOOF Barry Hearn interview
Q - Ebbo & Dinosaur Rex have come out against your plan - What do you say to them ?
BH - LOADS A MONEY!
Q - Ok....You plan to make snooker more like darts - How will this work ?
BH - SIMPLE,WER'E GONNA ROUND UP ALL THE HURRICANE,WHIRLWIND & ROCKET FANS - GIVE THEM FREE TICKETS & FREE BEERS - THEN,THINGS ARE GONNA GET A BIT LIVELY - LUVELY JUBBLY!
Q - Why has snooker suffered in the last 20 years do you think ?
BH - EASY - COZ I AIN'T BEEN INVOLVED AS MUCH
Q - What are your greatest acheievments in your first phase in the game ?
BH - THE ROMFORD RAP ...NO,I MEAN SNOOKER LOOPY & THE MATCHROOM AFTERSHAVE
Q - What are your plans for the Worlds & UK events ?
BH - LOADS OF MONEY!
Q - Finally,give us just a short answer on your plans for the PTC events ?
BH - I GOT LOADS TO TELL YA, ME & MY PROMOTER MATES ARE GONNA GIVE IT LARGE & BRING BACK THE GLORY DAYS TO SNOOKER WITH THIS PLAN!
NOTHING ELSE MATTERS - AS YOU MIGHT HAVE GUESSED!
Q - I did have plenty of other questions to ask you - But,your bravado & razmattaz has won me over completely!
BH - TOP MAN...LOADS OF MONEY!!!!
Blimey Dave, you're going to get inundated!
I tried to send a question and I got an email back saying
"Recipient address rejecte: REJECT AOL does not accept emails from this servece"
Am I the only one having this problem?
I think Ian Hislop can rest easily
I got my email rejected at your end Dave (sent out at least 10 today, all ok) I posted a question here as i couldn't mail and going by the post times its not been posted :(
Can you instruct china tournament organisers that ANYONE with a phone going off or talkin on one will be ejected? Once you do this they will eventually learn....dont see why they get away with it and we cant...can we not put warning signs up using their language/funny letters?
It basically boils down to one of two options.
Yes to Hearn, and the probability of increased prizemoney, loads of tournaments, extra tv coverage and high profile professional marketing. The price? Hearn makes a fortune.
No to Hearn, and a return to gombeen style comitees, comprising the likes of Ebdon, Williams and Hill, who have proven, when it comes to running a professional sport, that they dont know their arse from a hole in the ground. The price? Nobody makes a fortune. The board and top 8 players make a nice living and the game continues to slip into obscurity.
I dont have a problem with Hearns income from the game, AS LONG AS ITS RELATIVE TO THE GAMES SUCCESS.
Who cares if Hearn makes £10m if the tour has a £15m prize fund. This is what needs to be stipulated, that he should not benefit inordinately at the games expense.
Every big money sport is riddled with wealthy promoters. Snooker has one now. Have a get out clause for maybe 10 years time and see how things go.
Theres no doubt that in the run up to the vote, we will have many past board members venting their jealous spleen.
The propaganda has already begun with the anonymous idiot above, posting a clipping from that great stalwart of justice and truth, "The Sun".
Wouldnt be surprised if it was posted by one of the old regime. They had their chance and they blew it. Over and over again.
Spot on Kildare Cueman.
I dont know where 11:32am got that article from yesterday's sun it was the end of January when Barry failed with his takeover..
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/darts/8490421.stm
Well done Dave on securing this interview - a well deserved feather in your cap.
Hopefully, it will go some way to eliminate most, if not all, of the doubts that some people have about the new Chairman and his proposals.
Surely the players will realise what a fantastic opportunity this is. Snooker is at a major crossroads right now and we should all be thankful that Barry Hearn has taken the plunge and offered to take the current state of the game on board. He certainly doesn't need the cash. I agree with Kildare cueman - anyone considering voting against his manifesto should certainly not do so because of any reasonable financial benefits that Hearn might gain. The future of the game is in the players hands - they will only have themselves to blame if his proposals are not accepted. It really is a no-brainer.
If Barry Hearn seriously wants to run the game then I believe he will. It has been said that he has given every player his telephone number and email address so that they may contact him with any questions. In my opinion this is not enough.
To the best of my very limited knowledge, most people trying to push through dramatic changes and is seeking a mandate to do so, goes and talks to his electorate and canvasses their vote. It is not enough for Hearn to hope other players will do this on his behalf, for there are bound to be others who are against and pushing their thoughts on to their fellow professionals.
If Hearn wants to make sure this goes through, why doesnt he call every player personally to see if they have any problems or questions that he can put them at ease with prior to the vote. We are not talking about tens of thousands of players, nor thousands, not even hundreds, but 64. In fact it does not have to be 64 as some will never change, rumour has it they walk out of the room when he enters.
So we are talking about 50 to 60 phone calls at the very most. I know he is a busy man but that is just two calls a day until the vote. Come on Barry, PLEASE pick up that telephone and start calling.
The BDO darts tour is a complete and utter joke as anyone who saw Tony Fleet at Frimley Green will tell you
The SPOOF Barry Hearn Interview Part 2
Q - The World Open is a catchy title - Though,isn't it similar to another event i've heard of ?
BH - 100 GRAND TO THE WINNER....LOADS A MONEY!!
Q - What about the ranking system ?
BH - LOADS OF......POINTS!
Q - Is this Sky Shootout gonna have a surprise extravaganza ?
BH - NO PROBLEM - I'M GONNA GET ON THE BLOWER TO THE STREAKER WHO HELPED MY MUCKER STEVE WIN THE 97 MASTERS - SORTED!
Q - Do you feel like a politician in a General Election right now ?
BH - THE CAMPAIGN IS JUST GETTING STARTED & UNTIL MAY THE 5TH - I'M GONNA PROMISE THE EARTH,THE END OF GLOBAL WARMING & YES...LOADS & LOADS A MONEY!!!
Q - How do you see yourself ?
BH - AS A CROSS BETWEEN DELBOY & HARRY ENFIELD - LUVELY JUBBLY ...LOADS A MONEY!!
Q - They copied you - You were the original!!
BH - CHEERS & REMEMBER MY CAMPAIGN SLOGAN.....LOADS & LOADS A MONEY!!
## ChrisK5 is back to say - he hopes Ding/Williams Final will be worth commenting about - It should go close...Snooker always needs close,tight,intense Finals!!
People, surely you're supposed to be asking questions and not giving opinions!
Barry, can you explain once and for all if your plans to bring in shorter format events are part of a grand scheme to downsize all events, or simply to bring in a new audience as an appetiser to the longer format events? And do you envisage a time whereby the China Open is upgraded to the tried and tested UK format event where all matches are best of 17?
Dave what's the point of cutting off half of the link i posted at 8:46pm bizarre?? Its not the first time you have cut a link about Barry i have posted.... I'm a BIG Barry fan and i don't see in any way shape or form why my comment was cut short!!
I didn't cut anything off. I can't edit the comments so if it didn't appear properly it's because you didn't post it properly.
Dave - can you ask him if there are any plans to stream the qualifiers at all next year and if not, if he will get the World Snooker scoreboard working properly and dragged into the current century?
Thanks
Is anyone else going to actually ask a question, this is a big chance to get points across.
3 of my comments in the last 2 days have vanished. certainly nothing offensive in them!
Snooker backer, as requested email your questions here. Lets keep this part as a discussion shall we.
"So if you have any queries regarding his new plan for the future of the sport or any other snooker releated issues then drop me an email at snookersceneblog@aol.com."
O'Sullivan's behavior at Masters and in China will be punished?
Can you ask him if its true he only plans to offer players a bonus prize for 147's in the World Championship and the reasonsing behind scrapping it for the other tournaments? When lower ranked players like Higginson and Marcus Cambell got their 147's recently it was a really nice boost to their years.
Hi David
Could you please ask Barry the following:
In view of the various remarks made by commentators over the years re: hard,easy or nippy pockets, isn't it time that the pockets were hard for all professional play and were uniformly cut? At the moment the pockets are measured to a precise template but then the cut of the rubber on pocket entrances varies widely, thus defeating the object.
The height and width of the goalposts in football are always the same as is the height of the net in tennis and badminton. You don't see the majors in golf being set up easy so there is no good reason why some snooker pockets should ever fall below exacting standards. Then if a player makes a century break it would be well earned - and as your mantra is "always reward excellence" it would fit in with your plans for the great game.
Hopefully Hearn will have plans to introduce 6 and 10 red ranking events. This is what the game needs. Anyone who says different is living in cloud cuckoo land.
4:03pm - why do wind up merchants such as yourself persist in posting on snooker websites?
4.03;
6 and 10 reds snooker are not snooker. they are 6 and 10 red snooker.
They are a separate entity to snooker and should not be a part of any ranking schedule, any more than pool, carom, billiards, or skittles.
Anybody who advocates the inclusion of such gimmicks as part of matchplay snooker would probably not be allowed into cloud cuckoo land, lest they inadvertently harm themselves while thinking.
Ray, your very important question will be met with a deafening silence, it always is when they have something to hide.
Kildare cueman,
Well said, it isnt snooker and any further devaluing of this beautiful game will in future years be seen as a mistake.
Can you imagine a time when serious fans prefer a third of a game instead of a whole one. Its totally absurd.
Let the lower levels of snooker try what they want in their quest to earn a living at that level but the game should never be demoted at the very top.
My only question for barry is---
While I have no doubt that you and steve will reap from what you sow, will snooker be grim until the next rebellion.
Also, any projections as to how much will it cost snooker to get out of yours and steves clutches when at last snooker realises the enormous mistake it has made.
Hi Dave,
I would like you to ask Barry (should he be voted in, the following):
1 - Is snooker qualifying being moved for good away from Prestatyn to the Academy?
2 - Is the WSA HQ being shut down in Bristol and moved more centrally?
3 - are you merging Matchroom and WSA staff, websites and venues together?
4 - What are the plans with IMG Sport who produce the BBC coverage. Are they on-board or are talks on-going...are the bbc contracts safe?
5 what is going to happen to the snooker player's association now you have taken pat mooney on board the wsa?
6 what area's do you think sir rodney walker went wrong with the wsa?
7 do you think you can get other sponsorship deals other than gambling websites to sponsor major snooker tournaments or is this the future?
8 are you going to pull the contract the wsa has with the press association to supply content to your website?
9 would you have proposed this kind of tour 9 years ago, when snooker was going to split, and do you think ian doyle would've done something similar with cuemasters (110sport.com) had it gone through?
10 Get your crystal ball out, how do you see world snooker in 5 and, then 10 years time. How would you like to see it?
Thanks, Joe
The SPOOF Barry Hearn Interview Part 3
Q - Tell us more about your illustrious partnership with Steve Davis ?
BH - BASICALLY,I'M DELBOY & HE'S RODDERS - YEAH,THE NUGGET WON AFEW QUID ON THESE SO CALLED SNOOKER EVENTS - BUT,IT'S ONLY WHEN I HAD THE FORESIGHT TO BOOK HIM IN THE HEINZ BAKED BEANS ADS THAT WE MADE A FORTUNE & YES...LOADS A MONEY!!
Q - So your business relationship is 50/50 then ?
BH - ABSOLUTELY - 70/30 SPLIT RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE
Q - Back to your manifesto - You plan to make snooker like golf - How can that be done ?
BH - SIMPLE - TWO TO FOUR DAY EVENTS - IN & OUT SHAKE IT ALL ABOUT...LUVLY JUBBLY!!
Q - My young niece wants to purchase the snooker circuit for a pound - She can't - But why can you ?
BH - I,M SIX FOOT TALL & SHE AIN'T! - I GOT THE CONNECTIONS & THE CHARISMA - SNOOKER IS ONLY WORTH A QUID UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON IT....I MEAN,MAKE US ALL LOADS & LOADS A MONEY!!
Q - Ok,if you get elected - How should we judge success or otherwise ?
BH - IF IN 5 YEARS,WE AIN'T MADE LOADS A MONEY...I WILL COMEBACK & SAY...IN 10 YEARS TIME - WERE GONNA MAKE LOADS & LOADS & LOADS MORE MONEY!!!
Q - Sounds like a piece of cake!!
BH - YOU KNOW THE SCORE DONT YA - LUVLY JUBBLY..LOADS A MONEY!!
:yawn:
heres hoping by the time you get to part 5 its at least interesting or funny.
well done williams!
Are the new Tour Championship events completely stand alone, or will they have any effect on the world rankings?
Are there any plans to change the world ranking structure into a "prize money" structure like darts?
is everyones email not working?
My stance and question/s to Barry as follows.
Firstly, i find it pathetic at the disharmony from certain quarters towards your involvement in the game and the direction you want to take the sport, given your proven track record of success in a number of sports over the years.
Self interests are being put ahead of whats best for the sport and everything that can be done to canvass support for you over the rebels must be done as the future under the control of a rudderless WPSBA ship captained by the likes of Ebdon doesnt bear thinking about.
In the hopefully unlikely event that you didnt win the vote on 5th May and walked away from the WPSBA chairmanship id hope you would make moves to form a breakaway tour similar to the PDC in darts.
Would it be worth bringing this threat into the public domain to make the penny drop with those in limbo over their decision at the vote?
My proper questions would be as follows in a bullet point fashion?
Will alcohol be allowed into the auditorium at the Crucible this year for fans? (Or will we have to sneak it in again!)
Would trying to tap into the Australian, South African and Canadian/American markets be in the immediate plans for you reign?
Will the dress code be relaxed for some events?
I tend to find some of the venues/seating layouts etc. used very similar and stale. One thing i think would suit an event such as the proposed Sky Shootout would be stands on all 4 sides and very high to create a bearpit style atmosphere where the crowd are on all sides and virtually on top of the action. Would this be considered to make things seem more dramatic to TV viewers and also to create a far better atmosphere?
Also would one event allow continual crowd noise (individual shout outs apart) to create more of a snooker club style atmosphere which the players would ultimately get used to, and it would also attract more fans who are put off by the thought of sitting in silence for hours at at time.
Would it be beneficial to run a seperate WPSBA approved Asian Tour to supplement the main tour for the players who are at current PIOS level etc but not quite ready to progress up the main tour? The passion and interest in snooker in Asia is huge so this may be a way to create stars over there first, serving their apprenticeship before they enter the main tour and increase interest.
The China Open should also be elevated to Major status alongside the Masters, UK and Worlds i feel.
Barry Hearn's outline for the future basically is sensible however there are two issues that require some looking at 1.The purchase of WPBSA'S assets for £1 2.if things do not go as he planned he walk's away
May I suggest that the assets of WPBSA remain untouched these asset's are the player's protection should things not go to plan, and I suggest Mr.Hearn adds to the assets by paying.
Remember this a royalty of say 2% P.A.thus ensuring that the game does not end up totally skint remember this Barry Hearn is not going to be around forever and are there anyone at Matchroom to fill his boots I would doubt it he is a one off.To sum up by all means have his own company own and run the game but he surely must use his own assets not those of the players and certainly not for £1
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