Lee Doyle has phoned me this evening to clarify his position regarding the EGM called to overthrow the WPBSA board.
Doyle stressed that he has no issue with Barry Hearn but feels the WPBSA board should be more independent from World Snooker Ltd and does not feel that the chairman, Jason Ferguson, has addressed various concerns some of 110sport’s players have put to him.
Doyle says he was not behind the EGM but was responding to requests from players but admits getting involved in it was probably a mistake because it has created a false impression.
However, he does not believe he deserves some of the vitriol that has come his way in the comments section of this blog today. On this, I have sympathy with him. You can disagree with someone without having to insult them.
Of course, it was me who allowed (most of) these comments through so I have to accept my share of responsibility. The problem, though, is that if you start censoring comments you are then accused of trying to control the agenda and telling people what they can or can’t say.
While on the subject of self-flagellation I was wrong to refer to ‘bad news’ coming in an earlier post, which I’m told has caused a bit of panic in some quarters. The EPTC event due to be staged in Offenburg is moving to Gloucester. I suppose this is bad news for some in Germany but I did not mean to create the impression that something terrible was about to happen.
The problem in Offenburg is that the event is partly underwritten by ticket sales and these have been affected by two factors.
First, Power Snooker is on the same weekend and this means several big draws – Ronnie O’Sullivan, Neil Robertson and Jimmy White included – cannot travel to Germany.
Also, the following week there is another EPTC event in Hamm, which is relatively close to Offenburg.
The good news, though, is that the tournament will be at the South West Snooker Academy in Gloucester where the Power Snooker players can play as long as their initial matches are staged on the Friday.
Players who have already booked flights will be reimbursed and any player who has entered can have their fee returned if the wish. Fans who have bought tickets will also be refunded.
You can read the official WPBSA statement here.
And with all that it’s time (thank God!) for some actual snooker in the shape of the Premier League on Sky Sports 3.
17 comments:
You'll try anything to get away from that Question in the Thursday Quiz. We need the wording clarified. NOWWWWW!
Seriously though Dave, I take your point on freedom of speech, but when there is absolutely nothing constructive in a comment that is negative or attacks, I think you're within your rights to just reject it.
That's just my view and I'm sure others will have different ones. But as a novice in this game it's what I've adopted, surprisingly only having to reject a handful of idiotic rants (from one person), which I'm sure you can times by 100!
Personally, I think this whole thing has been a bit comical, no harm done, move on, but I guess that's a perspective on life that not everyone shares.
Sorry, listening to ambient music while writing!
Chilled
SB
Snooker is not as good as darts.
Great tourney on Sky TV at the moment that has the punters gripped.
There's no characters in snooker any more!
The only false impression is the one created by Lee Doyle that he knows anything about snooker or cares about the players or the game. Is he now saying that he didn't actually mean what he said on his own company website?
A bit of straw clutching going on I think.
Doyle had his chance for change during the Walker regime and did nothing. Don't now try and tell Barry Hearn what to do. The players saw right through you and your clique at the EGM. You are not wanted, you are pathetic and making yourself more stupid by the minute by even thinking anyone wants you or your company near them.
To be fair some of the comments were rude at best, but there was nothing threatening there. Your readers got their say, Doyle gets a chance to respond, so I think the blog has acted appropriately in this matter.
Doyle does have a salient point here. The board at the moment is one that pays lipservice to Hearn, but it is supposed to be the players representative body and should be able to hold Hearn to account when it needs to. Barry Hearn isn't of divine origin, not everything he ever does is going to be in the best interests of all the players, so there are going to be times when the players need to challenge him. At the same time you don't want a board that is intent on derailing all the new plans before they get a fair chance to be tried out, so personally I would like to see a board that is more representative. Someone from Hearn's camp, perhaps Ian Doyle back there since he represents a good many players, and maybe a selection of other players that have not displayed strong allegiances to either faction.
By definition somebody is going to be disadvantaged by change.
If there are better opportunities for qualifiers to break through, then someone has to make room for them.
If someone goes up the rankings, someone else has to go down.
If you make the rankings more fluid and fair, then out of form top players will suffer, as they should.
It just happens at this time that a fair few of 110's stable are out of form, and are probably having a gripe.
Some of them though, are doing well, so its not all bad for them.
You still can't go changing the board every time some of your players lose out.
I'm in favour of a board thats close to Hearn so there is as little disharmony as possible inside snooker.
He has to be given a chance. Don't forget this is still his first full season and the current board are only there a wet week.
Next Novembers AGM (2011) is the time to judge the board and review the progress of Hearn.
Lee Doyle only has himself to blame. He was a board member who was elected to serve on the board but stepped down because he didnt agree with BH plans. He could still have been a board member if he went away quietly, then came back in the AGM, admit he was wrong he would have stood a good chance of being elected. But he wants control, hence bringing along McMahon and Bond.
He could have served the game of snooker very well on a board where he had a say and would be listened to, but didnt control. This was not enough for him. Now it looks like he will be spending sometime away from the game as his status within the game hits a low point.
He still has much to offer but this is one almighty set back for him.
The climb back up starts with very small steps. There is an empty space on the board, funnier things have happened before, running alone will give him more chance than tagging along with dead wood.
You've got nothing to reproach yourself for Dave.
Lee Doyle has the media and his own website to get his point across. He has used both to attack the new regime pretty much from day 1.
Ordinary snooker fans have no such outlets and can only resort to the comments sections of blogs such as yours or snookerbacker's.
Maybe he doesn't deserve some of the more vitriolic comments, but many of us feel that Barry Hearn doesn't deserve the constant thorn in his side from the usual suspects when so much that he done has been so positive.
Ali Carter said that he was "surprised" that his involvement in this sorry affair had "blown up". Now Lee Doyle throws up his hands and pleads for sn opportunity to put his side of the story across. Astonishing naivety from the pair of them (and the others who put their name to this silly little coup).
It's time for those involved in snooker to grow up and stop the petty squabbling. Hearn's plan was approved by a majority of the players just a few months ago. That should and MUST be the end of it for this season at the very least. Such childishness must not be tolerated.
I have read all comments and most just ridicule the initiative in a peaceful manner. Nothing wrong with that. We should encourage this open debate and commentary and when something as silly as the recent boad coup from Ebbo Industries Ltd. is made public you should expect a few jabs accompanied by some harsh true words.
Rolf Kalb of German Eurosport has contacted me to remind me that the German event following Offenburg is in Russelheim, not Hamm.
Meanwhile McMahon, Gould, Gunnell and Doyle have now all disassociated themselves from the EGM, although it may still have to take place under the constitution.
What a waste of time and money.
It would be cheaper for them to just give King his £1000 back and that's the end of that!
EPTC3 - Russelsheim
EPTC4 - Offenburg, now Gloucester
EPTC5 - Hamm
You've got it a bit wrong up there Dave, and so does Rolf Kalb I would say... :)
Rolf will have got it right. The errors are mine.
There is clearly too much snooker.
That's a terrible way to speak about Lee Doyle
"There is clearly too much snooker."
Good for us, isn't it?
You are not at fault here Dave, your blog has given both sides a chance to put their points across. Doyle had his chance under the Walker regime, and Carter was stupid to allow his name (whether he wanted it to or not) to be linked to this silly coup attempt. Thank goodness they saw the error of their ways before it was too late.
However , the whole point of splitting World Snooker and the WPBSA should be to allow the players to challenge Hearn as and when necessary, Jason Ferguson may well be too close to Hearn for his own good, but let's at least wait until the end of this season to judge Hearn or Ferguson.
"There is clearly too much snooker."
Not enough televised though. Big gap between world open and Uk
Live Scoring is bloody useless they dont bother showing some matches.
Whats that all about ?
they got to sort this out its pathetic.
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