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Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby Bourne

The Scum wrote:SHAUN MURPHY is fed up with snooker's obsession with Ronnie O'Sullivan.
The Rocket suffered an early exit at the 12BET.com UK Championship in Telford, leaving the £100,000 winner's cheque up for grabs.

But semi-finalist Murphy, 28, who won this title in 2008, was not impressed with small crowds on the outside tables in his early-round victories.

He raged: "I was very disappointed with the crowds earlier this week.

"The only person that seems to draw one is O'Sullivan, and it shows the country we live in.

"They don't come to see his skill, they come to see if he'll walk out or not, or fall out with someone. They don't want to see his game, his flair and skill, the stuff we players watch.

"People say we have more of a chance with Ronnie out - but that's what is wrong with snooker. Ronnie is not God.

"I am sick of him being favourite at every event.

"We are all very good players too."


http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp ... ocket.html

Do you agree with Murphy, is he right that fans only go to watch O'Sullivan these days to see if he'll 'blow up' ? From my experience, I can say that's BS. I've seen him a couple of times, and although he didn't either win or walk-out either time, it was still a privilege to see him play and to see his body language that you don't see at home when the cameras are off him.

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby jojo

i think its good someone speak their mind if this is accurate i agree with most of what he saying

the commentators and the like are too politically correct they say nicey nice things about ronnie when he having one of his petulant days they always cover up for him saying he lost some focus yet when it was quinten hann the same commentators werent so politically correct then

one rule for the top players another one for the peasents

this is good for snooker i just hope other players show some balls when playing ronnie and dont fold ive seen players like maguire and carter fold too many times against him

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby Rocket_ron

seems to me murphy is jealous, yes he is right all players are good .But there has always been fan favourites alex higgins then jimmy white and then ronnie, thats what happens in sport!! To suggest its the country we live in is silly.

Grow up Shaun, stop acting like a child. you will gain more respect if you shut your mouth and let the cue do the talking

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby randam05

Ultimate_snooker wrote:seems to me murphy is jealous, yes he is right all players are good .But there has always been fan favourites alex higgins then jimmy white and then ronnie, thats what happens in sport!! To suggest its the country we live in is silly.

Grow up Shaun, stop acting like a child. you will gain more respect if you shut your mouth and let the cue do the talking


well said <ok>

Re: Murphy has a dig at crowds over Ronnie

Postby Wildey

yes i agree but he has no right to tell fans what they should or shouldnt want.

But from Admin and TD situation it is about time we move away from him.

and part of the fed up Shaun is talking about is Ronnie no matter who he plays gets a TV Table......ive said before that should change.

Re: Murphy has a dig at crowds over Ronnie

Postby Casey

He's right. Ronnie has been favourite for every event from God knows when yet he hasn't won a WS event in a year and a half.
Although the Masters is different, I would always have him favourite for that.

There was a big crowd at the Allen v Ding second round match so maybe its just Shaun they stay away from :redneck:

Re: Murphy has a dig at crowds over Ronnie

Postby Wildey

yes Shaun although he sais the Right thing and very Professional in his approach isnt Marketable as other players are

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby Rocket_ron

Thanks Randam,

Now i will be the first to say that Shaun Murphy is a very Good player and has alot of potential, for starts imo his cue action is the best in the game right no everything from his address to his pause to his delivery is dreamy. however he does himself no favours with outbursts like this.. now if he quietly got on with his snooker and played his best he would be in the top 3 and multiple champion.

As a fan i only respect and like what i see on the table, i hate press interviews and antics that some players such as ronnie and now murphy do.

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby Monique

Ronnie is not God and certainly doesn't think he is. He is also not asking for the burden of expectations that fans and bookies pile on him. It's only added pressure on an already mentally vulnerable person. He would probably feel more relaxed and perform better if he didn't have to cope with that.
However IMO Shaun is wrong about the reasons why many people go to see Ronnie rather than ... well, Shaun Murphy. It's not that they are looking for controversy or anything of the like. It's about something Bourne hinted at: his presence. Ronnie more than any other player let his emotions show through his game, his demeanour, his facial expressions. And it is genuine. He allows the viewers to live the match with him, through him. It's the emotional journey, good or bad, that appeals to so many. He doesn't do it on purpose, it's just the way he is. That and the fact that he's an artist and it adds a dimension to his game that is missing from others.

Re: Murphy has a dig at crowds over Ronnie

Postby Smart

Sonny wrote:
SHAUN MURPHY is fed up with snooker's obsession with Ronnie O'Sullivan.

The Rocket suffered an early exit at the 12BET.com UK Championship in Telford, leaving the £100,000 winner's cheque up for grabs.

But semi-finalist Murphy, 28, who won this title in 2008, was not impressed with small crowds on the outside tables in his early-round victories.

He raged: "I was very disappointed with the crowds earlier this week.

"The only person that seems to draw one is O'Sullivan, and it shows the country we live in.

"They don't come to see his skill, they come to see if he'll walk out or not, or fall out with someone. They don't want to see his game, his flair and skill, the stuff we players watch.

"People say we have more of a chance with Ronnie out - but that's what is wrong with snooker. Ronnie is not God.

"I am sick of him being favourite at every event.

"We are all very good players too."


http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sp ... ocket.html


Fair play to him. For once I agree entirely with what he's said.


Disagree. I think most snooker fans who go to the venue to see ROS are there to see how he break builds. :idea:

Shaun might be dissapointed with the paltry crowds he attracts but that is more a reflection on the crap venue choice, marketing, ticket prices etc.

:fart:

Re: Murphy has a dig at crowds over Ronnie

Postby Witz78

Wild,
U still demand/expect hendry to be on a tv table 4 every game yet u think ronnie should no longer get them. Like alex and jimmy, ronnie will always get a tv table and the bulk of the media interest and nothing big fat murphy says is gonna change that.
Whats with all these rants from him lately anyway? He miffed thats its 17 years since he was xmas number 1.

Re: Murphy has a dig at crowds over Ronnie

Postby Snooker Overdrive

Most of the part time snooker watchers wanna see Ronnie play. Murphy just doesn't seem to get what he'll never be that popular (or better popular at all).

Snooker is a great game - without Ronnie but even more with Ronnie. When he's playing well he is the best advertisement for game.

Re: Murphy has a dig at crowds over Ronnie

Postby Wildey

Witz78 wrote:Wild,
U still demand/expect hendry to be on a tv table 4 every game yet u think ronnie should no longer get them. Like alex and jimmy, ronnie will always get a tv table and the bulk of the media interest and nothing big fat murphy says is gonna change that.
Whats with all these rants from him lately anyway? He miffed thats its 17 years since he was xmas number 1.

no i do not expect Hendry to be on TV Every match....i expect them to put the right match on the TV this week has been a administrative cockerel up regarding scheduling of some matches and Murphy himself got a TV Match when he shouldn't have...

I Do not give a flying buck seeing Ronnie playing jack rubbish and making 4 147 that does nothing for me and less for the Sport.

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby SnookerFan

I was on the table with Murphy playing when he was up against Ronnie on the other table. At one point there was five of us. I can understand that would rankle a player. Ronnie on a lot of situations has shown disrespect for the game time and time again, and yet people love him. I share Murphy's confusion. I have no idea why fans like Ronnie, I really don't. And I legitimately think the commentators and analysists are so far up Ronnie's bottom, as soon as Ronnie leaves the sport a lot of fans will too. Something we should definately be cautious of.

On saying that, the time to bring it up is not now. Why is he slagging off Ronnie? What did Ronnie do to Murphy? Nothing. What did he do that was so wrong, other then turn up and not try in his match? That's nothing to do with Murphy, and I think for once, it wasn't Ronnie just not wanting to play. His dad just left prison, and he has had a divorce leaving him with a single father. Ronnie on many occasions has stopped playing because he can't be bothered. But, this time it's a bit more understandable that Ronnie had his mind on other things.

I agree with Murphy's position on Ronnie not going for a black in the World Open 147. He was asked what he thought on it, and he said honestly. He felt the same as I did. Here he doesn't seem to have been asked, and Ronnie didn't do anything worthy of criticism this t ime. So Murphy should have kept his mouth shut. If he's going to badmouth Ronnie, wait until Ronnie does something worthy of criticism. Otherwise it'll just come across as sour grapes for not having many fans on his table, and may give some explanation as to why Murphy only had five fans at one point.

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby Tubberlad

Shaun Murphy will never be in the same league as Ronnie O'Sullivan. And therein lies his grievance.

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby GJ

shaun is right no one player is bigger than the sport

:afro: :bowdown:

RONALD :emu:

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby Monique

GJtheaussiestud wrote:shaun is right no one player is bigger than the sport

:afro: :bowdown:

RONALD :emu:


hum... well what baffles me in some comments here is that it's as if ROS was somehow actively responsible for dragging the audience away forcibly from Murphy's table ;) :huh2:

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby SnookerFan

Monique wrote:
GJtheaussiestud wrote:shaun is right no one player is bigger than the sport

:afro: :bowdown:

RONALD :emu:


hum... well what baffles me in some comments here is that it's as if ROS was somehow actively responsible for dragging the audience away forcibly from Murphy's table ;) :huh2:


That's it. Like I said, I was at Telford that day, and I actively chose to watch the Murphy game over Ronnie. I don't remember anybody forcing us to decide which game to go on, maybe I was having a snake hiss when that happened. At one point there was only five us in there, and it was kind of embarrassing. But at least he was on a television table. Mark Williams vs Mark Davis wasn't. Mark Allen vs Ding Junhui wasn't. Shaun Murphy vs Patrick Wallace was, if you can figure that out. And the total capacity for their matches can only have been 30 or 40 fans, but you don't hear them moaning.

I do agree that pundits and commentators heavily favour Ronnie, especially knowing that he is a fan favourite, and this may cause a problem. When Ronnie leaves, so do a lot of fans. Should we not be extoling the virtues of other players, in preperation for when Ronnie finally does live up to his promise of retiring? And I do agree that maybe something should be done to give each table a fair share of fan-seating/television time. And Ronnie gets away with things such as walking out of matches, and talking about his sausage at press conferences, that a less popular player might not. Does Murphy not realise that, fantastic player that he is, he'd be more popular if he weren't always opening his gob when it isn't required. But Murphy whinging whenever his match doesn't sell out isn't going help anything. That's his problem, he runs his mouth so much at times when it's not needed, everybody will ignore him if he ever says anything sensible.

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby Casey

Ultimate_snooker wrote:Murphy is an attention seeker and jealous of ronnie....fact


Yea, thats another way of looking at it. Fair point <ok>

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby Rocket_ron

case_master wrote:
Ultimate_snooker wrote:Murphy is an attention seeker and jealous of ronnie....fact


Yea, thats another way of looking at it. Fair point <ok>

im glad me and you finally agree :redneck:

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby Casey

Yep. i don't think people go to watch Ronnie walking out, he has done that once in a career spanning over a thousand matches.

He is the most entertaining player, thats why he gets the crowds. However I do also find Murphy great to watch.

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby wheelsofsteel

This is the kind of line someone like Darren Morgan, or Ebdon, or someone like that said about Jimmy White getting the attention years ago, not realising that snooker was where it was because of Jimmy, not because of Davis or Hendry or Parrott .

Maybe Murphy would be willing to be paid on popularity rather than progression in a tournament.?

prepare to be poor Shaun!

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby gallantrabbit

I wouldn't go to watch Ronnie blow up, only to see the snooker. I used to go watch Alex to see if he'd blow up and his snooker. Ronnie is an amateur when it com es to blowing up.
Murphy shouldn't really be antagonizing the snooker public, not a very wise marketing move.

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby Monique

tongue in cheek ...
Shaun Murphy just pulled a terrific shot, ecapes from a snooker over 5 cushions and pots the object ball for good measure. In rapture, his girlfriend whispers "Oh my God" ... and he very humbly answers "Oh come, just call me Shaun"

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby Smart

Monique wrote:tongue in cheek ...
Shaun Murphy just pulled a terrific shot, ecapes from a snooker over 5 cushions and pots the object ball for good measure. In rapture, his girlfriend whispers "Oh my God" ... and he very humbly answers "Oh come, just call me Shaun"

:D <laugh> :D <laugh>

Re: Murphy: Ronnie is not God

Postby JohnFromLondonTown

gallantrabbit wrote:I wouldn't go to watch Ronnie blow up, only to see the snooker. I used to go watch Alex to see if he'd blow up and his snooker. Ronnie is an amateur when it com es to blowing up.
Murphy shouldn't really be antagonizing the snooker public, not a very wise marketing move.

He's just trying to get into his feeble mind gallant. Looks who's beating him now. ;)