DOYLE: 'CARTER FEARED RETRIBUTION'

Lee Doyle, the leader of the discredited coup to oust the WPBSA board at the forthcoming EGM, has claimed Ali Carter withdrew his support because he 'feared retribution' from snooker's governing body.

Doyle told 110sport: "Ali stated to me his fear of retribution if he was to be linked to the proposal.

“It is clear there is still unrest in the game and until proper money is invested and the players are earning what they should be earning unfortunately this will not disappear.”

Yes, there is unrest because those who lost to Barry Hearn last June have been stirring it up rather than keeping their promises made at the time to support the new regime.

Hearn has raised prize money on the circuit since the time Doyle was on the WPBSA board so even if he believes the players aren't earning enough now, they are certainly earning more than there were a year ago when he was a director.

Barry Pinches, for example, has already earned more money so far this season than he did the whole of last.

Carter himself earned £5,000 more for winning this season's Shanghai Masters than he would have done under the previous board last year.

There are concerns from players and they should be listened to. It is also naive to believe everything will run smoothly from now on - I understand a statement is due shortly regarding a tournament that will not be good news.

But the best chance of snooker reaching its potential is if players and managers accept that Hearn and his team have to be given a fair chance to make the changes necessary to get the sport back on its feet.

Calling pointless EGMs will not help this.

wildJONESEYE wrote:apparently Jim McMahon has also withdrew his name from the requisition according to TSF

WTF is going on here

Sonny wrote:Lee Doyle doesn't care about the game of snooker, that's pretty obvious. He wants power and seems to think he is entitled to it for whatever reason I don't know.

Finally, I must say I am a bit surprised at how the whole episode of the EGM requisition seems to have blown up over the last few days. As you will all be aware, I had shown my support for the action initially and then I have subsequently withdrawn it. It appears that I have come in for quite a bit of criticism over the matter and that’s criticism which, to some extent, I accept comes with my profile and status in the game. I do not wish to comment at length on the matter and I do not feel there is any obligation on me to make my thoughts on the subject public.

I was asked to commit my support whilst in the middle of competing at the World Open. Perhaps I was a bit naïve in not paying the matter due care and consideration at the time. I had not really had the opportunity to think about it and I had not fully appreciated the implications of expressing my support at the time. I have a good working and professional relationship with Lee Doyle and I have been attached to the 110sport stable for some years now but on reflection, I decided to withdraw my support. This was more concerned with the fact that I did not really wish to become embroiled in the politics of what is going on in the sport. I am a snooker player and that’s what I want to do – play snooker.

I understand a statement is due shortly regarding a tournament that will not be good news.

case_master wrote:

I understand a statement is due shortly regarding a tournament that will not be good news.

Welsh Open going out the window I reckon.

Witz78 wrote:

case_master wrote:

I understand a statement is due shortly regarding a tournament that will not be good news.

Welsh Open going out the window I reckon.

that comment was before Hendon spilled the beans about the World Qualifiers not having fans at them

panic over

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.

Sonny wrote:

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.

http://snookerscene.blogspot.com/2010/1 ... clear.html

case_master wrote:

I understand a statement is due shortly regarding a tournament that will not be good news.

Welsh Open going out the window I reckon.

Sonny wrote:It was the news about the EPTC moving to Gloucester I think