Higgins accuses Hearn of ruining UK Champs

John Higgins has accused World Snooker of ruining the UK Championship he will defend at York's Barbican Centre in December.

http://asia.eurosport.com/snooker/hearn ... tory.shtml

I don't think you'll find many who disagree with that

political correctness

fluffy kittens, prickly giraffes, angry hippos

Sonny wrote:I don't think you'll find many who disagree with that

Indeed, plus if it is for TV coverage it could set a dangerous precedent with how easily it is to dictate terms. Look at ITV reducing the format to best of nine in round two of the British Open from eleven in round one) - for me the tournament has been definitely devalued, and looking at the schedule of day 1 and 2 having six matches, its clear that a best of 17 frame format could have been introduced for the quarter-finals (if 2 round two games were held on Monday and the other six on Tuesday)

I've got tickets for a fair few sessions in York, (staying up there Tuesday-Thursday in addition to other visits) and I am looking forward to it as its the first and it will be interesting to see how the top 16 take to the best of 11 frame format.

John's idea of giving up his automatic place in for a 16 player finals stage is interesting, I wonder whether other players would be so interested.

Witz78 wrote:Higgins sucked up Hearns bottom for a bit after his joke 6 month ban and lay low and weathered the post Kiev storm till the bulk of gullable humanoids forgave him. Now suddenly hes piped up and has got something to say again.

Whether guilty or not guilty, nothing is going to change now. I feel it's high time to move on from the whole thing. I have got to admit myself that I feel quite sorry now because I think the main reason I went so crazy about the whole incident was because Higgins is one of my childhood heroes... nothing to do with any concrete evidence against him.

I think he's working very hard on rebuilding his reputation from the whole thing (he came across very well at Power Snooker), and I do feel he deserves a lot of credit for that, because there will always be people who will have doubts in their mind about him and it would be a lot easier to just give in. But Higgins isn't that way inclined.

At the end of the day, he was found not guilty, and he is one hell of a snooker player. And I have to say, I think he's dead right about what's happened the UK Championship.

hes a hypocrit, you not see his post Power Snooker comments, that was a facade he put on in Manchester

This is not an issue of Higgins guilt, he's saying what a lot of people feel.

I think he makes a point, a lot of fans are disappointed by this issue. It's interesting that Higgins claims they were never asked what they thought. You might say they shouldn't be their job is just to play, but it perhaps shows he isn't the only player who feels this way. I wonder who else does....

I for one, am glad a top-player has come out and said this. With all the good that Barry Hearn has undeniably done for the sport, people may be tempted to think he is beyond criticism, or they must say every idea is a good one. When you are recreating the sport and trying new stuff some of it will work, some won't.

yes its seperate issues ...

and i find it very ironic that witz sees what Higgins did as the worst kind of sin and hes got a rapist,murderer dam right scumbag as a Avatar.

Wild wrote:yes its seperate issues ...

and i find it very ironic that witz sees what Higgins did as the worst kind of sin and hes got a rapist,murderer dam right scumbag as a Avatar.

That's because Gaddafi wasn't Scottish.

Yes maybe Hearn is guilty of making a promise he couldn't keep, but the TV companies dictate and without them snooker is finished.
People ion Hearn's position can sometimes think that they are able to dictate after all his years experience with TV companies. Maybe they could have worled around it and put just 16 on tv, but I don't think I'm alone in thinking that the early rounds are often more interesting. During some world championships I'm fed up during the final. Not last year of course when it went virtually to te wire, but for example Osullivan Carter, or Dott were processions and despite Ronnie being in the final, audiences can turn off.
Unfortunately bite suze is the reality and Hearn is having to dance to that tune.
I do wish the snipers would leave off a little. Few could have transformed snooker the way Hearn is doing.

gallantrabbit wrote:Yes maybe Hearn is guilty of making a promise he couldn't keep, but the TV companies dictate and without them snooker is finished.
People ion Hearn's position can sometimes think that they are able to dictate after all his years experience with TV companies. Maybe they could have worled around it and put just 16 on tv, but I don't think I'm alone in thinking that the early rounds are often more interesting. During some world championships I'm fed up during the final. Not last year of course when it went virtually to te wire, but for example Osullivan Carter, or Dott were processions and despite Ronnie being in the final, audiences can turn off.
Unfortunately bite suze is the reality and Hearn is having to dance to that tune.
I do wish the snipers would leave off a little. Few could have transformed snooker the way Hearn is doing.

Nobody is dissing Hearn. He has done great things for the sport. And you're probably right, this decision may be out of his hands. I'm sure he didn't wake up one morning and go; "I know, as I'm head of snooker, I'm going to make a decision to snake hiss off all the fans."

However, I think as fans who pay to buy tickets, and who bring in viewership to the product through TV, we have the right to point out if there is a decision made. A lot of people, myself included, dislike the fact matches are shortened, whether it was done with the right intentions or not. Now whether we aim that at World Snooker, or the BBC for forcing Hearn's hand kind of doesn't matter. If they shorten the UK Championships, and nobody voices their disapproval, what's stopping them shortening the World Championship? They might think nobody cares...

This isn't about putting bombs into Hearn's letterbox, it's about making it known that we don't always think match shortening is the same thing as making a match better.

Hearn is evil.

Muppet147 wrote:Hearn is evil.

Okay. One person who prides himself on being a Muppet is dissing Hearn.

You can take your tongue out of Hearn's bottom any time, mate.

SnookerFan wrote:

Muppet147 wrote:Hearn is evil.

Okay. One person who prides himself on being a Muppet is dissing Hearn.

ohhhh the irony of it all

Look up irony in a dictionary, you muppet.

Muppet147 wrote:Look up irony in a dictionary, you muppet.

awwwwww you chose the name "Muppet" in honour of me

im well chuffed with that

Muppet147 wrote:John Higgins has accused World Snooker of ruining the UK Championship he will defend at York's Barbican Centre in December.

http://asia.eurosport.com/snooker/hearn ... tory.shtml

I accuse HJ of ruining the world final between Dotty and Jono. Wind your neck in HJ.

Will reserve judgement until this time in 2 weeks.

I do think Hearn needs to explain to the fans the reasoning behind the best of 11 format. As John has said he's not said anything to the players about this - Regardless if people believe that his hand was foced he's had plenty of time to explain this and he's guilty of that. As such, people will remain suspicious of him given this is a promised word which without explanation he has broken.

Smart wrote:I accuse HJ of ruining the world final between Dotty and Jono. Wind your neck in HJ.

Honest John gives his honest opinion.

PLtheRef wrote:I do think Hearn needs to explain to the fans the reasoning behind the best of 11 format. As John has said he's not said anything to the players about this - Regardless if people believe that his hand was foced he's had plenty of time to explain this and he's guilty of that. As such, people will remain suspicious of him given this is a promised word which without explanation he has broken.

HJ never said anything about agreeing to throw matches until he was stung by the glorious NotW, so double standards from HJ.

Point taken but still there is a degree of explanation to the fans that matches best of 17 frames last year are still charging the same for matches which are best of 11 frames this year.

Muppet147 wrote:Look up irony in a dictionary, you muppet.

looks like we soon have to start a "Muppet147 best quotes" thread

Keep up the good stuff mate

Wild wrote:yes its seperate issues ...

and i find it very ironic that witz sees what Higgins did as the worst kind of sin and hes got a rapist,murderer dam right scumbag as a Avatar.

get your facts right you fool

The late great Colonel was a man of honour and never laid a finger on anyone or interfered with any ladies. At worst he was the Leslie Grantham of the Middle East

Plus he never went to Kiev?

He was calling for the World Championship to be shortened in April last year.

In fairness to him he's willing to go in a round early to keep the format at b-o-17. Surely with streaming and Eurosport you can have a 64 man tournament lasting two weeks with BBC picking up from the last 16 on. Most of the big names will get through anyway and even if they don't they wouldn't have been much loss anyway, what use was O'Sullivan last year? Both Ding-Allen and Maguire-Selby weren't shown last year but would be this way.

KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:He was calling for the World Championship to be shortened in April last year.

In fairness to him he's willing to go in a round early to keep the format at b-o-17. Surely with streaming and Eurosport you can have a 64 man tournament lasting two weeks with BBC picking up from the last 16 on. Most of the big names will get through anyway and even if they don't they wouldn't have been much loss anyway, what use was O'Sullivan last year? Both Ding-Allen and Maguire-Selby weren't shown last year but would be this way.

At the UK Championship, Eurosport just show the stuff that the BBC is filming. They don't do any filming themselves. So it might be difficult.

But I'd still prefer that, if it could work.

KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:He was calling for the World Championship to be shortened in April last year.

good point infact

the message i give to every player DONT TALK bullocks you never know whos listening

KrazeeEyezKilla wrote:He was calling for the World Championship to be shortened in April last year.

In fairness to him he's willing to go in a round early to keep the format at b-o-17. Surely with streaming and Eurosport you can have a 64 man tournament lasting two weeks with BBC picking up from the last 16 on. Most of the big names will get through anyway and even if they don't they wouldn't have been much loss anyway, what use was O'Sullivan last year? Both Ding-Allen and Maguire-Selby weren't shown last year but would be this way.

i sugested that on Twitter Dave Hendon said that will never happen...... the only thing that can stop that happening is a the BBC saying "if we dont show it nobody shows it"