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Interview with Ronnie O'Sullivan from The Sun

Postby Roland

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/fe ... lowly.html

RONNIE O'SULLIVAN was only 16 when his dad Ronnie Snr was jailed for stabbing a man to death at a London nightclub.

The snooker prodigy had just turned professional and had to forge his career without his mentor.

It is fair to say he did a pretty good job - 18 years on, he has won 22 ranking titles including three World Snooker Championships.

But despite his success on the green baize, the former world No1 has struggled to come to terms with the fact his dad has been in jail through his career.

Ronnie Snr was recently released from HMP Sudbury, Derbys, and Ronnie met up with him last week to go for a run in Essex.

Ronnie, 34, has a family of his own now - Lily, four, and Ronnie Jnr, three, with girlfriend Jo Langley, 40, and daughter Taylor-Ann, 13, from a previous relationship.

And speaking exclusively to The Sun, the Rocket - famous for his lightning play around the table - revealed he is planning to slow life down as the "three Ronnies" get to know each other.

Ronnie said: "I won't change overnight. I've got used to my life over the last 20 years and I've adapted. I haven't known any different.

"I've got the same responsibilities to all my family that I've always had.

"I'm just trying to be strong. Playing professional snooker you learn to block everything out - and that's all I've done all my life.

"Today I feel content in myself, I've got my kids and my life how I want it.

"My life couldn't improve - that's why I'm trying to keep it all nice and cool at the moment."

Ronnie has praised his dad for moulding him into a snooker superstar.

He said in 2008: "Champions are made, not born. I give my dad credit because he made me what I am. Dad instilled in me how to be a winner.

"I think about his release all the time. I have thought about it every hour of every day since he was locked up."

Many pundits have blamed Ronnie Snr's absence for his son's temperamental personality. The Rocket has battled drink, drugs and depression over the years, leading some to poke fun at his Jekyll and Hyde character.

Despite the snipes, Ronnie says his up and down attitude is usually only about one thing - his snooker.

Speaking at the launch of the new social betting exchange Bettor.com shop in central London, Ronnie said: "People can read into my emotions what they like. A lot of my emotions depend on how I'm playing. If my game's not good, then I'm a little bit off key."

Ronnie Snr - who ran a Soho sex shop empire - may have missed seeing his gifted son lift a trophy but he wasn't forgotten. After his third World Snooker Championship win at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, in 2008, Ronnie - who was cheered on by his mum Maria - said: "The only one missing tonight was my dad. I love you dad."

So will Ronnie Snr be watching from the audience from now on?

Ronnie said: "He's his own person - but I'm going to be turning up."

The Rocket was back to his brilliant best at the weekend, regaining his Premier League crown from Shaun Murphy with a 7-1 thrashing in the final. It is the sixth time he has won the trophy in seven seasons. He picked up a £59,000 cheque to add to his £6million-plus career earnings.

Despite making a lucrative living from sport, Ronnie is fiercely critical of money-grabbing agents for driving footballers' wages sky-high in recent years.

But he believes some responsibility has to rest with the star players, who often sell out and agree to portray the "perfect" image in exchange for a quick - albeit huge - buck.

He said: "If someone says to a 17-year-old on £10,000-a-week, 'I can get you £50,000 around the corner' they're going to say, 'Oh really... '. It's the agents working the money. The players are going to take it.

"But these days it's big business, with huge companies like Nike, who obviously want people with good PR. They're told if they want to rake in money with these big companies you need to be seen in a certain light.

"I think to myself, 'If it ain't me, I don't want to live a lie'. You end up getting found out. I'd much rather have less money but be able to live my life and do what I like."

Ronnie clearly enjoys following this mantra. He is keeping himself fit by going for daily eight-mile runs around his home town of Chigwell, Essex, and is spending lots of time with Lily and Ronnie Jnr.

The Rocket racked up his first century break aged ten and hit his first 147 maximum at 15.

But even though he enjoyed incredible success at snooker from a very young age, Ronnie is determined to NOT let his son follow him into the sport.

Ronnie said: "I'd like to support my son but I really hope he doesn't take up snooker.

"I hope he tries tennis or golf. It's just more interesting. Not only that, you're out in the fresh air.

"Snooker can be anti-social. Sometimes I'm in a room on my own practising for three or four hours and I'm thinking to myself, 'Is this really that healthy?'

"It makes you more introverted. You live a solitary life and maybe don't mix as well as golfers and tennis players do. But I've been doing it for years and have learned to get my head around it.

"I'll carry on playing as long as I can, but it's a job at the end of the day and I have kids and a family.

"I've been doing it for 20 years now but I don't want to be playing snooker for the rest of my life.

"Maybe I'd try being a pundit, but not full-time. I'd turn up and give my opinion, Cliff Thorburn-style.

"But I'd have to watch my swearing - especially on the BBC. Luckily they've got a 20-second delay.

"I'm sure they can have somebody with their finger on the button."

Re: Interview with Ronnie O'Sullivan from The Sun

Postby Monique

I'm not too sure how much of this is genuine and how much is rehash from old news. Ronnie certainly isn't living with Jo anymore and the split has been rather bitter.
The interview Ronnie gave at bettor is here http://www.4shared.com/audio/d85_gWo7/O ... res_n.html
It's 20 minutes long and well worth listening to. He speaks about Neil Robertson, Stephen Hendry, his fight to get shared custody of his children, how he sees his future and his father release.

Re: Interview with Ronnie O'Sullivan from The Sun

Postby Monique

and here is another account of this bettor intyerview, much more balanced IMO

http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2010/11/30/sn ... end-may-b/?

Ronnie O'Sullivan, is shooting from the lip for umpteenth time about his disenchantment with snooker.

I know what you're thinking, we all are to be honest. Here we go again, same old, same old; another hollow, attention-seeking plea from an individual who has been indulged once too often in his passion for navel gazing.
But no, please don't look up to the heavens in exasperation as is normally the - totally justified - case, this time it's different.

Yes, O'Sullivan has again predicted his demise from the top echelons of the game as he goes in search of his fifth UK Championship at the start of December, a tournament during which he turns 35.

But on this occasion, there was not a trace of self-pity in a startlingly candid interview with BBC's 5live, in which he revealed the compelling reasons why the growing proliferation of world-wide tournaments in a schedule which has been much beefed-up by World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn is likely to lead to his demise.

Not for O'Sullivan, this time, tired complaints about a lack of motivation or frustration at dipping to a level 99 per cent of his rivals will never scale.

No, this time, a frank revelation at how his year-long fight to regularly see his two younger children, Lily, four, and Ronnie junior, three means that snooker has to take a back seat.

"There might not be many more tournament wins," O'Sullivan, who has a teenage daughter from a previous relationship, admitted. "I've had a great career and if it ended tomorrow there'd be no problem.

"There are tournaments now around the world that they're giving ranking points for. I'm a single parent and I'm not going to drag my kids all round the world just to stay high in the rankings. "I can't be in two places at once. Unless I can stay at the top just by playing in the top events in this country it could be that I slide out of the rankings, but I've made peace with that in my own mind."

After what has been an at times a bitter custody battle with his former partner, O'Sullivan, a multi-millionaire and snooker's second highest ever earner after Stephen Hendry, acknowledges he is in a privileged position, albeit one he has worked for in nearly two decades at the top, where he could retire in comfort tomorrow, albeit for a lifestyle that would mean little without regular access to his kids.

In addition, the recent release from prison of his father, Ronnir senior, after serving an 18-year murder sentence, has had a profound effect on him. A little perspective seems to have been gained.

Three-times world champion O'Sullivan insists he's unaware of his current ranking under the new system - for the record, he's eighth with only the top 16 guaranteed automatic entry to the major tournaments - and he added: "My priority is to spend time with my children and I've kind of accepted that my snooker priorities aren't strong enough to deserve to be at the top.

"My heart is with Lily and Ronnie junior, I can only go with what my heart tells me. I'm happy with the career I've had.

"If I had an understanding ex-missus then maybe it'd be different, but she's not, she says 'you have to have them at those times,' and I've had to go to court to see my children, so there is no choice to be made.

It's been an horrendous year just trying to get to see them, but I've managed to do it. I didn't see my kids for seven weeks at one stage and I had to go through lawyers, it was a really stressful time. I fought for a year just to get to see them, they're the most important thing.

"They now stay with me Friday through to Monday morning, when I drop them off at school and it means I get to spend some quality time with them. If you've got children you know the strength of the love you have for them. That's much stronger than a game of snooker."

In the past, it seemed O'Sullivan's motivation for severing his ties with the sport were purely self-centred, bordering on the nonsensical.

If, by putting his children first, he is to finally hasten his exit from the snooker spotlight, there could be no better reason, and no better epitaph to the career of one of the finest players to ever wield a cue.

Re: Interview with Ronnie O'Sullivan from The Sun

Postby Casey

Well you have to feel for Ronnie in this situation. It’s appalling that he has been put in this situation with no flexibility. It would be hard to criticise him for not entering tournaments outside the UK unless they fall during the week.
Two things will happen, he will either struggle to keep up with the players playing regularly throughout the season, or he will be more determined to make the best of his time left at the top and fill his boots.
I think the next 6 weeks will give us a massive indication of where he is with his game, it’s been a long time from he won a ranking event (Masters included) and I get the feeling he is desperate to put that right.

Re: Interview with Ronnie O'Sullivan from The Sun

Postby Roland

It's all becoming clear why Monique is advocating PTC events during the week :redneck:

Seriously though, sympathy for Ronnie and the opposite for his ex, who will no doubt be on the thick end of hate mail from some ROS fans for her stance if he drops out of the top 16 and ends up retiring.

Re: Interview with Ronnie O'Sullivan from The Sun

Postby Casey

Sonny wrote:It's all becoming clear why Monique is advocating PTC events during the week :redneck:

Seriously though, sympathy for Ronnie and the opposite for his ex, who will no doubt be on the thick end of hate mail from some ROS fans for her stance if he drops out of the top 16 and ends up retiring.


Just pure ignorance what his ex is doing, if Ronnie does retire what will she do when the big fat maintenance cheques stop coming in? <doh>
It just shows how poor the British justice system is that she can get away with this and Ronnie wasn’t able to secure other arrangements.

Re: Interview with Ronnie O'Sullivan from The Sun

Postby Wildey

to be honest i dont give a monkeys about his personal situation regarding organizing tournaments round his life.

id lose respect for Hearn if he took family life in to consideration.

having said that i feel for him as a human and he is not moaning about it hes accepted it which earns great respect and even more Respect he puts his Kids first.... <ok>

Re: Interview with Ronnie O'Sullivan from The Sun

Postby JohnFromLondonTown

Sonny wrote:It also shows that he's better off without her if that's the understanding she shows for his professional career.

I'd like to hear her side of the story before passing judgement.

Re: Interview with Ronnie O'Sullivan from The Sun

Postby Wildey

JohnFromLondonTown wrote:
Sonny wrote:It also shows that he's better off without her if that's the understanding she shows for his professional career.

I'd like to hear her side of the story before passing judgement.

mmmmmm a interesting twist but a good point <ok>

Re: Interview with Ronnie O'Sullivan from The Sun

Postby Monique

JohnFromLondonTown wrote:
Sonny wrote:It also shows that he's better off without her if that's the understanding she shows for his professional career.

I'd like to hear her side of the story before passing judgement.


I'm not passing judgement and I would welcome Jo's point of view.
What I do know is that neither of them are fully balanced persons and both tried hard to make it work for a long time. When the split happened Ronnie was the first to admit that he isn't the easiest person to live with, that she's a great girl and that they had 9 fantastic years and two wonderfull children. He added that they simply found themselves at different places in their lifes and that it was better to be separated than having bitter rows all the time, in particular for the children.
This is the very first time I hear him express bitterness about what happened. I don't know why she tried to cut him off from his children but I do know that's something he would never accept. Not a second time.
Last edited by Monique on 30 Nov 2010, edited 2 times in total.

Re: Interview with Ronnie O'Sullivan from The Sun

Postby Wildey

i just think there should be give and take in bringing up children i dont think a regimental upbringing is healthy.

whats wrong in some weeks seeing them monday, tuesday etc

Joe for whatever reason is using the kids as A Control over Ronnie.

Re: Interview with Ronnie O'Sullivan from The Sun

Postby Smart

This is a tough one, cos we don't know what goes on behind closed doors.......and in fairness to his ex we are only hearing one side here.

I agree with the statement about "strength of love for your children". Its a very special thing, and I used to laugh or think "yeah right" when someone said "if anyone did.......to my children I will kill" etc etc. But in fact its a very real emotion. :idea: <ok> :idea: <ok>