Tuesday, 21 September 2010

Ronnie: A true genius at work

Ronnie O'Sullivan is a snooker genius.

There is no question about that.

But on an occasion when his vast talents should have won the day, The Rocket's dark side still managed to rear its ugly head, and sadly, overshadow his record breaking moment.

Potting a maximum 147 break should have been enough for Ronnie to have been basked in more glory.

After all, his career has been full of triumph.

They say he's the most talented player ever to pick up a cue.

Yesterday he probably proved that again becoming the first player in the history of the game to reach ten ranking event maximums, taking him ahead of the most decorated player in the history of the game, Stephen Hendry.

But unfortunately despite all this, and on a day when everyone should have been admiring him, fans in snooker clubs across the country have been criticising him instead.

He pocketed just eight points in his third frame against Mark King when he asked referee Jan Verhaas what the prize fund was for a 147.

The snooker world doesn't have a problem with that.

In fact, it's the kind of arrogance which you'd expect from a player of such greatness.

The part of yesterday's episode that doesn't sit quite right with fans, is the final moments of his magnificent feat.

Despite a career where Ronnie has always aspired to be a crowd pleaser, yesterday he forgot that.

Winning £4,000 is a fair sum of money in most snooker players' books

Ok, to Ronnie, it's nothing.

But making a maximum wasn't his chance to make quick money, it was a chance to win more glory.

He had a chance to knock snooker great Hendry off one of his many perches.

He had the chance to become Mr 147.

He achieved it anyway. But he did it the wrong way. It took poor old Jan to remind him about his fans.

All Ronnie was worried about was making 140 and then proving point by leaving the final black spotted.

It was about him making it the 'Ronnie Show'.

I'm a massive fan. I still am. Whatever he ever does, I will be. Because I believe he's the best of the best.

But yesterday left me with mixed feelings.

Part of me is smirking.

Smirking that again, when the fans who love to hate him were made to watch his brilliance once more.

In the world of snooker there's quite a fine margin between the Ronnie lovers and haters.

But even I, one of his biggest fans, felt a little bit let down.

Let down because he showed money (or proving a point) mattered more than the people who have supported him through thick and thin.

I'm sitting in the halfway house at the minute.

I'm pretty sure Ronnie couldn't give a toss about what happened yesterday.

Once again, his fans care more.

And in a strange way, reasons to believe O'Sullivan is a true sporting genius, rung through even truer here.

Like any genius, Ronnie is a fragile character. That's the only way of explaining what we saw yesterday.

He showed his good and bad here.

He showed why the public love to watch his talent. But he also showed the kind of controversy that comes with genius status too.

Despite all this, and however much some people may despise his behaviour, snooker still needs Ronnie.

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