Just thought I'd post this for one particular person.

www.ronnieosullivan.tv/?p=848

Ronnie O’Sullivan has decided to make good on his desire to take some time off from competitive snooker. He said today:

“I have decided not to enter any tournaments for the time being including this year’s Premier League and forthcoming WPBSA ranking events.

“I have not signed the player’s contract as I feel the contract is too onerous and am in a stage of my career where I don’t wish to make this commitment.

“I still want to play snooker and visit those places around the world such as China where snooker is enthusiastically received and adored.

“I hope to remain involved in the sport in some way in the future.”

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/18346651

World champion Ronnie O'Sullivan is to "take some time off" from competitive snooker after refusing to sign the official players' contract.

The 36-year-old announced the news on his on his official website.

I still want to play snooker and visit those places around the world such as China where snooker is adored

His statement read: "I have not signed the players' contract as I feel the contract is too onerous."

Barry Hearn confirmed the news on the World Snooker website, saying the body "simply can't make exceptions for one player's individual requirements".

He added: "Ronnie is at liberty to enter our events and play on the circuit at any time, once he agrees to abide by the rules of the players' contract."

By refusing to sign the players' contract, O'Sullivan has made himself ineligible to participate in any World Snooker-sanctioned event - including Premier League Snooker, a tournament he has won for the past two years.

O'Sullivan still intends to play snooker away from the official circuit, however.

"I still want to play snooker and visit those places around the world such as China where snooker is enthusiastically received and adored," he said in his statement.

"I hope to remain involved in the sport in some way in the future."

O'Sullivan clinched his fourth world championship with an 18-11 victory over Ali Carter in May, and afterwards spoke of his desire to take a six-month sabbatical from the sport.

He has recently spoken out over the changes Hearn has made to the sport's schedule, accusing the World Snooker boss of "blackmailing" players.

O'Sullivan told BBC Sport last month: "Part of me still wants to play but I was that ill trying to keep up with the schedule, getting letters from World Snooker, and I'm not prepared to put myself under that stress.

"I know there's a big responsibility to promote the game and I'd play in any tournament if it was physically possible.

"But it's up to the governing body to treat the players right and say they don't expect players to travel to 27 tournaments a year."

I fucking adore this man in EVERYTHING he does

There is absolutely NO doubt that Hearn is livid over this. Ronnie is the biggest single money generator snooker has seen and having just won the world championship, he'll be so pissed off his star attraction is doing what HE wants and not what he's bloody well told to do! This will enrage Barry beyond repair

Hat's off to Ronnie for standing his ground on this.

Cheers WUB

Good for him I say.

He's going out on a high having just clinched his fourth world cham­pi­on­ship, he certainly doesn't need the money, so why put up with the unnecessary stress?

He obviously wants to just get back to enjoying the game.

I think while he has not always been exemplary in his conduct, on this occasion he has got a point. In tennis, the ATP has to pay attention to the top players with regards to scheduling because they sell the sport. I'm sure snooker will get on okay without him, but obviously any tournament without him will be less attractive, as it would be if there were no Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.

I hope he plays again at some point, I can't see any reason for him not to play in the Premier League at least. Edit: Oh, apparently he can't play in the Premier League, I didn't realise that was an officially sanctioned event.

If I was Hearn I'd let Ronnie play in whatever tournament he chooses. If he only wants to play in a few a year I'd think fine, okay. And it would be more sort of special, more of an attraction when he did turn up to play, if you know what I mean.

Maybe I'm talking out of my behind

If Hearn was to do that irre, he'd have to let them all do it

I'm just waiting for the usual culprits to crawl out and start slating Ronnie... they're most definiately coming

psketti wrote:
Yeah, I see your point sketti...I've had 9 Rocky bars and two cups of coffee, and my room is humid as fook, so I'm not really thinking straight

Jealous bastards!

Jealous indeed. They can't ever walk in those shoes

There will NEVER again be anyone like him. I truley believe that. Totally unique.

irrepressible wrote:
I don't know what a Rocky bar is but 9 of any bar seems.... a lot! What you smoking?

psketti wrote: I think you can say that at the very least it's highly unlikely that anyone will play that well ever again with their wrong hand. I've never seen it in any other hand-eye co-ordination game. Well, Nadal plays with his wrong hand because he's actually right-handed, but no-one's ever seen him play with his right hand!

oioioi wrote:
I've never smoked any form of appetizer in my life I've never smoked
I'm just a bit of a greedy bastard when it comes to chocolate

wake_up_bomb wrote:
'wrong hand'?

Isn't 'left-handed' better terminology to use than 'wrong-handed'?

(I'm right handed btw)

wake_up_bomb wrote:
You're absolutely correct. Cliche it may very well be, but he truley was born to play this game.

His ability to 'read' the table and plan out shot after shot that he has yet to play, is quite remarkable. I've found with watching him so much over the years that I can actually see his brain ticking away - in fact, I'm acoustomed to many of his traits and can judge his mood pretty damn good, straight from the offset. Christ, I almost leaned in once to get a smell of him! No word of a lie. I seriously considered it when the opportunity was put before me and in all honesty probably regret not doing so

I've loved being a Ronnie fan. It's been emotional

For those that haven't seen this and have even the briefest knowledge of snooker, will fail to not be impressed by this. At the time, it blew me away

www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/othe...-return-8014873.html

Cheers WUB


Hard to get your head around that he's as far down as 15th in the rankings given that he's world champion.

psketti wrote: I was going to bump this up, but I don't need to now!

I find the whole snooker ranking system ridiculous. Having a two year ranking system is daft IMO. I don't follow golf, in fact I hate golf, but they have a two year system as well, and apparently Tiger Woods was still world number one when he hadn't won a title for a nearly a year. Also, I was wondering how it worked so I just looked it up:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snooker_world_rank...nking_point_schedule

Apparently, the World Championship carries 10,000 points whereas something like the China Open is worth 7,000. I don't think this is right at all. In tennis the GS titles carry double the weight of any other tournament. And there's four of them as opposed to one snooker World Championship. The weighting is all wrong IMHO.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/snooker/20097208

Cheers WUB

A few years back it looked like he was beginning to slip. Good to see that he's in control again and doing what he wants with his life.
Top fella and top player.

It must hurt Hearn to see all that unclaimed cash walking about.

Oh it hurts alright