By Elliott West
“There is no glory in practice but without practice, there is no glory”.
Anonymous quote
Introduction
“I have to be honest, I’ve never seen her play”.
Stephen Hendry
The recent comments by Stephen Hendry on ITV2’s coverage of the Champion of Champions tournament about not ever having seen Baipat Siripaporn play just once again prove that is a problem in snooker punditry. This is just one of many instances where former players have failed to do their homework. As a snooker writer, I follow the entire snooker calendar and watch as many matches as I can in each tournament. I also keep a keen eye on the amateur scene and the numerous matches played by women. You would expect that and that’s how I produce pieces with detailed information through knowledge and continuous research. Sadly I can’t say the same to some that sit in judgment in front of the television cameras.
“I think it’s really poor”.
Shaun Murphy
It is frankly embarrassing to see a pundit struggle to name the top 16 players or press the pass button when it comes to talking about what had happened in the previous tournament. It is not acceptable for any pundit just to wing it on using statistics and anything they can remember of what happened the last time they were there when a played. If you have been to any snooker tournament, you would have probably stared up towards the studio box. A box where most of the time, the lights are dimmed and those inside are on their phones or eating a selection of sandwiches with tea and coffee included. This is broken only by the intervention of a chat with the floor manager or applying foundation from the makeup artist.
The Expected Standard
When the television lights come on and the cameras start to record the television audience expects to be educated as well as entertained. In some instances, this doesn’t happen and we are subjected to a lesson in nostalgia rather than what is going on in the here and now. That’s not to say I love nostalgia, a large bulk of my writing work is about it but there are only so many times I can hear about Bill Werbeniuk leaning over the table at the table and passing wind after 17 pints of larger. The pundits in question, often haven’t played snooker for a number of years and now spend most of their time on the golf course. They are rusty and out of touch, used by the television channels for their legendary status rather than their current knowledge of what is going on in snooker.
Let’s face it, these pundits are paid very well and probably earn more money than most of the players competing in a tournament. That’s not to say there are not many brilliant men and women involved in snooker coverage. Across the BBC, ITV2 and Eurosport this is the case and I praise them and rightly so. However, a few of them would have on their school report “could do better”. I want to emphasise that I am writing this piece to give constructive criticism and not to pan any individual. I love snooker and so do many and I just want it to carry on being excellent.
I don’t want to hear the floor manager screaming down a pundit’s ear, a muffled commentator when his microphone isn’t on properly or the commentary from another country leaking into the studio. I understand that television has glitches but let’s iron out these basic problems. Although I would endure these rather than a pundit drowning in his own lack of knowledge of current snooker. With snooker becoming more and more unpredictable, there will be instances where lesser-known players do well and may even win an event. Some struggle to produce any information when the likes of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Mark Selby or Neil Robertson are not present. Just presenting a blank face, giving a pathetic response or going silent on the microphone doesn’t cut and shows a sheer lack of professionalism. Get on YouTube, the Internet or just spend a few hours in the practice room with these players. I don’t expect you to know everything because that is an unachievable ask but get with the plot. Engage and educate or I and others in the journalistic world will have to keep these shortcomings out.
Fresh Blood
I am all for bringing in alternative talent into snooker punditry. Various current players have been used to express their views and it is refreshing to hear from someone who is currently playing on the main tour. It takes a lot of courage to stand in front of a television camera, let alone to give a credible performance and avoid the instant trap of making mistakes or getting tongue-tied. So to excel is impressive and some have. I like listening to Michael Holt and Hossein Vafaei in particular. The likes bring a breath of fresh air and prove that their talent doesn’t remain on a snooker table. Some may not agree but that’s why I wrote it. It’s a debate and all views are welcome.
