O'Sullivan quits UK quarter-final
Ronnie O'Sullivan has conceded his quarter-final match in the UK Championships to Stephen Hendry in dramatic fashion.
The former world champion trailed 4-1 to the Scot but led 24-0 in the sixth frame before walking out of the arena after playing a bad shot.
I was watching this match & he made 1 poor shot in the 6th frame & he just shook Hendrys hand and the ref & walked of ,I have never seen anything like it & what about the public who paid good money to see this clash. Weirdo O'sullivan that's all I can say.

I once had a disagreement with Ronnie O'Sullivan. He just loves the publicity I reckon.

My eldest son was a security guard at the World Championships back in 98 & he said him & Willams were arrogant sod's.But Jimmy White wore my coat back to the hotel when my son took him there & he signed it ,I also have his Invitation to the final it is in a cream envelope with Jimmy White written in a gold pen.Plus a video of the previous winners & an Embassy name badge.

He's a very, very troubled man; and unfortunately, if he has a day where his troubles are too much for him and he decides "******** to this, I'm going home," then he does so in a very public fashion. I've walked out of work before now for similar reasons, but I don't have millions of people watching me work on television.


Bear in mind, firstly, that it's impossible to be so out of the ordinary without being abnormal; that's exactly what abnormal MEANS. Whatever weirdness in his brain causes him to be so fantastically gifted at snooker, has a lot of other effects as well. (As a certified genius, I know whereof I speak. If your brain runs at so much higher a tempo than normal, it also breaks down more often than normal.)

And secondly, given his upbringing, with his father doing a life sentence for murder, he has many circumstantial reasons to have mental health problems, as well. All things considered, it surprises me that he hasn't broken down more often, and more completely.

The problems is that we have been hearing the same story for over 15 years

The problems is that we have been hearing the same story for over 15 years


He's still ill. What else did you expect to be hearing?

what did u have a disagreement about

it is a shame ronnie couldn't do the business today but thats ronnie. i love watching him because as well as being a snooker genius he is so unpredictable. ronnie is one of snookers real characters which these days the sport sadly lacks.

what did u have a disagreement about

I don't want to go into any detail. It wasn't anything major and he did shake my hand when we spoke about it. I don't know him. He probably does have some problems, but he needs to seek help rather than turning up to tournaments and being unproffessional.

it is a shame ronnie couldn't do the business today but thats ronnie. i love watching him because as well as being a snooker genius he is so unpredictable. ronnie is one of snookers real characters which these days the sport sadly lacks.

He's a character alright, and a genius with a cue, but what he did yesterday was bang out of order. Looking at the interviews after, it appears that snooker people are more than a bit tired of him and his antics.

If he wants to keep the public on side, he's going to have to be more careful now. If he's got demons, they need exorcising before he comes back again.

He probably does have some problems, but he needs to seek help rather than turning up to tournaments and being unproffessional.


Funny how when Paul Hunter was ill everyone gave him as much rope as he could possibly want, and he never got criticised for being rubbish due to his illness; but when O'Sullivan is ill he's expected to just do his job exactly the same as someone who is healthy, and gets no leniency whatsoever.

Funny how when Paul Hunter was ill everyone gave him as much rope as he could possibly want, and he never got criticised for being rubbish due to his illness; but when O'Sullivan is ill he's expected to just do his job exactly the same as someone who is healthy, and gets no leniency whatsoever.

You're talking rubbish and you know it. Paul Hunter tried his best to play the game and was a true sportsman.

I don't expect O'Sullivan to do his job the same with his illness (if he does have an illness), but the way he conducts himself is very unsportsmanlike.

Paul Hunter never disrupted anyone else's game, and he did have an illness - fact.

No one knows if O'Sullivan has an illness and he's always disrupting other players.

This just seems to highlight to me the difference in public perceptions between physical and mental illness.

Paul Hunter had a physical illness which affected his performance levels. Ronnie has a mental illness which may not affect his technical abilities but will certainly affect his attitudes, motivations, feelings etc.

Its not really a fair comparison to directly compare the effect of illness that has been had on each of their games.

This just seems to highlight to me the difference in public perceptions between physical and mental illness.
Plus the fact that it's sometimes (often?) hard to tell the difference between a mental illness and a character defect - in fact I guess this is sometimes a matter of more or less arbitrary definition. Whereas there's no such ambiguity with physical illnesses.

Im really angry today cos I hate my job, im having alot on my plate alately and I am inches away from turning my computer off and walking out and going home...Am I mentally ill? Or am I just a weak inconsiderate p**** if I did so?

Im really angry today cos I hate my job, im having alot on my plate alately and I am inches away from turning my computer off and walking out and going home...Am I mentally ill? Or am I just a weak inconsiderate p**** if I did so?
Calm down sufc_tom you will get through it just show some Yorkshire Grit & don't do a O'sullivan.I was angry myself because I was looking forward to a great match & Hendry is playing fantastic snooker & Davis. It show's the oldies are fighting back.

Plus the fact that it's sometimes (often?) hard to tell the difference between a mental illness and a character defect - in fact I guess this is sometimes a matter of more or less arbitrary definition. Whereas there's no such ambiguity with physical illnesses.

Yes without background knowledge I agree that sometimes it can be difficult to tell the difference but Ronnies mental health background is pretty public and well documented.

One quick google found:

"Ronnie o'Sullivan (the snooker player) has spent time in the Priory and takes medication to regulate his depression."
http://www.backtolife.org.uk/info.php

"The snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan once rang the Samaritans minutes before the start of the world championship"
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article1996337.ece

"Famous People who have or had Bipolar!...Ronnie O’Sullivan, Snooker Player"
http://209.85.135.104/search?q=cache:z1xapapg2AwJ:www.sthkhealth.nhs.uk/documents/7362.ppt+ronnie+osullivan+mental+health&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=5

"For nearly two years, O'Sull-ivan has received treatment for depression. This summer he spent five weeks in the Priory Clinic in Roehampton, taking some time out to reflect on a few things. "I'm just trying to get myself right mentally and get to handle some of the situations that come through being a professional sportsman."
http://sport.independent.co.uk/general/article260961.ece

"Last year snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan, 22, was ordered to take a long rest, to get over physical and mental exhaustion. Ronnie O'Sullivan, who at 17 had been the sport's youngest champion, had previously said he would not mind if he never picked up a cue again."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/376548.stm

And many more . . .

I personally would still rather watch Ronnie than a lot of the other players out there (especially Peter 'like watching paint dry' Ebdon). Ronnie on his day is light years ahead of anyone else, and i've seen him play snooker that noone else can hope to match - for that I'm prepared to forgive* him for stuff like this walkout. John Parrot said that Ronnie should quit the game for good if he is unhappy - I really hope he doesn't, because snooker will be the biggest loser if that happens.

*reading this back, i think forgive is the wrong choice of word because, as AL says, he is unwell. I hope that he gets better - and I really hope he can be back on form for the WCs!

John Parrot said that Ronnie should quit the game for good if he is unhappy - I really hope he doesn't, because snooker will be the biggest loser if that happens.

Agreed. In fact when I first saw a headline "Parrott thinks O'Sullevan should retire" I was pretty miffed at John Parrott for thinking he should quit the game if he's not got enough mental strength to cope with it. That's not what Parrott was saying, in fact; when I actually read the article, it's clear that what he means is, if professional snooker is capable of reducing Ronnie to this level, he may well be advised for his own health and happiness to give it up for good.

Funny how when Paul Hunter was ill everyone gave him as much rope as he could possibly want, and he never got criticised for being rubbish due to his illness; but when O'Sullivan is ill he's expected to just do his job exactly the same as someone who is healthy, and gets no leniency whatsoever.
C'mon Heyesey having cancer is a big difference than depression.I am not making light of people having depression as my son suffered with it badly,but Cancer is a different story.

The guy is obviously a stone bonker:loopy:

The guy is obviously a stone bonker:loopy:
Having met the guy he has serious problems with is nerves.Smashing guy just needs to get his head right.Dont think statments like that really do his condition justice.

Having met the guy he has serious problems with is nerves.Smashing guy just needs to get his head right.Dont think statments like that really do his condition justice.


Nice posting brooksy; you're dead right - comments lke that don't do his condition justice, they trivialise and perpetuate the ignorance and prejudice that still surrounds mental illness.