- Ronnie O’Sullivan was on pundit duty at the Welsh Open on Monday
- He criticized the performance of one of his professional colleagues at the event
- He accused the player of not having good technique or ‘billiard brain’
Snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan told one of his fellow pros to “find something else to do” as he criticized his performance in his 4-2 defeat against Mark Williams at the Welsh Open on Monday.
Having missed the event due to “anxiety-induced stage fright”, O’Sullivan was still available to offer his views as a Eurosport expert.
And he refused to mince words after Williams, another member of the famous ‘Class of ’92’, capitalized on a crucial error when the match was tightly tied at 2-2, before closing out the victory.
Assessing where Williams’ opponent John Astley went wrong, O’Sullivan said: “If I have a chance, I think I should win the game.” If I’m out of position, I assume it because I just can’t accept that I’m not going to win the frame, so sometimes it’s hard to turn balls away. I would probably try screwing it in, pinching it a little and at least if you miss, the red will go away.
“But to play like that, he’s not even in black…bad shot.” He doesn’t really have the brains to play pool, that’s what he is. You have to have a brain to play pool.
Ronnie O’Sullivan lashes out at John Astley after his performance against Mark Williams on Monday
Astley missed a crucial shot at 2-2 and lost 4-2 at the Welsh Open.
Williams took advantage of Astley’s mistake to advance to the next round of the tournament
“Some people are good at math, some people are good at English, some people just have a pool brain and some people just don’t play the right shot and never will because their brain doesn’t think like a pool player.
“There are some top five players, I won’t mention any names, who I don’t think have the brains to play snooker, but they have such good technique that they can get away with it.” He has neither. He doesn’t have good technique and doesn’t even have the brain to play pool.
“He’s just going to make 30, 40, miss balls and never really do anything.” It’s a shame, but you have to have one of the two. You have to have good technique or brains to play pool, and if you don’t have either, it might be time to look for something else to do.
Astley, 35, first turned professional in 2013 but never qualified for the World Championships, and his best result at the UK Championships is losing in the second round.
O’Sullivan has been outspoken throughout his three decades at the top of the sport and became embroiled in a bitter war of words with Ali Carter after beating him to win his eighth Masters last month.
O’Sullivan also lashed out at Ali Carter after beating him in last month’s Masters final.
Carter claimed O’Sullivan “snotted on the floor” during the final, prompting a furious response from the Rocket when he labeled his fellow Brit a “bloody nightmare” and told him to “get his shit together”. “Fuck life.”
That dispute did not affect his form as O’Sullivan beat Judd Trump to win the World Grand Prix the following week, but he has withdrawn from multiple tournaments since.
Having decided to take some time off the table, O’Sullivan appears to be preparing for a shot at a record eighth world title in May, which would give him a lead over Stephen Hendry.
It is also the opportunity for him to complete the Triple Crown by winning the UK Championship, the Masters and the World Championship all in one season for the first time in his illustrious career.
