Embarassment ... billet d'humeur

[Monique]

Embarassment and sadness is what I feel reading this http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/spo...cle6866941.ece and the many similar articles in the press this morning.

I feel embarassed and sad that Stephen Hendry, 7 times World Champion, great embassador of Sotland's sport feels the need to apologize for yesterday's performance, to the crowd, to the cameramen ... to all and sundry.

Why Stephen? Yes, you played dire. It happens. It has happen to others as well, and to the best, and it will happen again to many.

Stephen at 40 has nothing to prove, he's won them all. I can't help but think that the current state of the game, the very poor attendance in the tournament is playing its role in multiple ways. Before the match, to be played on his own turf, Stephen Hendry had invited the fans to turn up massively to support him, and the tournament - it was on WPBSA site. By doing so he only added pressure on himself and he failed to deliver. Mark Williams expressed it also "It can only be down to pressure and neither of us handled it.” I can't help to think the Stephen saw it as his duty to perform to rescue this disaster of a tournament (economical disaster I mean).

This isn't right. It isn't right that a player like Stephen Hendry should feel such shame and embarassment because too high expectations are put on him due to the circumstances in addition to his own fanbase and he couldn't meet them.

Stephen is at a time in his life and career when he needs to adapt and do the "Davis act" if he wants to continue to play the game and enjoy it. If he wants ... He should be allowed the time and the peace of mind to do that work on himself and accept the changes time impose on him, he should be allowed to be human and fail sometimes without feeling humiliated.

I am as much as

[RocketRoy1983]

Dont quite know what to make of this. Hendry and Davis are two very different animals though similar in their predator-like mannerisms. I fear Hendry will not go quietly as Davis has in terms of accepting his fate and that must be a bad thing for Hendry. Deep down I know he can still beat anyone on his day and that is surely what keeps him going but at what point does he either accept his decline or go out in a blaze of glory?

[Monique]

That's not my main point Roy

Hendry did apologise because he felt he had let the people down. My point is that is unecessary. Stephen has nothing to prove and he has brought so much to the game. He should not feel the need for this apology. Everyone has bad days.
My point is I can't help thinking he felt under pressure to perform because it is Glasgow, and the audience is so poor on average, and he had invited people to come and watch and support him and the tournament, and now he hasn't deliver and he's extremely embarassed. It isn't right that someone like Stephen Hendry should be put in such situation, largely because the tournament marketing has failed.

[RocketRoy1983]

I dont think the venue has a great deal to do with his comments ive heard him say similar things in the past. I certainly dont feel as if he feels he was carrying the burden of the sport on his shoulders trying almost to inject some positivity into his match with Williams.

[Monique]

I dont think the venue has a great deal to do with his comments ive heard him say similar things in the past. I certainly dont feel as if he feels he was carrying the burden of the sport on his shoulders trying almost to inject some positivity into his match with Williams.

well different perceptions ... not for the first time.

[dantuck_7]

Hendry has set a very high standard for himself over the years. You can understand how he feels when he can't reproduce the standard he once consistently obtained. I didn't see much of the match, but the first I knew of his performance was when a couple of people down the club started claiming they could have taken a few frames of him!! One hasn't played snooker in about 5 years. lol.

There was a football team recently, that refunded all away suporters that travelled to some cup match, where they were turned over. Maybe Stephen should do the same if he feels like that?!

[dannyd0g]

I guess Hendry is very proud of his achievments and rightly so. But the flipside of that pride would be embarrasment and shame when things do not go so well. That seems to be the the way he is, and this must be one of the factors behind his unprecendented levels of success.

If he feels like this though he will definately need to bow out and retire whilst he's still just about clinging on to the top ecehelons. Sad to say but there will be even worse performances to come for him. He will sooner or later loose his top 16 place and it seems he would be far to proud to scratch around in the Pontins qualifiers getting beaten by all those middle rankers & journey men.

Of course he still believes he is capable of performing well. So its going to be tough for him.

[noel]

Hendry was always a Boy Wonder. A hero to me.
And with no disrespect to him or his most ardent fans, it's time.
Growing up to the reality we all see and which Monique points out correctly, I think will help preserve his greatness and dignity.
If he were a boxing ex-Middleweight Multiple World Champion his physicians and the athletic boxing commissions would have assured his retirement wasn't voluntary.
Stephen deserves better than to be dragged out of the ring by his heels.
The man is a National Treasure... he has well and truly proved it... no apologies necessary!


=o)

Noel

[poolqjunkie]

Thanks for the article.
I see what you are saying, and I kind of feel bad about this as well.
On the other hand, I greatly respect Hendry for feeling the need to not just play to win, but play to a standards which he feels is good enough for the crowd. He feels the duty to promote the game, and he feels responsbile, that in his mind, he fails to deliver.
I can't help but have great respect for him for placing himself in a position above that of just a player. He looks at himself as an ambassador.
I dont think he feels that he has to prove anything, and you are 100% right he does not have to at all. He, in my opinion, is just feeling the need to entertain the crowd with high standards because of how he views himself--a legend, and an ambassador--and he is hoping he could draw a bigger crowd to help the game.
May be he should just focus on playing the game, and not worrying about the marketing aspect? May be he should not have apologized?
yes, i think most other players would think so--but Hendry is not just any body--he is the one who started an unprecedented attacking style of play which molds the players we see today; he is the one whose style every young players tried to copy and in a way have largely contributed to the high standards we are fortunate to witness today; he is the one whose contribution and records will go down in snooker history for generations to admire and marvel at.
I am therefore not surprised that he feels he should be more than just a player, that he also wants to take up the task of drawing a crowd and promoting the game, now that he has achieved everything else there is to achieve as a player.

[Monique]

pooljunkie I agree with you, Noel aswell BTW.
I respect Stephen qa lot for having felt the urge to apologise (as did Ronnie aswell last week in PL) but my point was Stephen should not be into such situations.

[RocketRoy1983]

What do you mean Mon by he shouldnt be in such situations?

[steedee]

i may also be missing the point here, but what i think monique is trying to say, and if so i completely agree with, is that it is a sorry state of affairs when the game is suffering to such an extent that Hendry, in the twilight of his career when after everything he has given this sport he SHOULD be allowed to lose his form when he SHOULD be granted the odd abysmal game if and when that happens is now feeling so much pressure to put on a show, to be successful and keep the punters interested that he is now feeling guilty to the point of apologising to an apathic nation about not delivering the goods. 10 years ago he would have been mad at himself for not being perfect. now an icon of a dying sport he's mad, fustrated and desparate at himself because he feels powerless to save it. and to be fair, at 40, the most successful player this sport has seen should not be in this position. after 20 odd years of brilliance you would hope he would be able to go gentle into the good night of his career and leave the sport in healthy hands, but alas this is not the case.

BUT STEPHEN HENDRY HAS NOTHING TO BE APOLOGETIC ABOUT.

at least i think thats what Mon's trying to say.