WNT Hanoi Open 2025, Vietnam, Oct 7-12
- Thread starter jbart65
- Start date
Jay, AFAIK in modern days it is the opposite. I've heard referees are trained to perform like that, in order to be out of sight of a shooting player. Of course there are exceptions to this, and a referee is free to take any position he/she feels ideal in order to make proper judgement, but in general it is kind of "hiding behind".
Would love to read more of your insight on this topic. Maybe you could even create a special thread where you comment on various situations arising, based on your own experience or view.
You definitely see things through biased, rose colored glasses because you are so happy that there is more pro pool to see, and probably to a lesser extent because she is a woman, and a half likeable and attractive one at that.
Anything good you just automatically attribute to Emily without any sound evidence for doing so, rather than to the Matchroom machine and know how that was already in place long before she ever arrived, and to the team that surrounds her. When we look only at the things we know are a direct result of her though, where we aren't having to make biased speculations and guesses about who should get the credit/responsiblity, but for those things we know she has been responsible for, they have largely been a disaster.
She has repeatedly proven that she is clueless and incompetent. The fact that there is still a purple five ball even today as we sit here and chat would be enough on its own to prove that, even if there was literally nothing else. Seriously, stop and think for a minute about the level of incompetence it takes to still have a purple five ball even today. The fact that Marcel is still a ref for Matchroom after so many years of incompetence on his part would be enough by itself to prove that as well, even if there was literally nothing else. Unfortunately those things aren't even alone though, and there are many more just like them.
Not only does your bias make you ascribe some Matchroom achievements to Emily without the evidence for doing so (and even in spite of evidence against doing so in some cases), it also makes you give her passes on things that were very clearly gross incompetence and that you would never give to anybody else in any other situation. I get it, she is likeable, half cute, and above all we are real happy we have more pool to see, but we can't let that blind our ability to see the facts for what they really are.
I will give you that she does appear to be a hard worker as best we can tell, but how much benefit is that when you are working hard with incompetence? Just makes it harder for the rest of the team to do a good job in spite of you. She might also be decent at bringing on new partners and securing venues and the like, but if so it just means that the right role for her at Matchroom would be in sales or PR, not as director, which she has shown over and over and over again she doesn't have even remotely close to the competency level for.
Last edited:
DaWizard
Well-known member
I prefer to do that too! No idea why. It just feels good
looks like some kind of ocd, he also folds his towel very meticulously. i guess he's tidy, on and off the table
is pijus close to getting a MC spot now?
Poolplaya9, you have a telling AZB signature, and mention many things which are up to the point. But bitter things about Matchroom are unpopular at AZB forums, and it makes little sense going over them here. Regardless of their clarity. I had to learn it my way, lol.
All we can do is merely watch how things unfold. There is a lot of dust to settle, so let's ride along.
All we can do is merely watch how things unfold. There is a lot of dust to settle, so let's ride along.
It's the showrunners who are in the know. Who is who and who deserves what, by points earned and/or despite earning way too short or more than enough.
We will have to wait until the word is out.
Yes, mine is the delight of a satisfied consumer of the pro pool product, and I know who made that possible. The WNT Tour has brought pro pool to a previously unattained level, giving us the best pro tour this century.
I have no idea how you figure this, but in truth, it is not clear how this is in any way pertinent to our online conversation. I have a long track record of supporting event producers of every kind, some of them old, some of them young, some of them men, some of them women.
At least you have backed down from the extreme view that she has not done anything right and has contributed nothing. The WNT tour has grown because of her skill in reaching out to new business partners and in making deals with venue sponsors.
Matchroom pool is run by Emily, not by the Matchroom machine to whom she reports.
In the business world, it is customary to give credit to the CEO of any company for the accomplishments that have occurred on their watch. Matchroom pool is a wholly owned subsidiary of Matchroom, but it has a CEO in Emily Frazer. The only thing you seem to be sure of is that all successes at Matchroom are due to the efforts of someone other than Emily and any failings of Matchroom must be attributable to Emily, rather than her superiors at Matchroom.
The Matchroom machine, as you call it, was never successful in growing pool in the way that Emily has. You may recall that their first dive into tournament pool came in the early 2000s with the World 9ball in Cardiff. It might have been the start of something big, but it ultimately led to nothing. Matchroom marched no further in the direction of producing major open tournaments. It remained that way for fifteen more years.
Emily, on the other hand, similarly began with just one major open tournament, the US Open 9ball. She made the business model work, and the 2019 US Open 9ball remains, for me, the greatest ever edition. Building on that success, she then methodically grew Matchroom pool into a viable pro tour. Emily succeeded where the Matchroom machine had failed. Her efforts have globalized pro pool in a way that the Matchroom machine never managed. Emily has made Matchroom pool a truly global brand, and it was nothing close to that before she came along.
Matchroom pro pool is a product that is growing rapidly and successfully. As you and I realize, it is a product that still needs development, but only three full seasons of the WNT Tour have been completed, and I am in awe of how good the product is today.
Nobody knows what's coming next for Matchroom pool, but for me personally, it has been a joy ride to this point.
Some people put chalk on the rail as a marker. Sometimes that causes conversations. Putting the chalk on a diamond can avoid the conversations. Sang Lee -- the US 3-C champion many times -- put his chalk on diamonds.
java712
Registered
hair is nice too lol
My short answer. There is NO reason for the refs to hide behind the player! Whoever decided that was a good idea was simply wrong. All thoughout my time as an official I always stood where I needed to be to see the shot clearly. If I was going to be right in front of the player I would tell him that I will be standing perfectly still and no one ever had a problem with that. It's called good officiating! Standing in the line of sight of a pool player is completely irrelevant if you are standing still.
Otherwise the ref can remain inconspicuous sitting in a high chair by the foot end of the table. He/she can see the match fine from there 90% of the time. I would only get up to check on close hits or follow the path of the balls on a safety to make sure a ball got a rail after contact. When I see a pool referee who operates (we have many here) in a similar manner I know they know what they're doing.
I will give one tip for novice referees. When you see there is going to be a close hit, stand where you can see the cue ball coming toward you, not away from you. If you are standing right behind the closely aligned balls and watch the path of the cue ball coming toward them you will see the hit much better. I see few TV refs that even know this very basic thing.
Last edited:
Not sure if you can see this link. But Shaun Murphy had a controversial call by the ref in the semifinals of the Xi'an Grand Prix. She was standing behind him. In this case, he was shooting over a ball, which ref says he fouled. Shaun was in shock. I don't think he touched it. https://www.facebook.com/reel/647977094863044
While I disagree with the views presented on this subject, I respect Poolplaya9's posts and think that Poolplaya9 adds value to our forum. On this matter, Poolplaya9 was within reason to suggest that because I am a very satisfied consumer of the WNT pro pool offering, I might be seeing Emily through rose colored glasses. It turns out that he is mistaken on this point, but there was nothing wrong with that suggestion. As Poolplaya9 has noted, she doesn't get everything right, but Emily has accomplished a lot in just four yours of overseeing the growth of the WNT, and she's got my fullest respect and admiration for it.Thanks for fighting the good fight against a poster I long ago blocked