Reply to: Snooker

[AtW]

Worst final ever. Ray Reirdon was in the crowd shaking his head in disbelief.
Woeful

Some good bets were probably won though

[MarillionFan]

Worst final ever. Ray Reirdon was in the crowd shaking his head in disbelief.

Woeful

[TimberWolf]

Have these two been taking bungs? The standard is bloody woeful compared to just about every masters final I've ever watched.

Even the ref is boring. The big Dutch guy is far more entertaining, especially when he tells the crowd off or cracks a joke that everyone has to laugh at.

[gingerjedi]

Have these two been taking bungs? The standard is bloody woeful compared to just about every masters final I've ever watched.

[AtW]

I once got held at gunpoint for five hours in a village on the Tibet/Nepalese border with a group of 8 European trekkers and about 100 other locals. About 20 armed police got everyone into a big circle in the middle of the road and had guns trained on them.

That's not scary - it's too big of a group to kill in one go usually, even in 3rd worlds - the scary would have been if you were sitting in a confy chair in a hotel drinking alcohol whilst being proposed to make a lot of money by playing bad snooker - now that's like!!!

He should have reported it straight away - then his story would have been remotely plausible (he still does not look under duress to me).

[TimberWolf]

Shame really, as I was just thinking what a nice fellow Higgins was too, by letting himself be beaten by Steve Davis a few days ago, and afterwards describing him as "the legend". I believed he did it for his respect for Davis, who got soundly thrashed in his next match.

[gingerjedi]

I've watched it a few times now, his manager is doing half the talking as if he is interested in the deal and JH certainly doesn't look as if he's under any duress. If his story were true he is effectively saying he has agreed to throw matches to get out of a scary situation, matches he would still need to throw to avoid an even scarier situation.

The court of my opinion finds him guilty as sin.

[Archangel]

Well without a doubt, he should have called someone.

Two things which are fishy for me

1) 200 or 300Euros is a crap amount of money if youre a multi millionaire No 1 Snooker Player. If I wanted to make some extra cash on the side, then I would bet on my own match scores through some mates. £5k bet at 8-1 for the exact score on a match (ie I lost 5-2) is £40K clear and wouldnt raise too much suspicion. To do it for someone else for such a small amount is frankly stupid

2) Hearn. Hearn wants to take over snooker. He's asking for a 51% stake and wants the players to hand it over so he can increase the number of matches they play. Something like this increases the likelihood.

Fishier than Grimsby fish market on a fishing hot day IMO!

it was 300,000 euros, not 300 euros.

Higgins is just a typical greedy oik, imho

[MarillionFan]

Now you don't want to mention guns here - I'd then start talking about it and this thread will reach 1000 posts surely

I once got held at gunpoint for five hours in a village on the Tibet/Nepalese border with a group of 8 European trekkers and about 100 other locals. About 20 armed police got everyone into a big circle in the middle of the road and had guns trained on them.

For some reason everyone in the group looked to me to get out of the situation due to my calm under pressure personality coupled with my don't give a tulip attitude. I got us all out of there with some incredible bulltulip and pretty much said anything to diffuse the situation.

So I believe he's been well fitted up.

[MarillionFan]

I must admit, I would be happier with this story if the Salesman (Higgins) did indeed call the CEO (Hearn) the minute he was safe and relay that story to him. I'd be skawking to anyone who'd listen if I thought my life was in danger during that meeting, and I'd had to promise the world to get out of there.

I think Higgin's is on very thin ice with this story.

Well without a doubt, he should have called someone.

Two things which are fishy for me

1) 200 or 300Euros is a crap amount of money if youre a multi millionaire No 1 Snooker Player. If I wanted to make some extra cash on the side, then I would bet on my own match scores through some mates. £5k bet at 8-1 for the exact score on a match (ie I lost 5-2) is £40K clear and wouldnt raise too much suspicion. To do it for someone else for such a small amount is frankly stupid

2) Hearn. Hearn wants to take over snooker. He's asking for a 51% stake and wants the players to hand it over so he can increase the number of matches they play. Something like this increases the likelihood.

Fishier than Grimsby fish market on a fishing hot day IMO!

[cojak]

This and you comment above.

I believe the intimidation angle. When I worked for a large tobacco company they received a phonecall from a sales guy who was working on a big deal after Russia reopened. A container of cigarettes had arrived and they were trying to get payment.

On a conference call to the team & UK CEO
SalesGuy 'Hey CEO, the client only wants to pay X!!!'
CEO 'No way was the reply, we want Y, that was the deal!!!'
SalesGuy "No CEO, really the client only wants to pay X!!!"
CEO ' You tell them, its Y or the deal is off!!!'
SalesGuy 'No CEO, you dont understand!!!'
CEO 'No sales guy you don't understand!!!!!'
Salesguy 'No CEO, you dont understand. I'm in a room with a gun to my head!! Let's do it for X!!!!!'
CEO 'Errrrrr. X it is!'

So frankly, it seemed way dodgy. If Higgins wanted to make 300k from bet fixing, well frankly they could bet on their own matches.

This is yet another tulip Sheik sting from the News of the World!

I must admit, I would be happier with this story if the Salesman (Higgins) did indeed call the CEO (Hearn) the minute he was safe and relay that story to him. I'd be skawking to anyone who'd listen if I thought my life was in danger during that meeting, and I'd had to promise the world to get out of there.

I think Higgin's is on very thin ice with this story.

[TimberWolf]

Why link to some dodgy gambling site when you can just link to the video on YouTube?

Then people wouldn't have problems like:



And of course, you could just embed it here on CUK:

It was just the first Google result, but thanks for the possibly better alternative YouTube link. I tend not to embed videos, but horses for courses.

[NickFitz]

Despite Higgin's denials, the video footage does look pretty damning:

John Higgins alleged Bribe Video from the News of the World

Why link to some dodgy gambling site when you can just link to the video on YouTube?

Then people wouldn't have problems like:

I can't comment on the Vid...... Cos my naughty filter has blocked it!!

And of course, you could just embed it here on CUK:

[AtW]

If you really thought you were in a room with some dodgy Russian Mafia ****ers, you are not going to 'make your excuses and leave'!

Yes they could do it easily - nobody put a gun to their heads. More importantly they certainly did not need to invent methods of getting payment like paying off mortgage - all they had to say is that "we got no idea how to get the money via cash", or they could report this incident to the police or any newspaper AFTER they got out, why didn't they do it?

Now you don't want to mention guns here - I'd then start talking about it and this thread will reach 1000 posts surely

[MarillionFan]

I would not be trying to find alternative ways of getting dodgy payments like offering them to pay off my Spain's house mortgage: they did not have to name any numbers, and certainly they did not need to offer any alternatives how to make such payments - in the video I have not heard anything remotely threatening: all they had to do is to walk away.

News Of The World is actually doing a good public service - I don't mean this case specifically but I think they got Sven done pretty well.

This isnt the potato queue at Russian Budgens! FFS!

If you really thought you were in a room with some dodgy Russian Mafia ****ers, you are not going to 'make your excuses and leave'!

I've been held at gun point in Nepal (I didnt say, no sorry thats not on). I've landed up 2am in Egypt in the City of the Dead with a (make the deal or you dont leave threat). If you feel intimiated you will say and do whatever to get out!

NOW should be ashamed in this case!