An Ugly Spectacle

[Greedybar]

I believe a new meeting should be called to clear the air and appoligise made.

We are guests here, do not forget this.

Lets see the Scott person go back to Scotland and opoen a Brothel their for his wife to run.

[Greedybar]

Rather than pulling out of the league or some other similar actions, I'd suggest that everybody would go back to the drawing board. I can't see any good coming up from forming rival leagues or anything similar. Surely there'll be space for further negotiations. If I remember correctly this is not the first controversial meeting we've had. I myself missed the meeting so I can give no comments what happened during it.

Racism is an important issue and warrants strong protest, I was at the meeting and was appalled by @#$%^ of the U *&^% and the Scotsch @#$%^& who is his captain. Good on Wunderlust for this action, I will discuss the matter with my team and we may follow the same course.
Perhaps you could talk to the organiser, the scotch git should have been ejected from the meeting.

[JW]

Before this meeting took place my team Johnnie Walker Black, had pretty much deceided to pull out for a couple of reasons, the first is that the league has become over serious and not as much fun as previous, secondly most of my team actually work fulltime and we decieded that we didnt want to have to play if we were knackered or simply had a bad day.
The goings on at the meeting sound bad, and the drunks shouldnt have been let into the meeting. Its water under the bridge now, damage done - lets see if anyone is big enough to admit they are wrong and apologise to those who were correctly upset by what was said. In no way are we pulling out because of thai teams - its the bloody falangs who play for snookers! (this really pi**** me off)! The thais just pot everything on the table.

[lomuamart]

Lets see the Scott person go back to Scotland and opoen a Brothel their for his wife to run.

Several members have recently been banned and threads locked because it became personal. If you wish to continue contributing to this forum I suggest you refrain from making comments like this.

[Wanderlust]

Greedybar,
Thank you for your (many!) words of support, although I don't think violent action or words is needed! I am not running a campaign nor am I wanting to set up a rival league, but I am concerned that the pool league is setting a precedent, and potentially tarring all farangs with the same brush, which is why I have made my decision not to participate next season. If the other members of my team wish to carry on I will not attempt to persuade them otherwise, but probably ask them to play for another bar as Johnnie Walkers will not be registering a team unless things change. If other teams or individuals follow suit then that is their choice but by no means am I making a call to arms here, just pointing out to others how I see the situation. I am disappointed that Guess chose not to answer the questions I posed but he is a busy man, although some might say that he hasn't because he cannot; equally he may not be able to because of the conditions of this forum. However I hope that he will answer them in due course, preferably on here so that other interested parties can understand the situation.

[scotties]

I Davie Beattie from Scotties bar apoligise hole heartetly for my comments at the pool leauge meeting. I am not a racist in any way. To anybody and everybody that I upset I am very sorry.I had too much to drink and should not have attended the meeting in the state I was in.However this should not be an excuse and I was out of order. I would also like to make it plain to everybody that Craig Morgan had nothing at all to do with the comments that I made and he should not be misscalled for my actions.Craig actually tried to shut me up as I was too far gone.
If anybody wants a personal apology please come see me and they will get it.Once again my sincere apologys

[Bamboo Grove]

Again, I call for peace and for another meeting.

[Jockey]

I remember a couple of seasons ago, Steve and Magnus were running the league and doing a very good job of it too. They were just ordinary 'punters' and had no commercial interests. I think Steve was actually too nice, yes - even too democratic and called a meeting to see if others wished to change any rules. It has been perceived that some people used this meeting as an opportunity to take over the running of the pool. There are various versions but the jist of the various stories was that Steve was forced to resign and some bar owners took over. I remember my regular pool playing friend Paul warning that things would start to go downhill from then and he stopped playing in the league. It seemed that Paul's words of warning were unjustified until now. Chris was doing a fine job almost single-handidly running the league, taking over the reins from Steve, but from what I hear, everything Paul warned us about seems to be coming true - which is very sad.
In my humble opinion, bar games such as pool and darts should be run by the customers, not the owners of the pubs, as is the case in most darts and pool leagues in the UK. I also think these so-called democratic meetings just cause trouble and are not helpful in creating the rules and set up for a well run good-spirited league atmosphere. In my experience, having open meetings like this allow people to turn out with alternative agendas, and before the chairperson can catch his (or her) breath, daft rule changes take place which causes all sorts of bother.
Better to have 3 elected people to run the league. These people would be chosen because of the qualities they possess, good organisors, good communicators, approachable, flexible, hard but fair. The 'commitee' would presumably listen to the opinion of punters, and would make rule changes based on whether the changes allowed the customers to enjoy the pool nights more or not. NO MORE CRAZY MEETINGS WHERE THE LOUD MOUTHS GET THERE OWN WAY! The commitee would be authorised to make all the changes they see necessary without having to fend off bullying tactics at rowdy meetings!
As I see it, every pool season seems to end and begin with controversy. What the league needs is continuity i.e. the same rulles apply next year as applied this year. The committee need to be hard and (for instance), not allow pubs to choose which league they wish to play in!
I certainly could not participate under the clowd of the proposed current set up where the Thai teams have been manipulated to play in a league of only 6 teams, a league that the other teams are (supposed) to be aspiring to. It would be too embarrassing and frankly not morally right. I also suspect many others will feel the same way I do and the league next year will have a lot less participants.
To get out of this mess I suggest to the powers that be there should be only one league consisting of about 20 teams (one team per pub). Each would play each other twice, home and away = 38 games. The top 8 could play off for a special "super" cup, and many of the more moderate teams would be happy to languish between 12th and 20th in the league with no asperations of winning it. At least that suggestion would eliminate the current perception of divisivness?

[Wanderlust]

scotties/Davie,
Thank you for being man enough to come on here and say that. Although the views and attitudes of individuals (not only you) was/is a concern (there were at least 3 others who voiced the opinion that the Thai teams didn't drink so weren't wanted), there is still the broader issue of who the pool league is for and whether changes should be made in response to a relatively small group of people i.e. the bar owners/sponsors, rather than for the participants, who after all generally spend money and will sometimes return to the bars if they have enjoyed playing in them. As it stands the set up for next season is unsatisfactory in my eyes, and until the top league reverts to the 8 teams that should be there by rank, and is not renamed to suit sponsors, and a format is made standard across all competitions and all leagues (i.e. we all play the same game!) it will remain so.
Thank you again for admitting your mistake.

[Jockey]

the top league reverts to the 8 teams that should be there by rank, and is not renamed to suit sponsors, and a format is made standard across all competitions and all leagues (i.e. we all play the same game!)

Seems sensible to me!

[Jockey]

Again, I call for peace and for another meeting.

Also seems sensible to me!

[Guess]

Seems sensible to me too.

[Randy Cornhole]

As someone that has no connection at all with the pool league one thing is painfully obvious.
You all enjoy the social aspect of playing in the league as it is a way of meeting new people, visiting new bars and of course actually playing pool. I feel all this may have got a bit out of hand and perhaps certain people should have a meeting to clear the air.
Come on chaps were in Thailand and not cloudy drizzly Europe, lets raise a glass and rejoice....Hurrah.

[Farang]

'
As a matter of fact much of the social and fun aspect has gone out of the pool league already.
It used to be fun, very relaxed, sociable and above all fun. The team-members were
not necessarily good players, but were nice guys you’d see ever so often even outside
of the league and whom you were happy to learn to know.

Then some of the gang started to disregard the fun aspect of it, starter to out-and-out compete.
It no longer was a sociable event, where you met new people. It was a Serious Competition
where you saw new faces who you’d only see when there was a match on. Some bars injected in
their team Thai semi-professionals only to win the league. These outside-bought mercenaries
perhaps are seen as those who do not belong and who only are there during the match and
whom you never otherwise see, with whom it is impossible to socialize.

I understand that at least partially the reason why Ozmo no longer runs the league is that
the fun has gone out of it. It now is Serious Sport and getting ever more serious.

I do not know if Ozmo ever received the acclamation he so richly deserves for organizing it all,
starting it up and running it the fun way. Would it now be the time to implore the Old Master
to come back and reorganize it all to maximize the fun for us all, Thai and farang alike?

He has done it once with great, great success and we all know he is no racist.
.

[Randy Cornhole]

It has to be fun or it won't work. As an example was it not so that last year lips bar played in a final against Octopussy that bought in players from Bangkok to play in the semis and final and they won. This can't be right surely?
If you want your league to work it must be fun and also fair......No?