Jimmy White and Alan McManus question Ronnie O’Sullivan’s criticism of Alexandra Palace – ‘All nonsense’

Alan McManus and Jimmy White were bemused by Ronnie O’Sullivan’s criticism of the Alexandra Palace venue.

Speaking to Eurosport on Friday, both White and McManus rejected the validity of his complaints, with the latter pointing out that it is the same at many sporting venues.

He said: “The truth is that, the world over in the main, these venues and sporting arenas and theatres, that’s the way it is for us lot.

“These things are designed, also it’s a show for the people who pay good money, we try to make them comfortable. Us behind the scenes, it doesn’t matter so much really.

“The darts were here last week, it will be the same, it’s just the way it is. He’s not in that much, he’s in here about half an hour before the off. I thought it was a bit strange and a bit needless.”

O’Sullivan’s friend White suggested that his reaction might have been more about his frustration with his performance against Hawkins.

“He was well below par, he didn’t have any discipline,” White said. “He missed so many easy balls ,he miscued a couple of times. He was very lucky the Barry Hawkins of late didn’t turn up because he would have lost yesterday.

“Ronnie would be the first to tell you that, but he’s now through, he’s got to play [Shaun] Murphy, who’s in good form.”

He said his outburst was: “All nonsense, I think he’s just talking about his performance. Io think he’ll come in tomorrow and hopefully in a better frame of mind, because he wasn’t at the races.

“It’s just a bad day. Sometimes you’d like him to reign it i n because probably today he’ll think he shouldn’t have said that. I think it was a reaction [to] his performance.”