UK Championship Barbican York, 12th - 20th November BBC, Eurosport

I was looking up Allen and Murphy’s personal troubles. Snooker gossip pages!

Just to give the full picture.

Basically Allen spent money for fun went bankrupt, married really young before that. And all his finances got drained especially with divorces etc on top of his financial foolishness. Bankruptcy. Which he is very honest and open about.

As well as his weight gain/loss. It all embarrassed him. He is renting a place now lighter in pockets with less money, and four stone lighter. But in a ‘better place’ as he is fond of now saying. Not a ‘dark place’ as he said beforehand.

I get impression he is not/was not mentally right in the head. Professional Snooker is a very solitary sport, practice, your own thoughts. Away from home all the time, same hotel rooms.

It is no wonder most professional snooker players personal lives end up a mess. Very high divorce/separation rate. Depression? Alcoholism. Weight issues. More prevalent in the snooker world?

On Murphy I don’t think he is/was right in the head either. He tries to be the decent fella. But he has been traumatised by his childhood, bullied weight issues etc. Always feels he thinks he has to ‘prove a point’.

But behind it all Murphy is mentally weak IMO. Overly sensitive. Recently he had to get 80% of his stomach removed because he said he could not stop eating.

He was incapable of doing weight loss the normal way - consistent hard work - diet - fitness.

Apparently this eating was triggered by the separation with his second wife Elaine.

But the main reason he had the gastric surgery done was because he was sick of online ‘fat shaming’ As he calls it.

Now Murphy said other things in interviews which seemed to imply that he now sees himself as ‘new man’ following the gastric surgery.

This would explain the ‘snooker midlife crisis’ sparkling suit. Plus Murphy’s snooker has improved he is puffing his chest out. Look at me / the new man!

Now the funny thing is both men Allen/Murphy recently had a snooker war of words. Murphy was going on about his back and neck pain. Allen’s comment on it was ‘that could be caused by the big chip on his shoulder!’

Now the real ironic thing is not only do the two men (Allen/Murphy) share some similar personal life issues - weight issues, women issues.

Have a guess which snooker player they both were inspired by to make ‘lifestyle changes’ directly/indirectly? Ronnie O’Sullivan!

You couldn’t make it up, there are snooker soap operas going on off the table!

Sorry not written well, basically my theory is most snooker players are not right mentally off the table. Family life suffers etc which leading to ‘personal issues’ because of the nature of the sport.

List is a long one -

Selby depressed, Murphy- Weight divorced once now separated with the next wife. Ronnie - loads of stuff.

Allen - Weight, depression, and women. Alex Higgins - alcoholism, gambling, women. Stephen Lee - weight, banned for match fixing

Jimmy White / drugs divorced, has a new young one now. Willie Thorne - gambling, divorced. Hendry divorced. Davis - divorced

Which makes some of them act odd, Ronnie obviously, and Murphy occasionally with his comments or his sparkling suit, for example.

ROS/Murphy are completely different characters - being in the snooker spotlight has affected both men personally in different ways. Off the table in particular.

And as a result how they act as a consequence can divide snooker fans. Some ‘hate’ ROS some ‘hate’ Murphy.

Seems like it, unfortunately. Like you, when I saw the pictures with his family and young lad. I thought he was having a great life, obviously not.

Can't stand Murphy in the commentary box he never stops waffling on.

On the match Ford off to a nervous start.

As Bruce Forsyth used to say - What's on the board miss Ford? One frame anyway. Nice to see Ford not get whitewashed.

What a cruel sport. Ford on for a 147 to make it 5-4, misses frame ball and let's Ding in to clear up

I’d say Ding will be a relived man..Ford was on a roll big time….and playing well.

Guru is a perfect title for Ebdon. I can actually picture him living in a monastery in the mountains somewhere, burning sage, meditating and writing poetry.

i really feel hendry is being so negative towards Mark tonight.

Until he shouts ‘COME ON’. Ebdon, will have that missed yellow written in capitals anyway.

Davis is some devil- Said Ebdon has gone out for a new book just for that one shot on the yellow.