John Virgo has been labelled ‘a bit salty’ by Judd Trump over comments saying he was disappointing last season – after winning five ranking titles.
Ahead of the 2021 World Championship during April-May, Trump aired his views about changes he would like to see in snooker – including the commentary team.
“There’s not enough trying out new things in snooker at the moment – it’s all the same every season – with not enough excitement, not enough different dimensions.
“Change the coverage – the commentators who have been around a long time – change the way the game is spoken about,” said Trump, who along with Jack Lisowski joined the BBC commentary team at the Crucible.
Veteran commentator Virgo, 75, said he expects this season to be the last on commentary for him and Dennis Taylor.
“It does frustrate me, not all of them, but when they start going on about things from the 1980s, I just don’t want to hear it,” said Trump.
Virgo said world number two Trump must start stepping up to the plate in the biggest events more regularly and that he was disappointing last season.
“He’s won one (World Championship), he’s won a UK and won a Masters – but he’s got to start building on that because he was disappointing, for me, last season,’ said Virgo.
Trump thinks the comments are linked back to his own earlier in the year – and again called for a change to commentary teams at the biggest events.
“It all comes back to some of the stuff I said before the World Championship.
“A few of the people in and around the game, that are trying to promote it, are turning up and not doing their homework.
“It is tough, I don’t see how that can be disappointing. It is his opinion, maybe he is a bit ‘salty’ after what I said at the World Championship.
“I think we need more people involved in the game – that show passion, interest and do their homework about the players.
“Just people like Alan McManus. If everyone could show the passion he does, then the game would be in a better place,” said Trump, who has won 11 ranking titles over the last two seasons.
“If I win less than five or six tournaments now, it will be classed as a bad season.
“There is a lot of expectation on me now, but I don’t see why not if I keep putting the work in.
“This year and last year has been very hard as there are a lot less tournaments because of what has been going on. “When things go back to normal and all of the tournaments are back on, I don’t see any reason why I can’t keep winning five or six events a year,” added Trump.
Ahead of the Northern Ireland Open that commenced on October 9, Trump said: “I still think I’m the best – until someone wins more tournaments in a calendar year than me – I will count myself as the best. I think that is the way it should work”.
