RONNIE O’Sullivan is undoubtedly the most gifted snooker player of all time but he does put his foot in it from time to time.

The Rocket’s latest outburst saw him label the K2 Leisure Centre in Crawley, venue for the English Championships in which he is competing, as “a hell hole which stank of urine”.

Obviously that captured the headlines, to a far greater extent than O’Sullivan winning his first round match.

O’Sullivan has regularly made the headlines over the years with some outrageous statements, but this one seems more than a little unfair.

The venue is obviously doing its best to make the players and spectators as comfortable as possible and if it is not up to O’Sullivan’s standards, well tough. The other players certainly seem to be coping perfectly well.

The Rocket is a five-time world champion who, when he is at the top of his game, is virtually unbeatable. But he should have won at least double the number of world titles had he not become distracted or bored.

However, the fact of the matter is now 42-years-old, a father and has more money at his disposal than most of us can only dream of.

The sight of O’Sullivan in full flight at the snooker table is breathtaking to watch.

He can make the challenge of completing a maximum 147 break look ridiculously easy and can rattle off frame-winning breaks almost at will when the mood takes him.

He will always be a fan favourite because he breaks the mould of most ultra cautious modern players. He has helped make the game what it is today but sometimes it is wise to keep your mouth shut.