He could have kept his thoughts to himself, he could have shared them only with other players, he could have waited.
But Colin Montgomerie went public with his views on the Ryder Cup yesterday – and Nick Faldo came out of it very badly.
Yards from the final green at The Belfry where once they were hugging each other as cup partners – the Quinn Insurance British Masters starts on the course today – Montgomerie smiled when the subject of Faldo's captaincy inevitably came up at a pre-tournament press conference.
And then the words started flowing from the man who, after not being given a wildcard, was an armchair critic for the first time since 1989.
"Certain things would have been done the same and certain things I feel I would have liked to have changed," said the former cup hero, who revealed that he makes notes every two years in readiness for what is expected to be his leadership of the side at Gleneagles in 2014.
Asked then if he felt as much for the captain as for the players, Montgomerie replied: "Goodness me – oh dear.
"I feel for the players, I do, because I see them and I'm with them. I know what they have gone through and exactly how they feel coming home. To answer your question – I can't answer that question."
Next it was how much he felt Faldo was responsible for the defeat and whether he got the best out of the team. "Going as favourites – proper favourites - and to lose 16½-11½ it's very difficult for me to say.
"I know from hearing from some of the guys and some of what went on that possibly, possibly not. The line-up of the singles was very important being 9-7 down. Very important. It had to be absolutely bang-on right. It occurred to me that unfortunately Poulter and Westwood and Harrington are possibly our three strongest players and they might not – might, but might not – be included in the final shake-up."
