you can (sometimes) defend his non standard plays (except felting bottom set wtf phil)but you can never defend him being 1) a table coach who berates fish when they play bad and 2) a grown man who is known for throwing fits. Maybe he's a great guy away from the table but that's the image he's chosen and that's why he gets the hate. If he could keep it together my guess is he'd have a WPT title and a few more bracelets.

Sure people are jealous of his success but there are plenty of equally successful tourney players who do not behave in Phil's way and mostly they are well liked.