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** World Snooker ** - Official Thread


Maroon Sailor

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shaun.lawson

Very good last frame, that - and Trump proved surprisingly strong in the tactical battle. If he can keep that up, he can beat Ronnie, in the semi-final which will surely decide the Champion.

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Maroon Sailor

Trump v O'Sullivan semi final - standby for some fireworks in that match !

 

Two potting machines going hell for leather

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Chester™

I've not seen a great deal of this Championship but what I have seen, the standard has been absolutely dreadful. One of the worst I can remember.

 

Is this just me being unlucky?

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Maroon Sailor

 

I've not seen a great deal of this Championship but what I have seen, the standard has been absolutely dreadful. One of the worst I can remember.

 

Is this just me being unlucky?

 

O'Sullivan has been sensational

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shaun.lawson

I've not seen a great deal of this Championship but what I have seen, the standard has been absolutely dreadful. One of the worst I can remember.

 

Is this just me being unlucky?

 

I think the standard's dropping too - and that, for want of a better word, there's just too much parity on the tour now.

 

Also think the cloths are a wee bit slow too.

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Sergio Garcia

Who is still in guys?

 

I seem to be in the majority of snooker fans who this year seem not be interested at all in watching the Worlds, the only time I have seen any of it was in the hairdressers, I haven't even put it on in the background this year. Can't put my finger on why to be honest maybe my enjoyment of watching the snooker has ran its course.

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Chester™

O'Sullivan has been sensational

 

Is that because of what Shaun's says below?

 

I think the standard's dropping too - and that, for want of a better word, there's just too much parity on the tour now.

 

Also think the cloths are a wee bit slow too.

 

Ronnie looking 'sensational' because everyone else has looked so heehaw? :unsure:

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Chester™

The only thing that has kept me going back to watch is Eurosport's coverage. The commentators, including Neal Foulds, Mike Hallett and JJJJooooooooooeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Johnson, are absolutely brilliant!

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Sergio Garcia

Seen a few folk mention elsewhere Ronnie has looked so good as the rest have been "burned out" by touring schedule.

 

Is that the case or is it just sour grapes from those who aint a fan of the rocket?

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Chester™

Seen a few folk mention elsewhere Ronnie has looked so good as the rest have been "burned out" by touring schedule.

 

Is that the case or is it just sour grapes from those who aint a fan of the rocket?

 

Hearn's comments about burn out and specifically Mark Selby, are absolutely quality.:rofl:

 

Along the lines of 'you're not here for a jolly up. You're a professional snooker player. If you cant hack it, step aside and let someone else in'.:rofl:

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Maroon Sailor

Burn out could be the case but O'Sullivan is on a different planet anyway. Hopefully Trump can run him close as he has not been put under too much pressure so far.

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Sergio Garcia

Since Hearn has taken over it does seem my enjoyment of watching snooker has waned. Although never thought I would barely watch much of the Worlds.

 

Be interesting to see viewing figures from this year compared to previous years.

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Chester™

Since Hearn has taken over it does seem my enjoyment of watching snooker has waned. Although never thought I would barely watch much of the Worlds.

 

Be interesting to see viewing figures from this year compared to previous years.

 

I dont think Hearn and his changes is really the issue. The players, their standard and their constant pissing and moaning about things is really detrimental to the sport IMO. They asked for more tournaments because it wasnt 'financially viable', they got it. They wanted to go more around the world doing it, to 'help progress the game', they got it. Now they piss and moan its all too much for them. No problem. Lets go back to 4-6 ranking tournaments a season, all in the UK and everyone will be happy. :rolleyes:

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Maroon Sailor

 

Since Hearn has taken over it does seem my enjoyment of watching snooker has waned. Although never thought I would barely watch much of the Worlds.

 

Be interesting to see viewing figures from this year compared to previous years.

 

I watch it on Eurosport - much better

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shaun.lawson

I dont think Hearn and his changes is really the issue. The players, their standard and their constant pissing and moaning about things is really detrimental to the sport IMO. They asked for more tournaments because it wasnt 'financially viable', they got it. They wanted to go more around the world doing it, to 'help progress the game', they got it. Now they piss and moan its all too much for them. No problem. Lets go back to 4-6 ranking tournaments a season, all in the UK and everyone will be happy. :rolleyes:

 

Except it's not either/or, is it?

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Chester™

Except it's not either/or, is it?

 

In what way? They got pretty much everything they asked for. He got elected on the platform he's pretty much produced. Now they piss and moan about it, especially those in the higher echelons? Boo hoo.

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Sergio Garcia

I can only go on what I have observe that I am not enjoying/watching it as much as I used to. Perhaps that comes from too many tournaments and coverage being saturated or perhaps snooker has lost something that made it interesting.

 

Perhaps if these changes and bigger schedule hadnt come along I would still have lost interest but I'll never know.

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Chester™

Perhaps that comes from too many tournaments and coverage being saturated or perhaps snooker has lost something that made it interesting.

 

 

The smaller tourneys are only on Eurosport, so unless you look out for them, you'll miss them.

 

There are certainly a lack of characters in the game now though.

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shaun.lawson

In what way? They got pretty much everything they asked for. He got elected on the platform he's pretty much produced. Now they piss and moan about it, especially those in the higher echelons? Boo hoo.

 

Sorry, no they didn't.

 

They didn't ask for him to, incredibly stupidly, remove virtually all the protection that the top 16 rightly enjoyed - meaning that in future, the sport will struggle to get sponsors, because those sponsors won't be able to have any confidence that the top players will be involved at the later stages of tournaments.

 

They didn't ask for him to move the tour lock, stock and barrel to China - but expect them to pay (and live) their own way there and back several times a year. Anyone outside the top 32 will make significant losses as a result of madcap ideas like that.

 

They didn't ask him to impose several ranking list cut-off points during the season.

 

And they didn't ask him to, after they'd done the hard work and got to the top, completely move the goalposts and make it far, far harder for them than it ever was for their predecessors.

 

Yes, snooker needed to change - but the problem with Hearn is he believes in change for its own sake. He never thinks it through at all. Oh. and the dictatorial style with which he rules the sport - criticise me or anything about our game, and I'll fine you - is also a disgrace. :down:

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Sergio Garcia

The smaller tourneys are only on Eurosport, so unless you look out for them, you'll miss them.

 

There are certainly a lack of characters in the game now though.

 

My mate flagged that up when we were discussing it the other day, there are quite a lot of matches that we couldnt care less who won which makes it less interesting.

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Maroon Sailor

I bet Mr Hearn's back account has never looked better with all these changes either.

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Chester™

Sorry, no they didn't.

 

They didn't ask for him to, incredibly stupidly, remove virtually all the protection that the top 16 rightly enjoyed - meaning that in future, the sport will struggle to get sponsors, because those sponsors won't be able to have any confidence that the top players will be involved at the later stages of tournaments.

 

So by asking them to start in the likes of Round One is a daft idea? Any other sport do that? Here's what the real reason the top players might not be in the latter stages - the standard has dropped off so much, they are likely to get pumped out early doors. Back to that parity point you made earlier. Indeed, the commentators on Eurosport have criticised the players for moaning about such 'protection'.

 

They didn't ask for him to move the tour lock, stock and barrel to China - but expect them to pay (and live) their own way there and back several times a year. Anyone outside the top 32 will make significant losses as a result of madcap ideas like that.

 

And yet, the main complaints I've seen regarding travel, is not to China but the PTC Tournaments around Europe. While I agree, they'll need some backing, they did ask for expansion beyond the UK. By keeping the sport a 'UK Only' domain, it was doing more harm than good.

 

They didn't ask him to impose several ranking list cut-off points during the season.

 

Whats the problem here?

 

And they didn't ask him to, after they'd done the hard work and got to the top, completely move the goalposts and make it far, far harder for them than it ever was for their predecessors.

 

Thats the same for a number of sports. I dont see why Snooker should be any different.

 

Oh. and the dictatorial style with which he rules the sport - criticise me or anything about our game, and I'll fine you - is also a disgrace. :down:

 

Aye and no. I dont necessarily agree with some of the fines but some of the comments from the likes of Mark Allen have been ridiculous.

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Maroon Sailor

 

 

 

My mate flagged that up when we were discussing it the other day, there are quite a lot of matches that we couldnt care less who won which makes it less interesting.

 

Put a bet on - always makes things more interesting

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Sergio Garcia

Put a bet on - always makes things more interesting

 

Did you see my semi final and final predications ha! Luckily I never got round to putting bet on.

 

If it wasnt for your updates I'd seriously have no clue what was going on this year, so many thanks.

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shaun.lawson

One general point though. Snooker's boom happened at a time when football's image in the UK had never been worse - and when crucially, there were only four terrestial TV channels folk could watch. No satellite TV; no internet either.

 

The proliferation of the latter - and of wall-to-wall football, above all - has inevitably eroded snooker's position in the UK. Put simply, there's too many different things people can watch nowadays for snooker - which will always be damned when we compare it with its 1980s heyday, and the 1985 final above all - to get much of a look-in.

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Chester™

One general point though. Snooker's boom happened at a time when football's image in the UK had never been worse - and when crucially, there were only four terrestial TV channels folk could watch. No satellite TV; no internet either.

 

The proliferation of the latter - and of wall-to-wall football, above all - has inevitably eroded snooker's position in the UK. Put simply, there's too many different things people can watch nowadays for snooker - which will always be damned when we compare it with its 1980s heyday, and the 1985 final above all - to get much of a look-in.

 

Its taken awhile for the drop off to really kick in. The ban on smoking advertising really gave the sport a kick in the nuts at a time when things were borderline. They didnt adjust quick enough I dont think and are feelings the effects now.

 

On the flipside of that, snooker seems to be really popular in newer markets. They need to expose them to grow the sport (much like the Premier League did with football).

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shaun.lawson

Chester: it's not just parity in terms of standard. It's parity in terms of characters too,

 

Anonymous cue meets anonymous cue for the right to face anonymous cue in the next round. Why would anyone care about that? But actively creating a situation in which the top players are always changing, the public can't get used to them before even more new faces appear, and in which it's now impossible for older players to keep a foothold on the tour, will only make things worse.

 

Because it's those older players - those characters - who the public warm to, and Steve Davis in particular managed to hang on at the top for 20 years after his peak. That won't happen nowadays. It's also why Hendry was so quick to retire: in the past, he'd have had a realistic shot at getting back into the top 16, but not now.

 

PS. Would that be the same commentators on Eurosport who themselves enjoyed such protection during their careers? Unlike you not to pick up on their hypocrisy.

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Chester™

Chester: it's not just parity in terms of standard. It's parity in terms of characters too,

 

Anonymous cue meets anonymous cue for the right to face anonymous cue in the next round. Why would anyone care about that? But actively creating a situation in which the top players are always changing, the public can't get used to them before even more new faces appear, and in which it's now impossible for older players to keep a foothold on the tour, will only make things worse.

 

Because it's those older players - those characters - who the public warm to, and Steve Davis in particular managed to hang on at the top for 20 years after his peak. That won't happen nowadays. It's also why Hendry was so quick to retire: in the past, he'd have had a realistic shot at getting back into the top 16, but not now.

 

And if the 'characters' werent getting pumped oot earlier, because the standard isnt as good, it wouldnt matter either way.:thumbsup:

 

Is it really a problem the top players keep changing? Many argue that many sports suffer because its the same old, same old.

 

As for Hendry, he's said before all the changes, he'd pretty much retire once he had to qualify for tournaments. And he did.

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shaun.lawson

And if the 'characters' werent getting pumped oot earlier, because the standard isnt as good, it wouldnt matter either way. :thumbsup:

 

Is it really a problem the top players keep changing? Many argue that many sports suffer because its the same old, same old.

 

As for Hendry, he's said before all the changes, he'd pretty much retire once he had to qualify for tournaments. And he did.

 

To this extent, yes it is.

 

No sport will prosper through either a closed shop or too much change. You need a balance between established players and up-and-comers; because sports like snooker need personal stories that the public can empathise with. And you also need stars.

 

Tennis has enjoyed its greatest era ever in recent years. Reckon it'd have been just as popular if 16 or 20 players all beat each other all the time, instead of there being a Big Four who dominate the rest and the public love and identify with?

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Chester™

To this extent, yes it is.

 

No sport will prosper through either a closed shop or too much change. You need a balance between established players and up-and-comers; because sports like snooker need personal stories that the public can empathise with. And you also need stars.

 

And yet, the majority of the top 16 are players that have been about for a good few years.

 

Tennis has enjoyed its greatest era ever in recent years. Reckon it'd have been just as popular if 16 or 20 players all beat each other all the time, instead of there being a Big Four who dominate the rest and the public love and identify with?

 

Mebbe's aye. Mebbe's naw. Whats certainly for sure, is its been labelled by a good number of people as 'boring' because its pretty much the same 4.

 

I do agree some balance is needed in any sport, but I think snooker is suffering because the 'top' players arent at a standard that the 'top' players of the past were at, save for a couple of players. Quite how Darts has managed to become so popular again, with pretty much one player dominating, is something to work out though.

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Chester™

As a sidenote, I tell you what doesnt help the game - dour, killjoy f*****s like Shaun Murphy, not keeping his gob shut about characters in the game, such as Ronnie and Maguire, and criticising them left, right and centre. :down:

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Maroon Sailor

 

As a sidenote, I tell you what doesnt help the game - dour, killjoy f*****s like Shaun Murphy, not keeping his gob shut about characters in the game, such as Ronnie and Maguire, and criticising them left, right and centre. :down:

 

No love lost between Maguire and Murphy.

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Maroon Sailor

 

 

 

To this extent, yes it is.

 

No sport will prosper through either a closed shop or too much change. You need a balance between established players and up-and-comers; because sports like snooker need personal stories that the public can empathise with. And you also need stars.

 

Tennis has enjoyed its greatest era ever in recent years. Reckon it'd have been just as popular if 16 or 20 players all beat each other all the time, instead of there being a Big Four who dominate the rest and the public love and identify with?

 

Snooker has always had it's stars.

 

Nobody wants the same player winning all the time. Steve Davis was not a popular player during his dominance in the 80's and Hendry cheesed a few people off by beating Jimmy White all the time.

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Chester™

 

I'm not having it that Maguire is a "character", though. How low has snooker sunk for Chester to regard him as such?

 

He's goes without a bowtie. He pulls funny faces. He has a go at Shaun Murphy for being a d**k. His interviews can be reasonably amusing. And he likes a bet.

 

Seems fair enough to me.:lol:

 

Either way though, the point is the fighting between players isnt helping and its arguably worse than its ever been. Every sport has it but over the last few years, snooker seems extra bad for it.

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18Jambo_dave74

It's a pity that the draw has meant that O'Sullivan and Trump are meeting in the semi final as opposed to the final as you would have to think it is fairly certain that whoever wins that match will win the tournament. With the greatest of respect Walden v Hawkins in the semi final isn't the most exciting of prospects but fair play to them for getting this far I suppose.

 

I haven't seen too much of it this year but to me the standard definitely seems to have dropped. O'Sullivan has played some immense snooker at times but I've seen him miss some easy chances in matches and let the other guy in only for the other player to mess up and fail to punish him.

 

Anyway, my predictions are:

 

O'Sullivan 17 - 15 Trump and Hawkins 17 - 13 Walden.

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Dusk_Till_Dawn

It's a pity that the draw has meant that O'Sullivan and Trump are meeting in the semi final as opposed to the final as you would have to think it is fairly certain that whoever wins that match will win the tournament. With the greatest of respect Walden v Hawkins in the semi final isn't the most exciting of prospects but fair play to them for getting this far I suppose.

 

I haven't seen too much of it this year but to me the standard definitely seems to have dropped. O'Sullivan has played some immense snooker at times but I've seen him miss some easy chances in matches and let the other guy in only for the other player to mess up and fail to punish him.

 

Anyway, my predictions are:

 

O'Sullivan 17 - 15 Trump and Hawkins 17 - 13 Walden.

 

Watching Stuart Bingham against Davis and O'Sullivan reminded me of a club player.

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Maroon Sailor

Trump / O'Sullivan match is pure box office - it's hard to put anything safe when these guys are at the table

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The Merse

Barry Hawkins makes his highest break of 47 in frame 15 of a World Semi.

 

:vrface:

 

And he's only 9-7 down.

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Rudi Skacel

watched the first 4 frames of that session this afternoon, switched it off after the mid session interval, the highest break was 32 and it was just dreadful to watch.

 

I did see that Walden got a century the first frame after the mid session interval so perhaps should have watched the rest of it.

 

The way these 2 are playing whoever wins in the other semi will piss the final.

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Maroon Sailor

Chalk and Cheese semi finals

 

One is a joy to watch - the other is painful

 

Seem to have the final before the final this year

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Rudi Skacel

Well Trump should have won frame 2, not clearing up the colours with them all on their spots is just criminal.

 

And to make a mistake like that in the 4th frame, hitting the yellow with the rest, is just beyond belief, especially as Ronnie punished him by making a frame winning break from it.

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Dusk_Till_Dawn

Compelling stuff between trump and o's.

 

Hawkins on the other hand is a joke. Him and Bingham are fecking imposters

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I P Knightley

Compelling stuff between trump and o's.

 

Hawkins on the other hand is a joke. Him and Bingham are fecking imposters

 

Didn't get to see any of yesterday's stuff beyond the first frame of Trump v O'Sullivan. Looks like I missed a good 'un.

 

What's the story with Ronnie making an 'improper gesture'? Was he doing nob stuff with his cue?

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Walden v Hawkins is possibly the worst game of snooker ever televised

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