World Snooker

[Mark TKO]

Not had a thread on this for a couple of years.

Anyone watching?

Semis today. Selby v O’Sullivan and Wilson v McGill.

Wilson should coast home in his. He handled Trump fairly easily and had the benefit of not having to play the first 9 days of the tournament due to a bye in first round.

But Selby v Ronnie is the big one. Ronnie just too careless this year for me. Missing easy ones and as Hendry said last night for the first time he was watching a Ronnie whilst expecting an unforced error. Maybe age has finally caught up as concentration is the first thing to go. Crazy he’s been at the top or there about a now for 27 years. No secret he’s never enjoyed the long format of the world championships.

Selby on the other hand is back to his tactical, grinding best. I find him painful to watch but he has the perfect game to win the world title as is quite prepared to let a frame go on an hour plus rather than trying to make something happen. Will get to Ronnie mentally I feel even if Ronnie gets an early lead.

Still it’s been an ok tournament even without the fans.

Anybody ??

[Primo Carnera]

Not had a thread on this for a couple of years.

Anyone watching?

Semis today. Selby v O’Sullivan and Wilson v McGill.

Wilson should coast home in his. He handled Trump fairly easily and had the benefit of not having to play the first 9 days of the tournament due to a bye in first round.

But Selby v Ronnie is the big one. Ronnie just too careless this year for me. Missing easy ones and as Hendry said last night for the first time he was watching a Ronnie whilst expecting an unforced error. Maybe age has finally caught up as concentration is the first thing to go. Crazy he’s been at the top or there about a now for 27 years. No secret he’s never enjoyed the long format of the world championships.

Selby on the other hand is back to his tactical, grinding best. I find him painful to watch but he has the perfect game to win the world title as is quite prepared to let a frame go on an hour plus rather than trying to make something happen. Will get to Ronnie mentally I feel even if Ronnie gets an early lead.

Still it’s been an ok tournament even without the fans.

Anybody ??

I caught a little bit of the O’Sullivan - Ding match and was surprised at one or two of the loose shots they both played. I know neither are know for their safety play, but even so.
Then I caught Ronnie’s interview about the standard of players today, to be fair he’s got a point.

[Master]

I have not watched the matches yet but now that it is getting to the business end of the tournament then I will watch. I have a love/hate relationship with Ronnie.

Would not mind Selby winning it.

[Mark TKO]

It doesn't surprise me you liking Selby. If he does won it and his opponent wins over ten frames in the final it will go beyond 3 in the morning....

Yep ronnie was maybe a bit harsh not there is some truth to it. Snooker needs some young blood to break through. Where are these young lads like we got with Davis Hendry Jimmy ronnie and John Higgins etc...

[Memphis]

Not an avid follower of snooker. Will watch the occasional tournament now and then. Like most things that come out of O'Sullivan's mouth, it should be taken with a pinch of salt. There's truth to it of course as there almost always tends to be, but he can't seem to help deliver that truth without sounding like a total prick.

If the young players coming through were that good, then a 44 or however old and 60/70% O'Sullivan shouldnt be able to keep up. Fact.

Fenster would know this off the top of his head but how old would Stephen Hendry have been when he inevitably thought I cant do this anymore, I can't compete. Late 30's? Early 40's? And he had to compete with a young rampaging O'Sullivan, Williams etc.

Snooker isn't a physical game. There's a certain physicality to it, but it's more of a technical thing rather than taxing. If you use the elevator method for judging someone's prime like they do in boxing, the physical side drops quickly at a certain age. Not so applicable for a less physically demanding sport like snooker, especially for someone like O'Sullivan who in his thirties I think, decided he'd take up running and recorded times for the 10k that put him in the top 1500 runners in the country. The physical and mental elevators stay in contact for longer.

Given that he's not having to fend off, well a younger him. It's no surprise that one of the greatest to ever play the game is able to compete into his 40's.

[X]

That's true, Hendry (and Davis) faced much tougher young bucks when they were older than O'Sullivan has had to. I hadn't really thought of that.

However, whilst undoubtedly a bit of a twat, O'Sullivan is a magnificent player. Despite what he says, I think he is at his absolute best now and not 5 or 10 years ago. He has learned patience and safety play!

[Mark TKO]

and it looks like Selby has got to him......5-7 now after having a 4-1 lead.

Damage limitation now for Ronnie this session. He looks like he doesn't want to be there.

[X]

​His best game is better than anyone else's, but because he doesn't practice enough or apply himself as much as he could, he also makes more unforced errors than he used to.

[X]

​I actually met Ronnie O'Sullivan in Frames Snooker Club in Croydon in the 1990's. To be fair, he was a very nice and pleasant chap and we had a beer together. I remember he had a nice coat!

[Fenster]

Frames in Croydon brings back some memories (). Don't buy that bollocks about Ronnie not practicing, there's not a player in the world who had more coaches/help/practice than him, from when he was a flash cunt teenager. And still to this day he works with every new snooker guru on the scene. He practices the same as every millionaire snooker/sports player. When he says he doesn't practice he means two hours a day before a tournament instead of 6-8 when he was a kid. It's no different from elite boxers having down time between training camps.

Yeah Hendry openly regrets packing up so young (42). Ironically he's now working with a former Ronnie guru (Feeney/sightright) for the seniors tour.

I've backed the shit out of Wilson to win the whole shebang. I can't lose on Ronnie-Selby (although slightly more profit for Selby). I know for a fact McGill is going to ruin me.

[Master]

Final game for Sullivan v Selby, tense.

[Master]

It is all about the cue action!!!!

Selby being a bad loser and saying Sullivan was being disrespectful to him.

[Mark TKO]

Didn't see a ronnie victory there after the last two sessions.

Probably just heat of the moment. Given Selby was getting the better of him in most of the safety exchanges he probably thought fuck it but to think fuck it at 14 15 is a bit strange to say the least. Selbys match play can be irritating at times too.

He won't beat Cliff Wilson in the final

[Memphis]

What happened to the Chinese takeover that was coming a few years back? Granted I don't watch a lot so it may be happening, I just don't see it. Couldn't tell you who the top 10 are without looking it up.

[Mark TKO]

Ding aside a few have featured in first and second rounds of tournaments last few years. Not an avid fan these days but guess some have got further in the lesser tournaments.

But yes where are they and the other teen sensations.

I reckon I couldve got a couple of frames off ronnie on this afternoons session. They both still hungover from gruelling semis. Understandable