UKH

If the opposition are so amateur, shouldn’t Ronnie o Sullivan be beating them 13-0 rather than 13-10?

In reply to Phil Lyon:

I think the point they were making is that a few of them have been around so long?

In reply to Phil Lyon:

I think ronnie was talking tongue in cheek. He's a dry kind of personality. He has an ego, sure, but I don't think for one minute he believes the standard coming through is low. 

In reply to Phil Lyon:

An incredible snooker talent he may be, but I think Ronnie is just a massive tool. Honestly, he's just a man child. No doubt it was tongue in cheek but I just find him tedious and not remotely funny. 

In reply to gavmac:

Yeah, he read the room wrong. 

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

"I think ronnie was talking tongue in cheek."

in a Donald Trump just being sarcastic about injecting disinfectant sort of way?

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

Did you see the Trump - Wilson match? Ronnie's assessment of modern players looked uncannily accurate.

In reply to Phil Lyon:

I don't think he was talking about Ding Junhiu, a former world number one and the best player ever to come out of Asia. If you look at his first round match, he won that 10-1.

Whilst his motivational issues are well known, when he wants it, he is probably better than he has ever been. Which considering he is coming up to 45 is amazing, it's not a physical game obviously, but by this age Davis and Hendry were well past their best. That said, his opponent in the next round is older still and also probably playing some of his best snooker.

In reply to Phil Lyon:

As others have said, it was probably a bit tongue in cheek, however he may have a point. If you take the top players - Ronnie, Williams, Higgins have been around since the 90s. Then you have Trump, Ding and Selby since the noughties. Where are the young players since then ? There are none who are consistently competing for the biggest tournaments.

In reply to wynaptomos:

Perhaps a symptom of funding for the sport? 

In reply to Pedro50:

I'm watching it now. scrappy frames indeed.

In reply to Phil Lyon:

Just Ronnie being Ronnie.

In reply to Phil1919:

I think snooker is dying in this country. There's no young talent coming through as nobody plays snooker any more. 

In 50 years I wonder whether some of these games still be around - who's the next generation of Bowls champions, Dominoes masters or Whist whizzes?!

In reply to compost:

Golf's going the same way ,only 2 young lads play in the junior medals every week at our club ,used to be dozens of us back in the day .

In reply to Rolling coastal:

It's not surprising very few young people play snooker any more. It was a sport that people growing up in the 90s or before got into by playing pool in the pub as kids with their parents, then later with their mates over an underage lager. Back then almost every pub had a pool table. Nowadays hardly any do. Very few people have the opportunity to take up snooker any other way.

In reply to Si dH:

Wonder what rank you have to get to, in order to make decent living? Comparable to national average wage? 

In reply to Pullhard:

Top 128 perhaps 

In reply to TheDrunkenBakers:

The 128th player on the prize money list in 2019 took away £6,100. No doubt they will have a small amount of sponsorship, but not a lot. Given that competing on the circuit involves completion in Asia and across Europe expenses will be considerable.

In reply to The New NickB:

Christ that’s not a lot, wonder if there travel and hotel is covered? Otherwise they’re losing money 

In reply to Pullhard:

Doesn’t include exhibition events and hustling, but outside of the top sixteen, nobody is making big money.

In reply to Phil Lyon:

I think it's more a case that snooker was spoilt for a generation with some exceptional talent. If you look at the standard of play there are still plenty of players that can knock in a century on a consistent basis but when you compare them to O'Sullivan or Hendry of course they are going to look average.

Tennis will have the same problem in a few years when Federer, Nadal and Djokovic retire. 

In reply to Phil Lyon:

Just finished watching the McGill/Wilson semi-final. I can tell anyone that standards are not slipping at all-if anything they are getting higher. A spectacular match!!!

In reply to Phil Lyon:

Ronnie is going to eat Wilson alive in the final. What a finish to the semi finals. 

Edit: Spoke too soon. It's not over yet!

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

Depends which version of Ronnie shows up. I would not be so quick to dismiss Wilson either.

In reply to Removed Userena sharples:

yes, I did actually think that after I posted. 

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

Cue action or not Ronnie should win. Immense pressure on the young buck. 
i don’t think there is anyone else like Ronnie in all of sport. If he’s in the right place he wins

In reply to Pullhard:

Those last three frames last night were just brilliant! I didn't get Selby's comments about Ronnie disrespecting him. I thought Ronnie was just being stupid with some of those shots. That sort of ill discipline just plays into your opponents hands.

Incidentally is Selby's nickname ironic? He doesn't seem to be much of a jester to me. 

In reply to nikoid: I’m not his biggest fan but I feel for selby, I’d say the comments were heat of the moment.
Ronnie is box office, must be so frustrating to play against to know that at any even moment he could destroy you, no manner how inconsistently he appears to be playing. 

In reply to Pullhard:

Psychologically speaking it must be daunting having Ronnie sitting next to you, but snooker is a game in which some ways you destroy yourself if you're not up to the job.

In reply to nikoid:

One of the enduring mysteries in all sport his how in the first place he ever got that nickname (apart from the lamest excuse that "Jesta" ryhmes  with "Lesta"-Doh!?) I don't know what he is like in private but on telly he has never cracked so much as a single joke. He could show up wearing a clown outfit driving a collapsing car and he still would remain the least funny person you have ever seen. And, breath.

In reply to Removed Userena sharples:

Indeed😀

In reply to nikoid:

Ronnie was frustrated at points and whatever shot he decided to play was nothing to do with Selby. He's played against him before so should be au fait with his style. 

He looked like he was going to throw up over the baize at one point. 

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

Ronnie in third gear wins the thing very handy, some pup