World Snooker Championship...

[Titanic]

Here we go...

Defending champion and World number one Mark Selby v qualifier Fergal O'Brien... surely not a first round shock in store??

The only bad thing is the BBC still have John Virgo in the commentary box

Eurosport all the way for me then.

 

[Titanic]

1-0 Selby

A bit scrappy but the reigning champion is on his way...

 

[Titanic]

Selby finished 8-1 this morning!

This afternoon Ronnie 'blink and you'll miss him - The Rocket' O'Sullivan opens his tournament against Gary Wilson.

 

[Titanic]

Will the BBC never learn... Virgo and Thorne whittering on will only increase Eurosport's audience.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[Brownstuff]

Ronnie making a meal over nothing again
Barry Hearn is expected to be holding a press conference in the next hour in response

 

[Brownstuff]

Come on the Jimmy Robertson (sussex boy) beat that weasel Allen

 

[Titanic]

We are one frame away from the first major shock of the tournament.

World No.2 and joint favourite Judd Trump is one frame away from going out to world no.54 1000-1 outsider Rory 'the Highlander' McLeod...

They ran out of time this morning... so will resume at 9-7 after the first of this evening matches finishes.

 

[Durlston]

I hope Rory McLeod finishes off Judd Trump and has a good run in this tournament. Rory is the only black snooker player on the circuit and maybe if he goes a long way he can inspire other black people to take up snooker and become a role model.

 

[erkan]

Great evening for Ronnie fans. First 6 frames were good standard before going scrappy. Finished 6-2.

 

[SK1NT]

Best 2 weeks in sport for me.... Like to see Ding or Murphy to win.

 

[SK1NT]

Great evening for Ronnie fans. First 6 frames were good standard before going scrappy. Finished 6-2.

Genius of a player but hate his attitude to game at times. Definitely gets special treatment from the wpbsa

 

[Moshe Gariani]

Genius of a player but hate his attitude to game at times. Definitely gets special treatment from the wpbsa

Someone like Ronnie will always divide opinion.

He is definitely my favourite sportsman of all time.

 

[SK1NT]

Someone like Ronnie will always divide opinion.

He is definitely my favourite sportsman of all time.

I always loved Jimmy... Go on Jimmy. Hard to really warm to any players nowadays.

Ronnie however as a player he's a genius. However it is his demeanor at this big tournaments is piss poor.

Constantly threatening to quit the game.
Moans about the refs
Moans about the WPBSA
After his first round match he didn't even have the ettiquette to congratulate the debutant he played in the first round.
Self Obsessed
Moans about Barry Hearn
When he turned up to tournaments he use to say " i am only here for the money, i have to put my kid through school"
I think in the early days he hit Len Ganleys son (now a tournament director)

As a player, he's quality. As a person he is a spoilt, ungrateful brat

 

[Gritt23]

Genius of a player but hate his attitude to game at times. Definitely gets special treatment from the wpbsa

You can see why though. Easy to dismiss players with attitude as "not bigger than the club" or "not bigger than the game" but if ever there was a situation where that's not true it's Ronnie and Snooker. The day he walks away, Snooker will be poorer for it, with interest and viewing figures taking a nosedive. When Alex Higgins was around, the sport was in its hayday with plenty of others who drew the crowds in, not least of course, Jimmy White. But now, when Ronnie gets knocked out of a tournament, interest does wane.

The sport needs him, probably more than he needs the sport, and as such the WPBSA are in a sticky spot when it comes to hauling him into line.

 

[SK1NT]

You can see why though. Easy to dismiss players with attitude as "not bigger than the club" or "not bigger than the game" but if ever there was a situation where that's not true it's Ronnie and Snooker. The day he walks away, Snooker will be poorer for it, with interest and viewing figures taking a nosedive. When Alex Higgins was around, the sport was in its hayday with plenty of others who drew the crowds in, not least of course, Jimmy White. But now, when Ronnie gets knocked out of a tournament, interest does wane.

The sport needs him, probably more than he needs the sport, and as such the WPBSA are in a sticky spot when it comes to hauling him into line.

Agree that the interest does drop a little when he is out of a tournament however i really don't think he is bigger than the sport. People will get use to not seeing him play. He's hardly the character that White or Higgins was.

He should have received some kind of punishment years ago. Reminds me of the Clarkson/Top gear situation.

 

[Gritt23]

People will get use to not seeing him play.

Avid snooker fans will, but plenty will simply stop watching. as it is, the sport has lost a lot of viewers because "it doesn't have the characters it used to have" and he is the last one really bucking that trend. I think the sport has a real problem coming when he goes, and as such they are worried about hastening the arrival of that day.

Reminds me of the Clarkson/Top gear situation.

Exactly. Clarkson wasn't just bigger than the programme, he WAS the programme. Just ask Chris Evans how the show went without Clarkson.

 

[Titanic]

...Exactly. Clarkson wasn't just bigger than the programme, he WAS the programme. Just ask Chris Evans how the show went without Clarkson.

Evans is a cock. The new series works perfectly well without Clarkson, May and Hammond.

 

[SK1NT]

Avid snooker fans will, but plenty will simply stop watching. as it is, the sport has lost a lot of viewers because "it doesn't have the characters it used to have" and he is the last one really bucking that trend. I think the sport has a real problem coming when he goes, and as such they are worried about hastening the arrival of that day.



Exactly. Clarkson wasn't just bigger than the programme, he WAS the programme. Just ask Chris Evans how the show went without Clarkson.

I do feel that you are right however as an avid snooker fan myself he annoys the sh*t out of me.

Evans is a cock. The new series works perfectly well without Clarkson, May and Hammond.

Agree...much prefer the new series now. Kinda highlights that it could work without Ronnie

 

[Gritt23]

Evans is a cock. The new series works perfectly well without Clarkson, May and Hammond.

Yes it does, I like the current series, but I don't know how the BBC are doing with viewing figures, and sales of the programme around the World.

 

[Gritt23]

...much prefer the new series now. Kinda highlights that it could work without Ronnie

Of course, it absolutely CAN work without Ronnie, but it's the risk, because as the game stands right now we are looking at snooker taking a hit in popularity equivalent to Top Gear with Evans at the helm. While, like you, I get frustrated by the preferential treatment he receives, I do understand how it happens. Right here, right now, the game needs him, as Mark Selby simply doesn't rack up the viewing figures.