2019 Grand Prix

[Billy]

The key to making Phil Yates' commentary bearable is to picture Alan Partidge talking everytime you hear him open his mouth.

I'd never heard the similarities until Cue Crafty mentioned it, but yeah, he does sound very much like him.

[jonny66]

I'd never heard the similarities until Cue Crafty mentioned it, but yeah, he does sound very much like him.

I forgot to credit CueCrafty for that one ops: I would love a commentary team of Alan Partidge and the Geordie chap, I forget his name. That would be awesome.

[Jacques-146]

Yuan Sijun i ca get behind: Nonchalant, can tell he loves the game, but understands it's not the end of the world, goes for his shots, bit more of that!

[Mark187187]

HELLO FELLOW ENTHUSIASTS - Huge snooker fan, not a player myself but a massive sport fan in general. Watching the Grand Prix has for the first time opened my eyes to the real lack of 'interesting' and 'relatable' players around when Ronnie isn't there.

I'm not one to moan and love the sludgy tactical battles as much as the next fan but, the quality of play here has been way below par. The players don't smile, interact with the crowd (who to be fair have been really lifeless too) or generally show any personality. They meander around the baize with no spark or energy and it's hard to watch, specifically as i say, this weeks tournament.

Yes they've complained about table conditions which is fair, but something has to be done, someone needs to have a chat and tell them al to liven up, enjoy what they do, they have such a good life, show us that! It's entertainment after all. As much as they have a living to pay for, without the publicity on TV they would have less money to play for. And why wouldn't they put that first semi in the middle of the room and have a full crowd in/ Makes no sense to me personally.

Just little things like that seem really sketchy from Hearn and the quickfire slap-dash nature of tour now.

Fricking love the game but the new crop just don't have the application or care anymore to put the hours in practicing. That's not to say they don't practice hard, just seems like never enough. I dunno man, just felt the need to sign up to my first ever forum on anything and get these niggle out in true 21st century style on the internet to strangers!

I don't find snooker any more interesting when Ronnie is playing, but that's probably just me. Can't really 'relate' to him as you say, but I do enjoy watching him. I think, rather than a lack of Ronnie, it's a lack of Higgins and Williams performing, as well as Allen, Robertson, Selby and Murphy, which leaves the tournaments a bit flat at the moment. If Judd wasn't starting to show some form, I'd probably skip these minor ranking tournaments altogether.

[Billy]

I would love a commentary team of Alan Partidge and the Geordie chap, I forget his name.

Michael, but he'd eventually lose patience with Alan and start calling him names, especially if he was on the scrumpy

[Billy]

The players don't smile, interact with the crowd (who to be fair have been really lifeless too) or generally show any personality. They meander around the baize with no spark or energy and it's hard to watch, specifically as i say, this weeks tournament.

Yes they've complained about table conditions which is fair, but something has to be done, someone needs to have a chat and tell them al to liven up, enjoy what they do, they have such a good life, show us that! It's entertainment after all.

Fricking love the game but the new crop just don't have the application or care anymore to put the hours in practicing. That's not to say they don't practice hard, just seems like never enough.

There's a number of factors at play here. If anything it's precisely because they practice harder than they ever used to that we see this lack of smiles and 'entertainment'. Back in the 80s the game was treated far less seriously than it is now. It was played as a game, not a living, and players had a better perspective on its place in the grand scheme of things - thus we saw more tomfoolery and banter during matches. But, as I've already said these lesser tournaments are hard to get up for. The players walk into a half-empty arena with four, very short tiers of seating on three sides of the table. The crowd are subdued and the players are probably aware of the fact these smaller tournies don't attract even a fraction of the TV audience the 'big three' do.

Personally I think the atmosphere and enthusiasm at the big tournaments is fine, but it can't all be laughs and joking with the crowd. Yes, there was more of that in the 80s, but I think people tend to see that era through rose-tinted glasses. Make no mistake the 'golden era' of snooker had more than its fair share of dull matches and sour faces.

[JimMalone]

Trump really has Selby's number at the moment. Looking really dominant.

Haven't seen the match, but yeah from the results in recent past it really seems so. And this seems so strange to me. I know Selby is playing not well for his own standards the last year or so, but just from their styles of play, he should fare pretty well against Trump. You'd expect him to take his strong safety game to force Trump to risky balls and mistakes and then punish them. Just as John Higgins, whose game is so similiar build to Selby's did again and again. Maybe it's because his safety game is really gone right now? I don't know.

[vjmehra]

Haven't seen the match, but yeah from the results in recent past it really seems so. And this seems so strange to me. I know Selby is playing not well for his own standards the last year or so, but just from their styles of play, he should fare pretty well against Trump. You'd expect him to take his strong safety game to force Trump to risky balls and mistakes and then punish them. Just as John Higgins, whose game is so similiar build to Selby's did again and again. Maybe it's because his safety game is really gone right now? I don't know.

Selby's real asset was that he never left any chances. He always played the right shot and if something wasn't on, you knew the safety would be rock solid.

Currently, although some frames he looks good, he just provides more half chances than he used to and the top players only need a half chance.

[JimMalone]

Selby's real asset was that he never left any chances. He always played the right shot and if something wasn't on, you knew the safety would be rock solid.

Currently, although some frames he looks good, he just provides more half chances than he used to and the top players only need a half chance.

Indeed. 95 percent of the times he put his opponent into real trouble. That's exactly what I meant: He usually would have forced Trump to mistakes. But as you say nowadays he just leaves too many chances and his safeties don't possess the accuracy of days past.

[vmax]

No commentator has ever used the phrase 'nervous nineties' to describe a near century before now.

Cricket analogy Billy

Selby's real asset was that he never left any chances. He always played the right shot and if something wasn't on, you knew the safety would be rock solid.

He took an age over every shot and left the arena far too many times against those he feared in order to break their concentration, now he knows he can't as slow play (gamesmanship) is going to be dealt with.

[Billy]

Cricket analogy Billy

Oh. I'll let him off that one then. I suppose if McManus can say a player 'pots balls better than your granny makes soup', it's not so silly.

[Odrl]

He took an age over every shot and left the arena far too many times against those he feared in order to break their concentration, now he knows he can't as slow play (gamesmanship) is going to be dealt with.

According to CueTracker, Mark Selby has an average shot time of 22.3 seconds this season, which is the same as Stephen Maguire and Jimmy White, and 0.1 seconds faster than John Higgins. Even when he played a little more slowly than he does now, he was nowhere near the kind of numbers the slowest players on the tour have, so he was never going to be "dealt with" in any way. He is just perceived as slower than he actually is by people who dislike him. :wink:

[Billy]

Can't believe there's people who still think it's funny to shout "C'mon, Ronnie!" at the start of a match he's not involved in. It was mildly amusing the first time I heard it, but now...

[Billy]

Did anyone understand what Alan was saying in his little piece about Hawkin's style and technique? He was demonstrating his cue action and said something about the strange way he bridges when playing off the cushion. Something about 'an extra inch' but I couldn't follow what he meant.

[jonny66]

Did anyone understand what Alan was saying in his little piece about Hawkin's style and technique? He was demonstrating his cue action and said something about the strange way he bridges when playing off the cushion. Something about 'an extra inch' but I couldn't follow what he meant.

He puts the cue on top of his hand, on top of the rail sometimes. Most other players just put the cue on the rail and put their hand over it in similar situations. So there's an extra inch or so of elevation (the thickness of his hand)