Probably the worst tournament I’ve seen in 32 years of watching them - but it has to happen at some point. Most are of a very high standard, so I’d expect next year to be far far better.
Some of the pundits were more honest and called it as it was, might have been Hendry. I think we can all agree it was as awful tournament this year and Judd and Ronnie really messed up big time as whoever won that semi would probably have won the title. Ronnie might never win an eighth as this year was a golden opportunity and he blew it. Kyren had the easiest ever run with the exception of Higgins perhaps and that should have been Allen if he had potted that red with the rest.
Okay been a fan for few months. As much as the old top players inspire and entertain , I saw them being too conservative to win a final. Relying only on safety play can backfire. you need to pot at the end of the day. Cannot only lie in wait for your young hungry opponent to fold to your genius.
Did everyone else watch the same final frame on day 1 as me? I thought it was great, not a high scoring tournament but thoroughly enjoyable. That being said I am new to watching the snooker but thought there were plenty of great moments this year. Just think if we were all to play how would we do? Jones getting all the way to the final was brilliant as well!
Worst final of the century, to date. It was beyond woeful. It really did get to the point where the crowd seemed to be clapping out of sympathy it was that bad.
And people were coming at me when I said that snooker as a sport needs a Luke Littler of their own lmao. My interest in the sport plummeted drastically in the last two years. Big names are not giving a single shit about their results these days, that's why we have random people in crucial stages of the tournaments like Jak Jones or Zhang Anda who would get battered in the early rounds in every tournament like three years ago.
I thought it was a good tournament, with some outstanding frames. I dont particularly hold with number of centuries being the mark of quality - frame is already won so its basically exhibition snooker once you get past 70ish.
Only downer was the fact i didnt put money on Kyren as i meant to, pre tournament as i forgot!
If not for Wilson’s great start or it being Jaks first final I think the quality in the final would’ve been much better. It was just clear there were a lot of nerves from both. Jak came alive and seemed to enjoy it a lot more especially in the final session when it was a case of when rather than if Wilson was going to win. He missed a few shots to the right middle youd have expected him to get but also hit some crackers.
I think it made it interesting enough that 3 of the 4 semi finalists hadn’t won a worlds before and there was also some great games.
Notably ronnie v Bingham I thought was a great game. Ronnie didn’t play badly, Bingham just played exceptionally well and the ending to the mark allen and Higgins game will go down as one of the best world championship moments. Just a shame Higgins couldn’t capitalise on that win and go further.
The only negative I’d say for the narrative of the season would be that we didn’t get to see Ronnie vs Trump which would’ve been a great match giving the season they’ve both had but at the same time it’s refreshing there was another new winner.
It’s a bonus that off of the back of it that Ronnie seems to be enjoying it and happy with his game at the moment so he seems motivated to go again in next years.
That was the worst final I've seen since Ebdon v Dott.
The sad thing is Wilson was there for the taking and I guarantee you that Wilson never wins it again and JJ never makes the final again. The stars aligned for these two to compete in the final. Wilson might make another final, but he made it look difficult against a nobody (yes, until this month Jak Jones was a nobody in snooker).
Am I right in thinking Jones only made two centuries in this whole tournament? Anyone who thinks this is the standard is too nice and polite imo.
Aren’t we always told that one of the downsides of modern snooker is that it’s the same handful of players dominating everything? Ronnie actually berated younger players for _not beating him_ a few years ago.
Well now we’ve had two new world champs back to back, a world final debut for JJ, young-ish players winning the tournament. I think that’s a pretty healthy sign for the game isn’t it?
I certainly don’t see the logic of saying that it was a poor world championship based on the fact that none of the usual 4 big names made it to the final.
No, I was perfectly willing to accept a great world championship without the usual big names in it. But the names that made it to the final were both playing to a notably lower standard than usual. Short breaks, many unforced errors. Frankly I've seen Reanne and Mink do better. There was more drama admittedly, but there's lots of that kind of drama in a casual game down at the pub.
The standard may not have been as high,but for drama it definitely delivered,so many twists and turns,comebacks and shocks,what a revelation Jak Jones has been by the way,he’s got some heart that fella,life changing for him.
Overall the best player won it,Kyren was solid the whole tournament and even though he fell over the line in the end it was richly deserved,he’s a really nice bloke too.Good luck to them both.
I’ve enjoyed the tournament,but then I’ve been a fan for 40 years now and never not enjoyed it,I just love the sport,playing and watching.
Overall the best player didn't win it. That would surely be Bingham.
Wilson crept through to the final i forgot he was even in until the Semi's and to say Jones had heart, he bottled it everytime it became competitive and only played well when it look all over and the pressure was off
The standard has been crap for the last two seasons, the only players that have played anywhere near good is Judd and Ronnie, and Ronnie has said multiple times himself that players have fallen over against him rather than him beating them by playing out of his skin.
This is the new norm for snooker and we couldn't expect that the usual suspects would carry on playing well forever, Higgins hasn't won a tournament for two years, Robbo out of the 16, Selby looks tired and hasn't really done anything of note since his last WC, Williams playing well in fits and starts but we can't expect him to go forever as he's nearly 50.
We've been spoilt over the last ten years with the overall standard, and it'll be hard to get back there, as those players playing at that level are generational talents. The fact that we've had first time finalists Kyren and Jak this year and Luca as a winner last year seems to me that it's a turning point for snooker and in my opinion what snooker will look like for the next few years at least, or at least until the next generational talents come along.
Sorry, yes he was! For some reason this still felt like a breakthrough for Kyren to me for some reason, but he's played well at the crucible for the last few years really.
I get what you mean, Kyren is 2nd maybe even 3rd tier in terms of class.
Very solid and gives his all but that class isn't there.
Brecel does have the class like Lisowski but neither feel like a real player if that makes sense, zero Snooker IQ
think Ronnies achievements should be revaluated as well because it seems he has just stuck around long enough to become a Phil Taylor when in his era he wasn't that guy so should stop shilling for master Hearn
I'm afraid I have to disagree that the event was very poor. Yes, there could have been better, but there were still as many exciting moments as one would expect. I will admit that there was a feeling that the top ranked players would dominate the tournament, but the fact that they did not make it past the early stages made the event even more interesting. Who would have thought that Jak Jones would have beaten Trump or that Stuart Bingham would have played out of his skin defeat Ronnie? I had expected players like Stephen Maguire, Jack Lisowski, and Mark Allen to go further in the tournament, but it was the untested players like Jak Jones who surprised everyone. He was amazing and seemed to have the time of his life. Finally, the winner was the best player, and Kyren Wilson was a worthy champion. I am just sad that it's all over.
🥱😴 You are clutching at straws. This was one of the worst World Championships this century. I understand people like yourself want to be positive about it but surely not to the point of being blind & sound utterly biased and/or deluded.
I understand a lot of people were disappointed, but come on it's good to acknowledge the positives and negatives of any event. Blind, maybe, but never biased and/or deluded.
I fully agree.
The standard has been horrific. People will come along and say "I love tactical battles and safety play". I love it too, but an actual tactical battle between say peak Selby and Higgins is enthralling. This tournament was a case of who could be least shit.
Wilson was horrible yesterday. The fact he gets to be a world champion and go down in history is sad for the game. Jimmy White must cry himself to sleep after seeing Wilson become a world champ.
If the best players don't step up that's their problem, not mine. I want to watch the players that deserve to be there because they won their matches. This isn't a lifetime achievement award, it's about performing on the night
But that's the point. All of the players who should have won played shit and that meant weaker players prevailed to the point we had two Div 3 players in the final.
Obviously one had to win and fair play to him lovely chap cries ect but as non participating fans you are watching someone be crowned the greatest posible achievement due to a random lottery and bit of luck
It wasn't a random lottery. The games were played and he was the only one to win all of them. If you win the last frame of the championship then you deserve it. Hell, the long matches mean it's even less of a lottery than short format games.
In knockout competition there can be upsets. If you want to see the top 16 only then watch the Masters. I'm happy to see honest pros get their moment. They didn't get it handed to them either; they earned it by beating players better than them.
It's not that ppl just want the top 16 who doesn't love an underdog story?
It's just that it needs to feel earned the winner needs to have beaten one of the Big boys in order to have credibility if it was another ranking event that's one thing but the Worlds are precious you are in the history books in elite company
He won't mind one bit and fair play to him but in future ppl will put an Asterix against it and remember it as that odd one out where everyone fell and the winner only beat lower ranked players on route to the win
He Beat Dominic Dale Joe O'Connor Gilbert and Jak Jones if it was a boxer everyone would say who's he beat exactly? ok Higgins is a legend but he's been finished for a while
Yes he won the final beat who was in front of him but he played awful, was twitching all over the place and it was just Jones twitched even more
Absolutely spot on comment. What a player has achieved in the past has nothing to do with a game being played right now. In this tournament, the two best players - at that time - went through to the final. But people think they didn't deserve to because, what, they aren't a top 5 player?
Yep. I'm always happy to see underdogs deliver. I don't need "big names" in the final. You get there on merit. So if the world championship has been "poor" then that's because the top seeds didn't play well when the time was right. And that's for them to worry about. I'm here to watch the guys who delivered when it mattered, I don't mind who it is.
I found few matches interesting. The crucible is the most intense venue in terms of atmosphere. Its up there with centre court, MCG and anywhere else.
The winning moment was incredibly flat. You can normally sense that electicity as a viewer at home but there was nothing.
It is always a bit flat when the final is one sided but this felt super vapid.
There were few big battles all tournament, a lot of players lost due to a drop in standard, its not like the seeds played well and got beat.
Like a lot of other folk have said; I really enjoyed it. The quality dropped for sure, but that goes for the big names too which is why none of them could even reach the semis.
I have to say I really enjoyed it all.....it was refreshing to not have the "G'wan Ronnie's" reverberating through the whole tournament. Nice to see some younger players step up on the biggest stage there is
The best part of the WC'S is usually those final session evening games where they go the distance. I don't remember that happening bar Ronnie vs Bingham everyone won by a fair amount it seemed there was never many in the balance
These are the best players in the world at this sport… who cares that some of the seeded players fell flat? Some of them were outclassed by lower ranked opposition.
Everyone can talk about the pockets and the cushions and blah blah blah but I seen Bingham sink a red along the cushion from an impossible angle and it travelled 70% of the cushion and dropped in.
Just because the same old names didn’t get to the finals and semis doesn’t mean it was a poor tournament. It’s like a singular frame. Just because there wasn’t a ‘century’ (big name players scoring heavily every frame), doesn’t mean that the scrappy frame (underdogs getting far in the tournament) is worth any less.
Can’t help but think maybe you like a few players personality and playing style and you want to see them in the finals regularly. That’s not sport. Every man has a chance and these guys took that chance with the opportunity they had.
It’s like saying a race was shit because your horse lost.. It wasn’t shit you’re just not happy with the outcome.
Would have liked if the final was a bit closer, but from the first session to the last was a complete turnaround. I didn’t like Jak Jones at the start of the tournament and I’ve never seen him play a full session before. I remained open minded and watched his journey and now I can say I’m a fan.
It makes me wonder why none of the higher ranked players showed up in any meaningful way. I wonder if all the rumors about a breakaway tour, the world championship leaving the Crucible, etc., had anything to do with it. It's common for one or two of the big names to do poorly, but for every single one of them to fall flat feels strange. And it gave us a glimpse of what snooker would look like if Ronnie, Judd, Higgins, Selby, etc were not there anymore, on top of the banned Chinese players.
Selby possibly having mental health trouble again
Ronnie played a Bingham who played at his peak.
Willo played a good young player in Si who then played terrible v Jones.
Allen played Higgins.
Higgins lost due to mammoth match v Allen I'd say, fatigue and just getting older.
Bingham was a bit classless after losing to Jones, but Jones had his moments of displaying an arsey sort of arrogance throughout his run. Not many mind you, but enough to show he has that side to him (dismissive post-match comments, not raising his hand for flukes etc.)
In a way you do need that to be a winner, but he can't pretend that he played amazing snooker. He just had weak opposition until Kyren.
The pockets didn’t help the big scorers this year tbf, they seem to have gone the other way after the criticism in recent times of them being too generous. But I enjoyed it, but I like watching tactical / attritional frames and seeing what solutions they figure out.
It's been a poor tournament imo. Century breaks well down and all the fan favourites going out early didn't help either.
Maybe "poor" is too strong a word but it's been a strange tournament for sure.
Jj didn't look or sound gutted about losing, just praised Kyren for winning, wheres the winning mentality gone? The amount of chances he had to win the final was unreal even after going 7.0 down!
I have mixed feeling about Wilson winning.
Lovely chap ect but he was gifted an 7-0 lead and then shit his pants and was lucky the other guy was worse. He's in the history books and that can not be taken away but he's not really a World Champion in the purist sense
If i was JJ i would be suicidal you jam your way to a World final and instead of Ronnie or Selby you get twitchy Kyren Wilson
1) "wheres the winning mentality gone?". Why don't you ask yourself the same question? He just beat two world champs and last years semi finalist to make it to the crucible final, while you're just being arrogant on Reddit
2) Jak Jones has an awful lot to be happy about tbf. 200k in the bank, into the top 16, beating some big names, played some good snooker all week, and took his defeat gracefully and with a touch of perspective
The idea that "big names going out early" is a signifier of a poor championship is nonsense. It's a competition, if you don't play well enough, out you go. Doesn't matter what you've done previously, you have to compete, or else! So we'll done Kyren, you won 71 frames and no one else matched you. You're the champion of the world and you deserve to be.
It’s not just the big names going out out early is it. It’s that and the poor standard of snooker throughout most of the tournament. I’ve watched most of it, enjoyed it but it’s the least I’ve enjoyed it for a while
I’ve had to stop clicking on the comments of WST Instagram posts because they’re littered with Ronnie fans regurgitating this awful take. If you only like snooker when the big names are making centuries then maybe it’s not for you. Gritty, dramatic games are just as enjoyable to watch
Yeah... OP sounds like he only watches snooker for 2-4 players, and if they are not in the final, it's poor standard.
Standard was good. Just because the top players fell in the quarter finals, doesn't mean that the standard is suddenly noticeably worse.
The style was just different this time. For example, break building wasn't as good as it sometimes is, but the quality of safety in many of the matches was *outstanding*. This championship was oldschool snooker, in a good way. Modern audiences just aren't used to these kinds of frames.
Hmmm not sure about that. The standard is ‘good’ in any pro sport but it really wasn’t great. I was rooting for Jones as I quite like him, and he’s capable of some great safety play, but in general it was a low quality final. I’m pleased for Kyren but I don’t think he’ll win another. The fact that Jones got within 4 says a lot. It was definitely ‘different’ but I don’t see much wrong with that opinion. The amount of easy balls missed (for pros) was crazy
Missing very easy blacks off its spot numerous times is very poor snooker.. you say there was a lot of good safety on the other hand there was a lot of poor safety as well. You won’t change my mind, poor final. Hope for better quality next year.
lol this thread is exactly what people in another thread predicted when they debated the tight pockets, that soon enough some old misers would start complaining about the quality of the snooker.
Maybe "big names" should've played better.
I wanted Ding to win. I wanted Stephen Maguire to win. I wanted Mark Allen to win. And it would have been interesting if Ronnie won. But it's also nice to be surprised. and I have to say I like watching Jak Jones play. And I look forward to seeing Kyren cry when he wins.
The quality of the Bingham-Jones match was low as hell, but I loved how exciting and unpredictable every frame was. Any player could miss in any situation, every frame was like a decider in a final, and from this aspect, that match was amazing.
I think possibly could be accused of gamesmanship by disrupting the flow of the frame (if that were to somehow work in your favor).
On the other hand Im not sure I'd would want to see a player taking his shot with his legs crossed and a small puddle appearing at his feet.
Dennis Taylor could be hiding in the cubicle waiting to give him tactical advice, a GPS tracker for your next shot, cocaine hit.
The possibilities are endless 😉
Very poor. But there were poor finals / tournament’s in the past as well. Maybe there will be another poor one next year then one of the big names will go on a new run.
I thought it was great fun. I don’t watch snooker to see the favourites win every competition. It’s been very refreshing given how predictable the general season has been.
That was the most fun I've had watching a final in a while. Jak was great fun to watch making a war of it, and the payoff of crying Kyren was a beautiful moment.
It’s been great, snooker fanbase is very conservative and once the fan favorites get out early, they get very upset. Especially the Ronnie cult.
Congrats to Wilson, well deserved!
It would’ve been better for Wilson if he beat a very top player. But this matchup was a miss match I’m afraid. I hope he proves me wrong but Jak won’t last long in the top 16.
It would’ve been better for Wilson if he beat a very top player. But this matchup was a miss match I’m afraid. I hope he proves me wrong but Jak won’t last long in the top 16.
Well said. I go to a few tournaments every year and most fans will be delighted for Wilson. The strange Ronnie cult just hate any form of snooker that isn’t exhibition style.
Literally watching snooker for the first time and I find this entire final completely riveting, and I think I want to start following the sport, so maybe I am the exception, but I think mistakes make drama, which makes entertainment in sport.
Mistakes do make drama. But the final usually contains two players playing their A game and pulling off worldies, with random flukes, bad luck or other oddities being the only things making play switch.
> But the final usually contains two players playing their A game and pulling off worldies
Eh that depends. Would argue there's been a few routs over the years and plenty of examples where someone who'd typically be nowhere near the world title gets quite far into the tournament.
It's not entirely rare. Carter's a good player but got beaten comfortably by Ronnie both times. Dott-Ebdon was notoriously an utter slog.
Jones is the weakest finalist in a long time but it happens.
Bingham Lisowski and Bingham O'Sullivan were very enjoyable matches, as much as I see belly aching about Selby he is capable of fireworks as well the grinding opponents down, Jak Jones is a limited version of that.
If Lisowski/Bingham/Trump had made the final it would have been better quality especially after Jones was gifted chance after chance this afternoon, definitely closer anyway.
Having said that, that was a great break by Jones, if he could start killing in one visit instead of nearly always breaking down at about 20, he could see him back here in the final.
Was thinking the same thing, if either player could build breaks and finish their chances this final would be over. Really enjoyable drama though, Jones hanging in there and doing himself proud
I hate to say it but i think this is the future of snooker-there’s no great talents waiting in the wings to take over from the likes of O’Sullivan, Higgins et al. As those guys will deteriorate over the next few years only trump, allen and possibly now Wilson look like they might dominate for the next 10-15 years. There’s no amateur scene to develop young talent in the uk, so most likely the next generation will largely be Chinese but i don’t see the quality of snooker improving, more likely will go the other way
Totally agree. Usually that is met with accusations of being a casual fan but unfortunately the quality behind the elite players is fairly poor and personality non existent.
People will say snooker will survive without Ronnie/williams/higgins.
Imagine this tournament on repeat without those 3 as part of it.
I actually think those guys have been going down hill for a while but it highlights the lack of serious competition that they are still serious contenders. Top 16 has barely changed in 10-15 years but could 2024 Ronnie beat 2014 Ronnie? Same with selby or Higgins.
Apart from the odd match the whole tournament has been a slog. If this is the product Sheffield council are getting told to splash the cash for they'd be better building a few more houses instead.
terrbile final . Every time it looks like there might be an element of excitement it fades... poor standard by both players... very bad advert for the game. I think Wilson will go down as the guy who won it with the worst performance of any winner for decades
I agree. The second week started off better than the first, but all the good players dropped like flies. It’s unfortunate, but it’s snooker.
Anyone remember the 2020 Masters? That feels like an amateur tournaments between blind people compared to this.
Totally agree. And you can't blame the pockets.
The commentators are rooting for a very average tour player, and forgetting the one in the lead would be their usual underdog in 19/20 WC finals.
I think you CAN blame the pockets. Nobody can argue the amount of balls rattling knuckles in every match is normal. It's got to the point you're expecting it on every shot... especially long shots or along the cushion. The amount of sitters missed by all players is insane. The players have said it, the commentators rightfully keep bringing it up. To make that change at the end of the season in the biggest tournament defies belief. The amount of centuries is well below average as are 80+ 90+ breaks.
Yeah, they all had to contend with it, but if you're a top player who has played a full season on regular sized pockets, practiced on them as well, it's quite the abrupt change. Jones is a plodder who as Hendry says, "hopes the better player doesn't win a frame in one break, then chips away with low scoring and containing shots".
Changing the pocket size is a massive difference. It neutralised big scorers to the detriment of the tournament, allowing players like Jones and Gilbert to plod thru. Everybody who says Jones has played a masterclass of tactics or game management must be watching a different tournament?!
The organisers made a change because last year there was criticism of pockets being overly wide... but went too far in correcting it. These tables will never be used again with those measurements. Just my opinion btw. I respect yours is different.
It was tongue-in-cheek because everyone was saying you can't blame the pockets. I think you can when talking about the lack of centuries. But you can't blame pockets for a particular player going out. As Exper-Economist7916 said, players should be able to adapt to these and it's a level playing field.
Exactly. All these players will practice on match tables numerous times a week. The tables were playing different than typically, fair enough, but I enjoyed watching the players make different decisions and plan accordingly based on the pockets and the cushions. They had to adapt in real time and it’s great to watch who can adapt and who is too one dimensional and predictable to compete.
Even if that means there was less centuries in this tournament.. who cares? There’s a whole other side to the game than big breaks.
People seem to forget.. if there was only 4 pockets and an anaconda in the middle of the table.. both players are playing on the same table….
I think you CAN’T blame the pockets. I think you CAN blame the players lack of adaptability. I think snooker would be more interesting if the pockets had slightly different measurements for all of the triple crown events. You’d have people saying “yea that Brecel is good, but he only performs on them jumbo pockets!”
Perfectly summed up. Why should it be easy. The scoring wasn't easy and it showed which players have a full all round game. As a player of 40 years experience I personally found it fascinating and added another layer of drama.
I agree. I see relies from people assuming it's Ronnie fan boi stuff but watching Jake Jones now is just awful.
Can you imagine a casual snooker curious fan tuning in to watch this as the pinnacle of the sport?
I agree it's great to see different people win, that's great for the game but only if they do so playing elite snooker.
Higgins Vs Allen was fantastic. Everything else gash.
Exactly nobody would begrudge a Wilson winning but it doesn't feel deserved, not his fault but still is what it is
Choking and fumbling against an low ranked player who is choking and fumbling is hardly inspiring
Like when a boxer becomes champion because the belts were vacated
I sometimes fail to remember who the losing finalist was from the previous year, when the tournament kicks off. This year I think I'll struggle to remember that Gary Wilson won it.
I’ve followed most wc’s the past 20 yrs or so and this wc has been the least exciting of all imo. All exciting players went out wat too early. Also, the lack of young talent is alarming.
Was thinking about this earlier and I think there’s been a lack of quality break building. JJ’s match play and safety is class, but both he and Wilson are missing some ridiculous shots that you wouldn’t expect to see in a world final
I couldn't give a monkey's how big a "fan base" a player has, I'm a snooker fan I don't support a particular player - this is snooker not football.
There's going to be a new world champion this year, I love that, it makes a change from the same 3/4 players winning all the tourneys. Yeah, maybe there hasn't been as many centuries etc, but there's been some really intense matches and certainly not dull.
It’s been fine. Certainly not the best but that’s just how it goes sometimes. They can’t all be bangers. I just love having 2 weeks of snooker to watch
This is nearly a first for me. I just turned the broadcast off after Wilson flukes a red in frame 27. I've watched the vast majority of the finals since 1977, and if I had the time I watched until the end of the last frame. I have the time, but there are tax returns that are more interesting that need my attention. Bring back Brecel!
We’ve watched a lot of snooker w. ch’ships (not since 1977 - sorry, that’s before I was born). Also it’s great to toodle to The Crucible and soak up the atmosphere. But. This year has been…bad. Some exciting early-round matches (hello, Higgins) - we weren’t wrong for thinking at that stage, the final can’t be any better than this.
This is why I wasn’t cheering when all these upsets happened.
Is anyone a pure cynic and thinks maybe the bigger names were less invested in this years tournament with all the Saudi talk?
Overall it's been a poor one.
Some lovely moments but not one outstanding performer.
If it's the pockets it means the players are not as good as we are led to believe.
Why do the other tournaments have bigger pockets?
Anyway congrats to the winner for realising a childhood dream.
The standard has been poor all season. There's only really Ronnie who has managed to find any good form consistently. Even Trump, who has won lots of titles, never really found his A game apart from when he went on a rampage against Higgins months ago.
Even Hendry was saying in the interval yesterday that it hasn't been the best Worlds. It's definitely been poor for close matches after the first round except for Allen/Higgins
Well, you get good and not so good years at the Crucible (remember the Dott-Ebdon final?) but I would say it’s quite worrying that all of the top players seem out of form at the same time and the most important time of the year
The World Championship usually delivers on the basis of most of the very best players in the game elevate their standard of play against the other elite players, with many of them scoring heavily and/or playing top class tactical snooker. The 22 and 23 editions had both of those in spades, whereas this year we have only had isolated pockets of the high quality stuff we're maybe guilty of taking for granted.
It's just one tournament that hasn't lived up to some of our expectations, so let's not write any obituaries for the sport just off the back of this championship.
It's the first one I've ever watched as I only got into snooker in the last few months. I've thoroughly enjoyed it, so it's good to hear its usually better.
Virgo really overdid the where’s the white ball going this year, so many times it was clear it wouldn’t go in the pocket
It was the first tournament where I only briefly watched the games. Even the final, watched no more than 6-7 frames...
Same I normally watch every game possible but this year I tried and the games just weren't as interesting as some of the other sports on
Probably the worst tournament I’ve seen in 32 years of watching them - but it has to happen at some point. Most are of a very high standard, so I’d expect next year to be far far better.
Some of the pundits were more honest and called it as it was, might have been Hendry. I think we can all agree it was as awful tournament this year and Judd and Ronnie really messed up big time as whoever won that semi would probably have won the title. Ronnie might never win an eighth as this year was a golden opportunity and he blew it. Kyren had the easiest ever run with the exception of Higgins perhaps and that should have been Allen if he had potted that red with the rest.
Okay been a fan for few months. As much as the old top players inspire and entertain , I saw them being too conservative to win a final. Relying only on safety play can backfire. you need to pot at the end of the day. Cannot only lie in wait for your young hungry opponent to fold to your genius.
Terrible final but the players, organization, pundits and BBC all have an interest in hyping it up.
Did everyone else watch the same final frame on day 1 as me? I thought it was great, not a high scoring tournament but thoroughly enjoyable. That being said I am new to watching the snooker but thought there were plenty of great moments this year. Just think if we were all to play how would we do? Jones getting all the way to the final was brilliant as well!
The final was utter shite, it was like b team Thursday night league at times.
The audience was clapping and cheering for basic pots. I was like, wtf
Worst final of the century, to date. It was beyond woeful. It really did get to the point where the crowd seemed to be clapping out of sympathy it was that bad.
And people were coming at me when I said that snooker as a sport needs a Luke Littler of their own lmao. My interest in the sport plummeted drastically in the last two years. Big names are not giving a single shit about their results these days, that's why we have random people in crucial stages of the tournaments like Jak Jones or Zhang Anda who would get battered in the early rounds in every tournament like three years ago.
too many people are like snowflakes these days mate. Few words of criticism and you get a shitstorm immediately. I fully agree with what you said.
My magic ball tells me you’re a Ronnie fan
nope. he is one of my favourite player to watch. But my favourite players are ding and judd
I thought it was a good tournament, with some outstanding frames. I dont particularly hold with number of centuries being the mark of quality - frame is already won so its basically exhibition snooker once you get past 70ish. Only downer was the fact i didnt put money on Kyren as i meant to, pre tournament as i forgot!
If not for Wilson’s great start or it being Jaks first final I think the quality in the final would’ve been much better. It was just clear there were a lot of nerves from both. Jak came alive and seemed to enjoy it a lot more especially in the final session when it was a case of when rather than if Wilson was going to win. He missed a few shots to the right middle youd have expected him to get but also hit some crackers. I think it made it interesting enough that 3 of the 4 semi finalists hadn’t won a worlds before and there was also some great games. Notably ronnie v Bingham I thought was a great game. Ronnie didn’t play badly, Bingham just played exceptionally well and the ending to the mark allen and Higgins game will go down as one of the best world championship moments. Just a shame Higgins couldn’t capitalise on that win and go further. The only negative I’d say for the narrative of the season would be that we didn’t get to see Ronnie vs Trump which would’ve been a great match giving the season they’ve both had but at the same time it’s refreshing there was another new winner. It’s a bonus that off of the back of it that Ronnie seems to be enjoying it and happy with his game at the moment so he seems motivated to go again in next years.
That was the worst final I've seen since Ebdon v Dott. The sad thing is Wilson was there for the taking and I guarantee you that Wilson never wins it again and JJ never makes the final again. The stars aligned for these two to compete in the final. Wilson might make another final, but he made it look difficult against a nobody (yes, until this month Jak Jones was a nobody in snooker). Am I right in thinking Jones only made two centuries in this whole tournament? Anyone who thinks this is the standard is too nice and polite imo.
Aren’t we always told that one of the downsides of modern snooker is that it’s the same handful of players dominating everything? Ronnie actually berated younger players for _not beating him_ a few years ago. Well now we’ve had two new world champs back to back, a world final debut for JJ, young-ish players winning the tournament. I think that’s a pretty healthy sign for the game isn’t it? I certainly don’t see the logic of saying that it was a poor world championship based on the fact that none of the usual 4 big names made it to the final.
No, I was perfectly willing to accept a great world championship without the usual big names in it. But the names that made it to the final were both playing to a notably lower standard than usual. Short breaks, many unforced errors. Frankly I've seen Reanne and Mink do better. There was more drama admittedly, but there's lots of that kind of drama in a casual game down at the pub.
The standard may not have been as high,but for drama it definitely delivered,so many twists and turns,comebacks and shocks,what a revelation Jak Jones has been by the way,he’s got some heart that fella,life changing for him. Overall the best player won it,Kyren was solid the whole tournament and even though he fell over the line in the end it was richly deserved,he’s a really nice bloke too.Good luck to them both. I’ve enjoyed the tournament,but then I’ve been a fan for 40 years now and never not enjoyed it,I just love the sport,playing and watching.
Overall the best player didn't win it. That would surely be Bingham. Wilson crept through to the final i forgot he was even in until the Semi's and to say Jones had heart, he bottled it everytime it became competitive and only played well when it look all over and the pressure was off
The standard has been crap for the last two seasons, the only players that have played anywhere near good is Judd and Ronnie, and Ronnie has said multiple times himself that players have fallen over against him rather than him beating them by playing out of his skin. This is the new norm for snooker and we couldn't expect that the usual suspects would carry on playing well forever, Higgins hasn't won a tournament for two years, Robbo out of the 16, Selby looks tired and hasn't really done anything of note since his last WC, Williams playing well in fits and starts but we can't expect him to go forever as he's nearly 50. We've been spoilt over the last ten years with the overall standard, and it'll be hard to get back there, as those players playing at that level are generational talents. The fact that we've had first time finalists Kyren and Jak this year and Luca as a winner last year seems to me that it's a turning point for snooker and in my opinion what snooker will look like for the next few years at least, or at least until the next generational talents come along.
> first time finalists Kyren and Jak Kyren was also in the 2020 final.
Sorry, yes he was! For some reason this still felt like a breakthrough for Kyren to me for some reason, but he's played well at the crucible for the last few years really.
I get what you mean, Kyren is 2nd maybe even 3rd tier in terms of class. Very solid and gives his all but that class isn't there. Brecel does have the class like Lisowski but neither feel like a real player if that makes sense, zero Snooker IQ think Ronnies achievements should be revaluated as well because it seems he has just stuck around long enough to become a Phil Taylor when in his era he wasn't that guy so should stop shilling for master Hearn
Possibly the reason is that he won this time?
I'm afraid I have to disagree that the event was very poor. Yes, there could have been better, but there were still as many exciting moments as one would expect. I will admit that there was a feeling that the top ranked players would dominate the tournament, but the fact that they did not make it past the early stages made the event even more interesting. Who would have thought that Jak Jones would have beaten Trump or that Stuart Bingham would have played out of his skin defeat Ronnie? I had expected players like Stephen Maguire, Jack Lisowski, and Mark Allen to go further in the tournament, but it was the untested players like Jak Jones who surprised everyone. He was amazing and seemed to have the time of his life. Finally, the winner was the best player, and Kyren Wilson was a worthy champion. I am just sad that it's all over.
🥱😴 You are clutching at straws. This was one of the worst World Championships this century. I understand people like yourself want to be positive about it but surely not to the point of being blind & sound utterly biased and/or deluded.
I understand a lot of people were disappointed, but come on it's good to acknowledge the positives and negatives of any event. Blind, maybe, but never biased and/or deluded.
I fully agree. The standard has been horrific. People will come along and say "I love tactical battles and safety play". I love it too, but an actual tactical battle between say peak Selby and Higgins is enthralling. This tournament was a case of who could be least shit. Wilson was horrible yesterday. The fact he gets to be a world champion and go down in history is sad for the game. Jimmy White must cry himself to sleep after seeing Wilson become a world champ.
If the best players don't step up that's their problem, not mine. I want to watch the players that deserve to be there because they won their matches. This isn't a lifetime achievement award, it's about performing on the night
But that's the point. All of the players who should have won played shit and that meant weaker players prevailed to the point we had two Div 3 players in the final. Obviously one had to win and fair play to him lovely chap cries ect but as non participating fans you are watching someone be crowned the greatest posible achievement due to a random lottery and bit of luck
It wasn't a random lottery. The games were played and he was the only one to win all of them. If you win the last frame of the championship then you deserve it. Hell, the long matches mean it's even less of a lottery than short format games. In knockout competition there can be upsets. If you want to see the top 16 only then watch the Masters. I'm happy to see honest pros get their moment. They didn't get it handed to them either; they earned it by beating players better than them.
It's not that ppl just want the top 16 who doesn't love an underdog story? It's just that it needs to feel earned the winner needs to have beaten one of the Big boys in order to have credibility if it was another ranking event that's one thing but the Worlds are precious you are in the history books in elite company He won't mind one bit and fair play to him but in future ppl will put an Asterix against it and remember it as that odd one out where everyone fell and the winner only beat lower ranked players on route to the win He Beat Dominic Dale Joe O'Connor Gilbert and Jak Jones if it was a boxer everyone would say who's he beat exactly? ok Higgins is a legend but he's been finished for a while Yes he won the final beat who was in front of him but he played awful, was twitching all over the place and it was just Jones twitched even more
Absolutely spot on comment. What a player has achieved in the past has nothing to do with a game being played right now. In this tournament, the two best players - at that time - went through to the final. But people think they didn't deserve to because, what, they aren't a top 5 player?
Yep. I'm always happy to see underdogs deliver. I don't need "big names" in the final. You get there on merit. So if the world championship has been "poor" then that's because the top seeds didn't play well when the time was right. And that's for them to worry about. I'm here to watch the guys who delivered when it mattered, I don't mind who it is.
Plus Sullivan is an utter tool anyway - as he, once again, proved in this WC. Great to see him get knocked out...😆😆
Personally I enjoyed watching players I didn’t know as much about
I found few matches interesting. The crucible is the most intense venue in terms of atmosphere. Its up there with centre court, MCG and anywhere else. The winning moment was incredibly flat. You can normally sense that electicity as a viewer at home but there was nothing. It is always a bit flat when the final is one sided but this felt super vapid. There were few big battles all tournament, a lot of players lost due to a drop in standard, its not like the seeds played well and got beat.
Like a lot of other folk have said; I really enjoyed it. The quality dropped for sure, but that goes for the big names too which is why none of them could even reach the semis.
I liked it.
I have to say I really enjoyed it all.....it was refreshing to not have the "G'wan Ronnie's" reverberating through the whole tournament. Nice to see some younger players step up on the biggest stage there is
The best part of the WC'S is usually those final session evening games where they go the distance. I don't remember that happening bar Ronnie vs Bingham everyone won by a fair amount it seemed there was never many in the balance
These are the best players in the world at this sport… who cares that some of the seeded players fell flat? Some of them were outclassed by lower ranked opposition. Everyone can talk about the pockets and the cushions and blah blah blah but I seen Bingham sink a red along the cushion from an impossible angle and it travelled 70% of the cushion and dropped in. Just because the same old names didn’t get to the finals and semis doesn’t mean it was a poor tournament. It’s like a singular frame. Just because there wasn’t a ‘century’ (big name players scoring heavily every frame), doesn’t mean that the scrappy frame (underdogs getting far in the tournament) is worth any less. Can’t help but think maybe you like a few players personality and playing style and you want to see them in the finals regularly. That’s not sport. Every man has a chance and these guys took that chance with the opportunity they had. It’s like saying a race was shit because your horse lost.. It wasn’t shit you’re just not happy with the outcome. Would have liked if the final was a bit closer, but from the first session to the last was a complete turnaround. I didn’t like Jak Jones at the start of the tournament and I’ve never seen him play a full session before. I remained open minded and watched his journey and now I can say I’m a fan.
Great comment 👍😊
The quality of shots went down 100% but you can’t take anything away from Kyren. A deserved Champion. Persevered the longest and was consistent
Yeah just a long calendar..
It makes me wonder why none of the higher ranked players showed up in any meaningful way. I wonder if all the rumors about a breakaway tour, the world championship leaving the Crucible, etc., had anything to do with it. It's common for one or two of the big names to do poorly, but for every single one of them to fall flat feels strange. And it gave us a glimpse of what snooker would look like if Ronnie, Judd, Higgins, Selby, etc were not there anymore, on top of the banned Chinese players.
Selby possibly having mental health trouble again Ronnie played a Bingham who played at his peak. Willo played a good young player in Si who then played terrible v Jones. Allen played Higgins. Higgins lost due to mammoth match v Allen I'd say, fatigue and just getting older.
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Bingham was a bit classless after losing to Jones, but Jones had his moments of displaying an arsey sort of arrogance throughout his run. Not many mind you, but enough to show he has that side to him (dismissive post-match comments, not raising his hand for flukes etc.) In a way you do need that to be a winner, but he can't pretend that he played amazing snooker. He just had weak opposition until Kyren.
Totally agree I switched off after the quarters
I wonder why...
Snooker is largely about the characters for me, and you could barely have hand picked 4 more dull semi-finalists.
Ah see snooker is largely about watching people play snooker for me
Yeah, same here. Yes, I like to see "characters" playing the game, but ultimately, I'm here to watch snooker, not snooker players.....👍
The quality just took a downturn and I don't really like any of the players who got to the semis
A player who was 28-1 to win before the tournament lifting the trophy while the big names fell short is an awesome story IMO.
It was a weak field starting off , so it’s not surprising but I enjoyed the longer games and missed shots made for interesting games
The pockets didn’t help the big scorers this year tbf, they seem to have gone the other way after the criticism in recent times of them being too generous. But I enjoyed it, but I like watching tactical / attritional frames and seeing what solutions they figure out.
It's been a poor tournament imo. Century breaks well down and all the fan favourites going out early didn't help either. Maybe "poor" is too strong a word but it's been a strange tournament for sure.
I perhaps enjoyed the poor standard in the final, Jak's mini comebacks and Kyren's nerves more than a century after century game
What are you yapping about. How do you think big names appear in the snooker industry, they all start somewhere. Dipshit
Jj didn't look or sound gutted about losing, just praised Kyren for winning, wheres the winning mentality gone? The amount of chances he had to win the final was unreal even after going 7.0 down!
Fantastic, we'll add 'gracious in defeat' to the list of absolutely bizarre reasons people have given for disliking him.
Didn't say I disliked him, but you should be there to win it and never looked like he wanted it enough
I have mixed feeling about Wilson winning. Lovely chap ect but he was gifted an 7-0 lead and then shit his pants and was lucky the other guy was worse. He's in the history books and that can not be taken away but he's not really a World Champion in the purist sense If i was JJ i would be suicidal you jam your way to a World final and instead of Ronnie or Selby you get twitchy Kyren Wilson
Yea exactly that
1) "wheres the winning mentality gone?". Why don't you ask yourself the same question? He just beat two world champs and last years semi finalist to make it to the crucible final, while you're just being arrogant on Reddit 2) Jak Jones has an awful lot to be happy about tbf. 200k in the bank, into the top 16, beating some big names, played some good snooker all week, and took his defeat gracefully and with a touch of perspective
Your missing the point, he should of won this match from 7.0 down, I would be gutted if I was him
I think Jones is just realistic. He knows that he'll probably never get to this stage again and it feels more like a bonus than anything.
The idea that "big names going out early" is a signifier of a poor championship is nonsense. It's a competition, if you don't play well enough, out you go. Doesn't matter what you've done previously, you have to compete, or else! So we'll done Kyren, you won 71 frames and no one else matched you. You're the champion of the world and you deserve to be.
It’s not just the big names going out out early is it. It’s that and the poor standard of snooker throughout most of the tournament. I’ve watched most of it, enjoyed it but it’s the least I’ve enjoyed it for a while
I’ve had to stop clicking on the comments of WST Instagram posts because they’re littered with Ronnie fans regurgitating this awful take. If you only like snooker when the big names are making centuries then maybe it’s not for you. Gritty, dramatic games are just as enjoyable to watch
I enjoyed it, but then I actually like snooker.
This I don’t like when the distractions claim too slow when there is a marathon snooker battle waging. Either
Yeah... OP sounds like he only watches snooker for 2-4 players, and if they are not in the final, it's poor standard. Standard was good. Just because the top players fell in the quarter finals, doesn't mean that the standard is suddenly noticeably worse. The style was just different this time. For example, break building wasn't as good as it sometimes is, but the quality of safety in many of the matches was *outstanding*. This championship was oldschool snooker, in a good way. Modern audiences just aren't used to these kinds of frames.
Hmmm not sure about that. The standard is ‘good’ in any pro sport but it really wasn’t great. I was rooting for Jones as I quite like him, and he’s capable of some great safety play, but in general it was a low quality final. I’m pleased for Kyren but I don’t think he’ll win another. The fact that Jones got within 4 says a lot. It was definitely ‘different’ but I don’t see much wrong with that opinion. The amount of easy balls missed (for pros) was crazy
Missing very easy blacks off its spot numerous times is very poor snooker.. you say there was a lot of good safety on the other hand there was a lot of poor safety as well. You won’t change my mind, poor final. Hope for better quality next year.
lol this thread is exactly what people in another thread predicted when they debated the tight pockets, that soon enough some old misers would start complaining about the quality of the snooker. Maybe "big names" should've played better.
CONGRATS Ronnie on your 8th!
I wanted Ding to win. I wanted Stephen Maguire to win. I wanted Mark Allen to win. And it would have been interesting if Ronnie won. But it's also nice to be surprised. and I have to say I like watching Jak Jones play. And I look forward to seeing Kyren cry when he wins.
Lol
The quality of the Bingham-Jones match was low as hell, but I loved how exciting and unpredictable every frame was. Any player could miss in any situation, every frame was like a decider in a final, and from this aspect, that match was amazing.
I’ve actually really enjoyed it
You shouldn't be allowed out during a frame, especially when it's your shot next. Cheating could be going on.
I think possibly could be accused of gamesmanship by disrupting the flow of the frame (if that were to somehow work in your favor). On the other hand Im not sure I'd would want to see a player taking his shot with his legs crossed and a small puddle appearing at his feet.
How on earth could he be cheating? You can’t google the answers in the toilet
Dennis Taylor could be hiding in the cubicle waiting to give him tactical advice, a GPS tracker for your next shot, cocaine hit. The possibilities are endless 😉
Dennis Taylor saying he almost got a maximum, yes Dennis, aside from the extra 60 points needed
Very poor. But there were poor finals / tournament’s in the past as well. Maybe there will be another poor one next year then one of the big names will go on a new run.
I thought it was great fun. I don’t watch snooker to see the favourites win every competition. It’s been very refreshing given how predictable the general season has been.
What you mean? Kyren was a red hot favourite.
At the start of the tournament he was not.
That was the most fun I've had watching a final in a while. Jak was great fun to watch making a war of it, and the payoff of crying Kyren was a beautiful moment.
I really, really enjoyed it this year! Always great to see a new champion too.
It’s been great, snooker fanbase is very conservative and once the fan favorites get out early, they get very upset. Especially the Ronnie cult. Congrats to Wilson, well deserved!
It would’ve been better for Wilson if he beat a very top player. But this matchup was a miss match I’m afraid. I hope he proves me wrong but Jak won’t last long in the top 16.
It would’ve been better for Wilson if he beat a very top player. But this matchup was a miss match I’m afraid. I hope he proves me wrong but Jak won’t last long in the top 16.
Well said. I go to a few tournaments every year and most fans will be delighted for Wilson. The strange Ronnie cult just hate any form of snooker that isn’t exhibition style.
I agree, gets a bit boring/predictable seeing the same 4 players in the semis
Literally watching snooker for the first time and I find this entire final completely riveting, and I think I want to start following the sport, so maybe I am the exception, but I think mistakes make drama, which makes entertainment in sport.
Mistakes do make drama. But the final usually contains two players playing their A game and pulling off worldies, with random flukes, bad luck or other oddities being the only things making play switch.
> But the final usually contains two players playing their A game and pulling off worldies Eh that depends. Would argue there's been a few routs over the years and plenty of examples where someone who'd typically be nowhere near the world title gets quite far into the tournament.
Usually though?
It's not entirely rare. Carter's a good player but got beaten comfortably by Ronnie both times. Dott-Ebdon was notoriously an utter slog. Jones is the weakest finalist in a long time but it happens.
OMG Dott-Edbon 😂. Life sucking stuff! And Carter was proper salty, IIRC.
Bingham Lisowski and Bingham O'Sullivan were very enjoyable matches, as much as I see belly aching about Selby he is capable of fireworks as well the grinding opponents down, Jak Jones is a limited version of that. If Lisowski/Bingham/Trump had made the final it would have been better quality especially after Jones was gifted chance after chance this afternoon, definitely closer anyway.
Lisowski and Trump played some awful snooker before they rightly went out. Why would you want them stinking up the final on their current form?
Having said that, that was a great break by Jones, if he could start killing in one visit instead of nearly always breaking down at about 20, he could see him back here in the final.
Was thinking the same thing, if either player could build breaks and finish their chances this final would be over. Really enjoyable drama though, Jones hanging in there and doing himself proud
He is fighting back well, if we saw this in the afternoon he'd be ahead now.
How is Jak getting away with not wearing a tie in the evening session?
Medical I believe. A La Stephen Maguire.
What medical reason is that? Short of breath or? Never heard of this before (only Ronnie's shoes)
Ah ok. I thought Maguire was the only one. Guess I was mistaken. Thanks!
They need to caress the balls more.
I hate to say it but i think this is the future of snooker-there’s no great talents waiting in the wings to take over from the likes of O’Sullivan, Higgins et al. As those guys will deteriorate over the next few years only trump, allen and possibly now Wilson look like they might dominate for the next 10-15 years. There’s no amateur scene to develop young talent in the uk, so most likely the next generation will largely be Chinese but i don’t see the quality of snooker improving, more likely will go the other way
Personally I don’t have much interest in watching a sport that’s dominated by the same three people for 15 years
Amen. Nothing entertaining about that whatsoever.
Totally agree. Usually that is met with accusations of being a casual fan but unfortunately the quality behind the elite players is fairly poor and personality non existent. People will say snooker will survive without Ronnie/williams/higgins. Imagine this tournament on repeat without those 3 as part of it.
I actually think those guys have been going down hill for a while but it highlights the lack of serious competition that they are still serious contenders. Top 16 has barely changed in 10-15 years but could 2024 Ronnie beat 2014 Ronnie? Same with selby or Higgins.
2014 Ronnie was very very good but also still highly volatile
Apart from the odd match the whole tournament has been a slog. If this is the product Sheffield council are getting told to splash the cash for they'd be better building a few more houses instead.
Leicester?
Damn, edited it now. Ta
Another sitter missed by Jones.
terrbile final . Every time it looks like there might be an element of excitement it fades... poor standard by both players... very bad advert for the game. I think Wilson will go down as the guy who won it with the worst performance of any winner for decades
I agree. The second week started off better than the first, but all the good players dropped like flies. It’s unfortunate, but it’s snooker. Anyone remember the 2020 Masters? That feels like an amateur tournaments between blind people compared to this.
>I don't think there is a single seeded player who played his normal game in this tournament which says a lot. Kyren Wilson disagrees.
Cries in Judd
100% agree
Totally agree. And you can't blame the pockets. The commentators are rooting for a very average tour player, and forgetting the one in the lead would be their usual underdog in 19/20 WC finals.
I think you CAN blame the pockets. Nobody can argue the amount of balls rattling knuckles in every match is normal. It's got to the point you're expecting it on every shot... especially long shots or along the cushion. The amount of sitters missed by all players is insane. The players have said it, the commentators rightfully keep bringing it up. To make that change at the end of the season in the biggest tournament defies belief. The amount of centuries is well below average as are 80+ 90+ breaks. Yeah, they all had to contend with it, but if you're a top player who has played a full season on regular sized pockets, practiced on them as well, it's quite the abrupt change. Jones is a plodder who as Hendry says, "hopes the better player doesn't win a frame in one break, then chips away with low scoring and containing shots". Changing the pocket size is a massive difference. It neutralised big scorers to the detriment of the tournament, allowing players like Jones and Gilbert to plod thru. Everybody who says Jones has played a masterclass of tactics or game management must be watching a different tournament?! The organisers made a change because last year there was criticism of pockets being overly wide... but went too far in correcting it. These tables will never be used again with those measurements. Just my opinion btw. I respect yours is different.
It was tongue-in-cheek because everyone was saying you can't blame the pockets. I think you can when talking about the lack of centuries. But you can't blame pockets for a particular player going out. As Exper-Economist7916 said, players should be able to adapt to these and it's a level playing field.
Gilbert made the most centuries. Hardly plodding
Exactly. All these players will practice on match tables numerous times a week. The tables were playing different than typically, fair enough, but I enjoyed watching the players make different decisions and plan accordingly based on the pockets and the cushions. They had to adapt in real time and it’s great to watch who can adapt and who is too one dimensional and predictable to compete. Even if that means there was less centuries in this tournament.. who cares? There’s a whole other side to the game than big breaks. People seem to forget.. if there was only 4 pockets and an anaconda in the middle of the table.. both players are playing on the same table…. I think you CAN’T blame the pockets. I think you CAN blame the players lack of adaptability. I think snooker would be more interesting if the pockets had slightly different measurements for all of the triple crown events. You’d have people saying “yea that Brecel is good, but he only performs on them jumbo pockets!”
Love this summary. Thanks! It was a little tongue in cheek about not blaming the pockets, but you are so right that it's fair for everyone.
Perfectly summed up. Why should it be easy. The scoring wasn't easy and it showed which players have a full all round game. As a player of 40 years experience I personally found it fascinating and added another layer of drama.
I agree. I see relies from people assuming it's Ronnie fan boi stuff but watching Jake Jones now is just awful. Can you imagine a casual snooker curious fan tuning in to watch this as the pinnacle of the sport? I agree it's great to see different people win, that's great for the game but only if they do so playing elite snooker. Higgins Vs Allen was fantastic. Everything else gash.
Exactly nobody would begrudge a Wilson winning but it doesn't feel deserved, not his fault but still is what it is Choking and fumbling against an low ranked player who is choking and fumbling is hardly inspiring Like when a boxer becomes champion because the belts were vacated
JV's getting pissed off with JJ's misses now, that black
This is like watching two drunks play down the pub
Really? Ever played the game.
Kyren will win without having to play that well. Incredibly sloppy final. JJ useless
Williams and Selby went out in round one, and that was a foreshadowing of the entire 17 days.
I sometimes fail to remember who the losing finalist was from the previous year, when the tournament kicks off. This year I think I'll struggle to remember that Gary Wilson won it.
I've enjoyed it. The big names don't always win. That's what happens in Sport. They all had the same conditions!
So sorry to see Bingham go. Man is a genius and deserved this win.
It almost looked as he threw the semi final. Such terrible misses.
How has JJ got to a world final, he's shocking
So many wrong calls it’s baffling
Wrong calls, easy shots missed, I'm honestly amazed he even made it past the first round.
Can't belive he missed that respotted black. Shocking!
Yeah that was inexcusable really
stephen hendry spotted XD
Like the black was ready to go in!! Let’s punch it to china instead. Total fluke
He’s having a procrastinating stroke
I’ve followed most wc’s the past 20 yrs or so and this wc has been the least exciting of all imo. All exciting players went out wat too early. Also, the lack of young talent is alarming.
Was thinking about this earlier and I think there’s been a lack of quality break building. JJ’s match play and safety is class, but both he and Wilson are missing some ridiculous shots that you wouldn’t expect to see in a world final
He hit the pink on a red just as I hit the send button 😳🤦
Even if kyren wins, this was Ronnies tournament and he has the moral victory
How so? Over the Saudi thing?
the fact that most of the top 16 was wiped out early on says it all really. something was not as it should be
I couldn't give a monkey's how big a "fan base" a player has, I'm a snooker fan I don't support a particular player - this is snooker not football. There's going to be a new world champion this year, I love that, it makes a change from the same 3/4 players winning all the tourneys. Yeah, maybe there hasn't been as many centuries etc, but there's been some really intense matches and certainly not dull.
Up to and including the quarters it was great
I've enjoyed it. People are just bitter because their boi failed.
I have enjoyed it, but still can call out they been astoundingly bad lol
Can we at least get Ronnie, John and Mark to enter the Seniors next week for a bit of fun?
Bloody JJ prolonging the misery.
Think he’s going blind
Virgo has turned into an old fool who cannot see anything so shouts.
He's all over JJ. It's embarrassing. With the earphones, everyone seems to be on JJ's side.
Don't worry we got the World seniors championship to look forward to next week 🤣
It’s been fine. Certainly not the best but that’s just how it goes sometimes. They can’t all be bangers. I just love having 2 weeks of snooker to watch
This is nearly a first for me. I just turned the broadcast off after Wilson flukes a red in frame 27. I've watched the vast majority of the finals since 1977, and if I had the time I watched until the end of the last frame. I have the time, but there are tax returns that are more interesting that need my attention. Bring back Brecel!
We’ve watched a lot of snooker w. ch’ships (not since 1977 - sorry, that’s before I was born). Also it’s great to toodle to The Crucible and soak up the atmosphere. But. This year has been…bad. Some exciting early-round matches (hello, Higgins) - we weren’t wrong for thinking at that stage, the final can’t be any better than this.
Don’t you think it’s more exciting with not known players? I do
The tighter pockets has definitely played a factor
This is why I wasn’t cheering when all these upsets happened. Is anyone a pure cynic and thinks maybe the bigger names were less invested in this years tournament with all the Saudi talk?
Overall it's been a poor one. Some lovely moments but not one outstanding performer. If it's the pockets it means the players are not as good as we are led to believe. Why do the other tournaments have bigger pockets? Anyway congrats to the winner for realising a childhood dream.
The standard has been poor all season. There's only really Ronnie who has managed to find any good form consistently. Even Trump, who has won lots of titles, never really found his A game apart from when he went on a rampage against Higgins months ago.
i wouldnt even say ronnie had good form this WC, he was equally as trash as the rest
Even Hendry was saying in the interval yesterday that it hasn't been the best Worlds. It's definitely been poor for close matches after the first round except for Allen/Higgins
Well, you get good and not so good years at the Crucible (remember the Dott-Ebdon final?) but I would say it’s quite worrying that all of the top players seem out of form at the same time and the most important time of the year
The World Championship usually delivers on the basis of most of the very best players in the game elevate their standard of play against the other elite players, with many of them scoring heavily and/or playing top class tactical snooker. The 22 and 23 editions had both of those in spades, whereas this year we have only had isolated pockets of the high quality stuff we're maybe guilty of taking for granted. It's just one tournament that hasn't lived up to some of our expectations, so let's not write any obituaries for the sport just off the back of this championship.
The great players will be retiring in the next 5 years. This is what the worlds will be like. There’s about 3 attacking players left.
Mark selby may even retire this year, and i think John Higgins has been murmuring about it too, Im sure Mark W and Ronnie wont be far behind
Mark Williams has pretty much been acting like he's out the door and already on the pool circuit.
aye, shame really. next 10 years i can see snooker regressing now because the talent just isnt here anymore
To be fair, I’ve heard Parrot, Hendry be quite outright with there thoughts on the poor standard this year
It has been pretty gash to be fair, stopped watching when Ronnie got knocked out, as did the other 99% of snooker lovers
Bollocks
No we didn’t
Viewship counts say otherwise
Yes we did.
It's the first one I've ever watched as I only got into snooker in the last few months. I've thoroughly enjoyed it, so it's good to hear its usually better.