Did Europe dog it?

ELBeau · Dec 11, 2016

In terms of entertainment value, the Euros could have played a little looser. Their approach to the game is very disciplined, but take the low-percentage shot to fire up all the fans! Closer matches build excitement.
I'm surprised their strategy didn't evolve. I mean, the writing for the event has been on the wall for a few years now. The event's sponsor is in the entertainment business, after all.
Maybe it comes from the lack of a gambling background. If you keep beating someone 5-2 in sets they lose interest. Same thing for the backers.
Well played event, but I think they dogged it.

Blue Jam · Dec 11, 2016

There's only one thing the home team fans NEVER gets bored of, and that's the home team winning!

Talking about the low percentage shots - the very first rack was won by Feijen with a combo on the 9 with distance and pace!

boogeyman · Dec 11, 2016

Blue Jam said:
There's only one thing the home team fans NEVER gets bored of, and that's the home team winning!

Talking about the low percentage shots - the very first rack was won by Feijen with a combo on the 9 with distance and pace!

How true, Blue Jam.

Not sure why the OP is even discussing "entertainment."
Teams are there to win, not create a production with an ending; MatchRoom does
that just fine.

Europe dogged it?
What?

spartan · Dec 11, 2016

lol
OP is suggesting that Europe dump some matches to make it close
Not going to happen with the badass winning mentality of these Euros
Will only be close if
A) they send in their D team
B) Barry sends in a snooker team comprising his buddy Steve Davis and snooker boys . Now that would be real entertainment

gxman · Dec 11, 2016

Last yr, Oscar lost a long race 10b vs Bergman and then he beat Sky 9b?

King T · Dec 11, 2016

Did you watch it???

ELBeau said:
In terms of entertainment value, the Euros could have played a little looser. Their approach to the game is very disciplined, but take the low-percentage shot to fire up all the fans! Closer matches build excitement.
I'm surprised their strategy didn't evolve. I mean, the writing for the event has been on the wall for a few years now. The event's sponsor is in the entertainment business, after all.
Maybe it comes from the lack of a gambling background. If you keep beating someone 5-2 in sets they lose interest. Same thing for the backers.
Well played event, but I think they dogged it.

Did you watch the event? You think Jason Shaw is boring to watch???

scsuxci · Dec 13, 2016

ELBeau said:
In terms of entertainment value, the Euros could have played a little looser. Their approach to the game is very disciplined, but take the low-percentage shot to fire up all the fans! Closer matches build excitement.
I'm surprised their strategy didn't evolve. I mean, the writing for the event has been on the wall for a few years now. The event's sponsor is in the entertainment business, after all.
Maybe it comes from the lack of a gambling background. If you keep beating someone 5-2 in sets they lose interest. Same thing for the backers.
Well played event, but I think they dogged it.

So what your saying is Europe should play more
undisciplined and fire at more risky low percentage
shots to fire up the crowd.
Have you thought this might piss there own
crowd off . If they lose the mosconi cup, the only
excited people will be the Americans.
IMO your plan is really not a plan or path to victory
but a sure way to lose the event.

BigDeal52 · Dec 13, 2016

I would like the USA to have that disciplined approach like I saw in the Iceman.

KissedOut · Dec 13, 2016

ELBeau said:
In terms of entertainment value, the Euros could have played a little looser. Their approach to the game is very disciplined, but take the low-percentage shot to fire up all the fans! Closer matches build excitement.
I'm surprised their strategy didn't evolve. I mean, the writing for the event has been on the wall for a few years now. The event's sponsor is in the entertainment business, after all.
Maybe it comes from the lack of a gambling background. If you keep beating someone 5-2 in sets they lose interest. Same thing for the backers.
Well played event, but I think they dogged it.

I think you do not know what dogged it means. And how insulting would it be for the Euros to play less than their best? No affirmative action in pool, please.

realkingcobra · Dec 13, 2016

scsuxci said:
So what your saying is Europe should play more
undisciplined and fire at more risky low percentage
shots to fire up the crowd.
Have you thought this might piss there own
crowd off . If they lose the mosconi cup, the only
excited people will be the Americans.
IMO your plan is really not a plan or path to victory
but a sure way to lose the event.

What he's really saying is the the Euros need to loosen up and play more like the Americans do....and buy into the beliefs that the Americans are the better players....because we say so....and that we're just suppose to win.....so LET us win!

billiardthought · Dec 13, 2016

Are old school players holding the US back?

Are old school players holding the US back? Is it just my imagination or while we cherish the good ole times, the Europeans are busy creating the new times?

What good does winner break do for our past mosconi cup if we keep losing racks anyway? We complain about 9 on the spot, the Europeans practice it. Our mentality here is that you have to pay me for my knowledge of the game. Is that how it goes in Europe or Asia?

sjm · Dec 13, 2016

Actually, the Europeans dogged it by not winning 11-0.

At least then, many of the Americans who live in denial about the size of the gap between Europe and the America in rotation pool games would have come around and advocated owning the size of the gap and doing something about it.

While the Mosconi was in progress, I rooted hard for a Team USA win, but now that it's over and Team USA has been crushed, I wish it had been 11-0.

From the vantage point of an American fan, then, yes --- Europe dogged it.

voiceofreason · Dec 14, 2016

I didn't watch it all but I watched most of it.

IIRC Europe were gifted many of the matches with the sort of errors that my pool team captain would harangue me about had I played them on a league night - let alone at this level

SakuJack · Dec 14, 2016

voiceofreason said:
I didn't watch it all but I watched most of it.

IIRC Europe were gifted many of the matches with the sort of errors that my pool team captain would harangue me about had I played them on a league night - let alone at this level

There were a lot of silly mistakes. Not just misses, bad safeties and poor shot selection (i.e. taking on low percentage shots when easy safeties were available); but also a few occasions where it felt like the player wasn't sure what to do so just played a bit of a hopeful safety - leaving distance between the balls but not a lot else - and left a shot on.

Pressure of the crowd combined with a shot clock? Yeah, but it's still something the US needs to address.

voiceofreason · Dec 14, 2016

SakuJack said:
There were a lot of silly mistakes. Not just misses, bad safeties and poor shot selection (i.e. taking on low percentage shots when easy safeties were available); but also a few occasions where it felt like the player wasn't sure what to do so just played a bit of a hopeful safety - leaving distance between the balls but not a lot else - and left a shot on.

Pressure of the crowd combined with a shot clock? Yeah, but it's still something the US needs to address.

Any brits with an English 8 ball background are used to a shot clock. Maybe a slight advantage - but really only two brit E8B players there anyway. Shaw and Appleton

vjmehra · Dec 14, 2016

voiceofreason said:
Any brits with an English 8 ball background are used to a shot clock. Maybe a slight advantage - but really only two brit E8B players there anyway. Shaw and Appleton

Was a shot clock common before they switched to 9-Ball (both will have played with shot clocks in place anyway numerous times of course since, especially Darren)?

voiceofreason · Dec 14, 2016

vjmehra said:
Was a shot clock common before they switched to 9-Ball (both will have played with shot clocks in place anyway numerous times of course since, especially Darren)?

Yes. A shot clock is used for all E8B, above pub and local tournament level and in all matches where there is a referee. For one minute rather than 20 seconds but it is important

M.G. · Dec 14, 2016

billiardthought said:
Are old school players holding the US back? Is it just my imagination or while we cherish the good ole times, the Europeans are busy creating the new times?

What good does winner break do for our past mosconi cup if we keep losing racks anyway? We complain about 9 on the spot, the Europeans practice it. Our mentality here is that you have to pay me for my knowledge of the game. Is that how it goes in Europe or Asia?

As I always say - US players need to start playing disciplined, calculating, methodically and cold. Not this instict-feeling game they do.
Stop joking around and laughing, ****ing concentrate and let go when the match is over and not a second before.
Embrace your opponent. Van Boening is an exception to that, he's on a good route.

With all this military background I would've imagined that you know how to do this?

A low percentace shot (cut, combination, ...) can very well be the best shot now to achieve the only goal there is: win.
Simply because you have mastered that shot 1000 times before.

And yes, Europe has been creating new pool playing times in the last years.
Albin Ouschan is one hell of a player and he's still young.
He's far better right now than a Strickland and he now truly earns the title "shotmaker", because that's what he actually has done. Time and time and time again.
Calculated, repeatable, calm.

Cheers,
M (who is angry about this whining all the time and all the posts that try to talk the US better than they were)

pmac666 · Dec 14, 2016

M.G. said:
As I always say - US players need to start playing disciplined, calculating, methodically and cold. Not this instict-feeling game they do.
Stop joking around and laughing, ****ing concentrate and let go when the match is over and not a second before.
Embrace your opponent. Van Boening is an exception to that, he's on a good route.

With all this military background I would've imagined that you know how to do this?

A low percentace shot (cut, combination, ...) can very well be the best shot now to achieve the only goal there is: win.
Simply because you have mastered that shot 1000 times before.

And yes, Europe has been creating new pool playing times in the last years.
Albin Ouschan is one hell of a player and he's still young.
He's far better right now than a Strickland and he now truly earns the title "shotmaker", because that's what he actually has done. Time and time and time again.
Calculated, repeatable, calm.

Cheers,
M (who is angry about this whining all the time and all the posts that try to talk the US better than they were)

+1
and some here still say albin has a "lesser skillset" than most of the americans......what a joke (but hey, fargo says so lol)!
hast du gesehn wie albin das finale in salzburg vergeigt hat? gottseidank hat das niemand gesehn hier

Chicagoplayer · Dec 14, 2016

Yup-

realkingcobra said:
What he's really saying is the the Euros need to loosen up and play more like the Americans do....and buy into the beliefs that the Americans are the better players....because we say so....and that we're just suppose to win.....so LET us win!

Sounds a bit like that.
Which, in it's innocence, is sweet sentiment, but not realistic for all the reasons everyone has stated and more.

Yesterday the Bulls blew a 21 point lead and they went on to lose the game 99-94

Team Europe plays to win not only show up and create drama.

Drama's there already, Matchroom is filming and airing it.

Did Europe dog it?

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