Quite possibly the most undeserved win in a final in the history of pool

Yes, strictly British. How many countries world wide are involved in snooker? Playing wise that is. How many players outside the UK are top players? Snooker is dying in the UK ( more snooker clubs are closing than opening) and that's a FACT that even Barry Hearn does not deny and tries his best to restore some of the interest back. In the meanwhile he's creating more and more tournaments in Asia and Europe because the interest is much higher at the moment but that's only spectator-wise but not playing wise. The German Masters is a full packed arena because the people want to see live the players they had the chance to see them live only if they've travelled in the UK, BUT how many of them practice snooker professionally or even in an amateur level. None!

Is the preacher man banned? I hadn't noticed. He had a penchant for contradicting himself, too.
 
Is the preacher man banned? I hadn't noticed. He had a penchant for contradicting himself, too.

You don't get it, do you? The players are the ones who create interest, without them there is no sport nor spectators. Snooker is a dying sport in the UK and that's exactly the reason why old farts like McManus, Ebdon, Bingham, Higgins, Williams and even Ronnie are still competing at the highest level. Trump aside, the UK has not produced anything special. Just wait and see what will happen when Ronnie calls it a day, sponsor wise especially and TV wise (BBC are no fools). Ding Junhui has been on the scene a decade now and is a super star back home and yet China has failed to produce any other player worth mentioning. There must be a reason behind that. Snooker is played strictly in the UK, that will never change.
 
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You don't get it, do you? The players are the ones who create interest, without them there is no sport nor spectators. Snooker is a dying sport in the UK and that's exactly the reason why old farts like McManus, Ebdon, Bingham, Higgins, Williams and even Ronnie are still competing at the highest level. Trump aside, the UK has not produced anything special. Just wait and see what will happen when Ronnie calls it a day, sponsor wise especially and TV wise (BBC are no fools). Ding Junhui has been on the scene a decade now and is a super star back home and yet China has failed to produce any other player worth mentioning. There must be a reason behind that. Snooker is played strictly in the UK, that will never change.

Actually you're quite wrong about this. Snooker is still the most popular cue sport in the world and it's not close, and it's gaining in popularity across the world, and particularly in China. Chinese snooker events are outpacing even major sports when it comes to viewing figures, which are in the tens of millions, and when Chinese players are competing in the hundreds. Give it a few years yet, but before long the majority of the top ten players in the world will be Chinese, and a few years after that probably all of them. There are just too many people there and too many players starting at a young age for that not to happen. It's just a matter of time.
 
Actually you're quite wrong about this. Snooker is still the most popular cue sport in the world and it's not close, and it's gaining in popularity across the world, and particularly in China. Chinese snooker events are outpacing even major sports when it comes to viewing figures, which are in the tens of millions, and when Chinese players are competing in the hundreds. Give it a few years yet, but before long the majority of the top ten players in the world will be Chinese, and a few years after that probably all of them. There are just too many people there and too many players starting at a young age for that not to happen. It's just a matter of time.

What you say is true and I never denied that snooker in China is popular (hence the mention to Ding) but your prediction does not change snooker's problem a bit. Snooker will move from the UK to China? OK. What won't change is the fact that snooker is not a world wide sport playing wise.
 
What you say is true and I never denied that snooker in China is popular (hence the mention to Ding) but your prediction does not change snooker's problem a bit. Snooker will move from the UK to China? OK. What won't change is the fact that snooker is not a world wide sport playing wise.

Sorry but that's also incorrect. In addition to the UK and China it's also played a lot in the middle east, in Asian countries like India and Pakistan, in several African countries, not to mention Australia and Canada. In fact the biggest growth in the game recently outside of China has been seen in eastern Europe which is holding a few tournaments a year and where we're starting to see some young talent emerge on the world stage.

I don't necessarily think snooker is any more or less of an international sport than pool, because both countries have good representation all around the world, but to say its popularity is just confined to the UK and now China is just flat out wrong. The UK still has the majority of the best players, but it's also the place that has the most and best organized competitions at the junior levels, so it's not a surprise that those kids are developing into top players at the pro ranks. China is developing in that regard as well, though, and so are some other countries like Pakistan and India, and in a lot of middle eastern countries. A certain percentage of those will also develop to become top players, it just remains to be seen how many.

Besides, even if the sport were confined only to China and the UK, I hardly see that as a 'problem'. China is the biggest market in the world right now, even getting an 0.8 share for a snooker match means probably more people are watching than the Super Bowl. As a fan of the game I'd take those numbers in a heartbeat (and all of us can happily watch on the Internet to boot).
 
YeaH whatever happened to old douche bag??

Sorry but that's also incorrect. In addition to the UK and China it's also played a lot in the middle east, in Asian countries like India and Pakistan, in several African countries, not to mention Australia and Canada. In fact the biggest growth in the game recently outside of China has been seen in eastern Europe which is holding a few tournaments a year and where we're starting to see some young talent emerge on the world stage.

I don't necessarily think snooker is any more or less of an international sport than pool, because both countries have good representation all around the world, but to say its popularity is just confined to the UK and now China is just flat out wrong. The UK still has the majority of the best players, but it's also the place that has the most and best organized competitions at the junior levels, so it's not a surprise that those kids are developing into top players at the pro ranks. China is developing in that regard as well, though, and so are some other countries like Pakistan and India, and in a lot of middle eastern countries. A certain percentage of those will also develop to become top players, it just remains to be seen how many.

Besides, even if the sport were confined only to China and the UK, I hardly see that as a 'problem'. China is the biggest market in the world right now, even getting an 0.8 share for a snooker match means probably more people are watching than the Super Bowl. As a fan of the game I'd take those numbers in a heartbeat (and all of us can happily watch on the Internet to boot).

The gaziollionaire or whatever, who was a top snooker player from australia until he was banned for taking a dive???

Isn't his ban up? or is he too busy banging hookers on yachts or whatever he used as an excuse not to come to the states and clean up playing pool?

Jaden
 
The gaziollionaire or whatever, who was a top snooker player from australia until he was banned for taking a dive???

Isn't his ban up? or is he too busy banging hookers on yachts or whatever he used as an excuse not to come to the states and clean up playing pool?

Jaden

Quinten hann?

Do you want to play him, jaden? Lol!
 
The gaziollionaire or whatever, who was a top snooker player from australia until he was banned for taking a dive???

Isn't his ban up? or is he too busy banging hookers on yachts or whatever he used as an excuse not to come to the states and clean up playing pool?

Jaden
Quinten doesn't get out much these days. Changed his name I heard.

Neil Robertson might do it, but he may not want the pay cut :grin:
 
SVB fools at 1h46m10s and ref doesn't see it?

Am I the only one who thinks that SVB clips the 9-ball -before- the 7-ball at 1h46m10s ?
 
Is there a link there that my pc doesn't see?

genipool 14 on youtube has everything you seek.


Also I'll say it again, especially to the members i enjoy talking to on here. Sorry for pulling a ktrepal85 and not pausing before posting lol!!!
 
genipool 14 on youtube has everything you seek.


Also I'll say it again, especially to the members i enjoy talking to on here. Sorry for pulling a ktrepal85 and not pausing before posting lol!!!

I think it's been a good thread...it's a lemon/lemonade thing.....
 
Ko is, obviously, a world class player and only a fool would dispute that. However,
that being said, Shane is also a world class player and there are many fools that lurk
on the forums and chats that will dispute that with disrespect toward the USA and Shane. The bottom line is that when I compare the two I look for things that one can do but the other can't. Ko has not shown me a visible skill set that is above Shane Van Boening's! The mental game is also very very close. As far has physical endurance,
I have not seen any difference. As far as accomplishments go they again are very
comparable. So without splitting hairs and engaging in rhetoric one way or another,
I will just say that we will have to see what we will see.:D
 
I think it's been a good thread...it's a lemon/lemonade thing.....

It has been a good thread....mostly and only minimal troll feeding:wink:.
With some of the most knowllegable posters on AZ contributing about a game between two of the best ever I would expect nothing else.
 
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