Ronnie O’Sullivan

[Charles Hartfield]

I have read a lot on here that Ronnie O’Sullivan is the best snooker player of all time. I would like to challenge that view. I am new to watching snooker so my opinion is formed from limited knowledge. I assume greatness at snooker is based upon the triple crown tournaments. If that is the case, I would have to put Davis, Hendry, and Williams above O’Sullivan because they have won all three triple crown events in a calendar year. I do grant the fact that O’Sullivan has won the most total triple crown events and I assume that the strength of the fields in these events was strongest during the O’Sullivan era. In my opinion, Hendry is the best player of all time. He has won the second most triple crown events and is the only player to win all the triple crown events in a calendar year twice. That’s my two cents. I would like to read what you guys think.

 

[garczar]

I have read a lot on here that Ronnie O’Sullivan is the best snooker player of all time. I would like to challenge that view. I am new to watching snooker so my opinion is formed from limited knowledge. I assume greatness at snooker is based upon the triple crown tournaments. If that is the case, I would have to put Davis, Hendry, and Williams above O’Sullivan because they have won all three triple crown events in a calendar year. I do grant the fact that O’Sullivan has won the most total triple crown events and I assume that the strength of the fields in these events was strongest during the O’Sullivan era. In my opinion, Hendry is the best player of all time. He has won the second most triple crown events and is the only player to win all the triple crown events in a calendar year twice. That’s my two cents. I would like to read what you guys think.

Like any other game/sport its difficult if not impossible to compare players from different eras. The four modern era greats, Davis/Hendry/Ronnie/Williams are all so close that the differences in them is tiny. I'd like to be able to have seen them in their prime play a 4-way round-robin.

 

[Cameron Smith]

So long as we are talking about the top 4, I’d never put Mark Williams in front of John Higgins.

Anyway, impossible to compare eras because you can only beat the people they put in front of you. And if your competition is tougher, then your win/loss record will suffer.

I don’t think we can look at just one tournament result, or a single season result and declare a greatest ever, otherwise we’d have to say Joe Davis is top of the heap with 15 world titles and he retired undefeated (allegedly). But of course we don’t put him ahead of Hendry and O’Sullivan for many different reasons.

 

[markjames]

hendry started to get the yips and miss easy shots, o’sullivan is going strong in his 40’s

 

[skogstokig]

i think you can compare eras in that the field ronnie has had to win against is way tougher than the chain smoking drunks of davis era

 

[book collector]

I have read a lot on here that Ronnie O’Sullivan is the best snooker player of all time. I would like to challenge that view. I am new to watching snooker so my opinion is formed from limited knowledge. I assume greatness at snooker is based upon the triple crown tournaments. If that is the case, I would have to put Davis, Hendry, and Williams above O’Sullivan because they have won all three triple crown events in a calendar year. I do grant the fact that O’Sullivan has won the most total triple crown events and I assume that the strength of the fields in these events was strongest during the O’Sullivan era. In my opinion, Hendry is the best player of all time. He has won the second most triple crown events and is the only player to win all the triple crown events in a calendar year twice. That’s my two cents. I would like to read what you guys think.

There is plenty of video footage from all of those players , watch a thousand hours or so of the top 10 all time, and come back and tell us who you think is the greatest. {It should only take 20% of that to get a real good idea }
Right now , you are just being a statistician.

 

[garczar]

hendry started to get the yips and miss easy shots, o’sullivan is going strong in his 40’s

He could still be top-10 at 50 if he chooses to play that long.

 

[gerryf]

I am new to watching snooker so my opinion is formed from limited knowledge. I assume greatness at snooker is based upon the triple crown tournaments.

Your own words.....
1. You are new to watching snooker, and your opinion is formed from limited knowledge.
2. You assume greatness is based on triple crown tournaments.

That says it all.

Watch some snooker and you'll figure it out.

 

[The_JV]

Bear in mind the indifference Ronnie plays with these days.

Many a great have ground out major wins. It seems like Ronnie gets reminded the day before and is more concerned about how well he's flicking his wrist rather than his actual results.

 

[Cameron Smith]

Bear in mind the indifference Ronnie plays with these days.

Many a great have ground out major wins. It seems like Ronnie gets reminded the day before and is more concerned about how well he's flicking his wrist rather than his actual results.

Case in point

He doesn’t play a single safety in this match. Unless you count the break off as a safety.

 

[gregcantrall]

The players opinions of their contemporary opponents is telling. I can't remember the exact words but remember Ronnie extolling John Higgins.
In the current Champion of Champions event, Ronnie didn't look sharp in dispatching Bingham 4-2. I haven't seen the match but Higgins ran over him 6-1 in the next round.

 

[markjames]

He could still be top-10 at 50 if he chooses to play that long.

and there is the word about o’sullivan,

if he chooses.

he takes alot of tournaments off, one year he took off the whole year

 

[johnhendy]

They contacted me from London to work with Ronnie on one pocket. I met him and the filming staff at CA Billiards in Fremont when he visited the USA a few years ago. He hated one pocket and they went with eight ball. Still a big thrill for me since I grew up playing snooker on 5 x 10’s.

 

[alphadog]

John,nice pic.! Can you elaborate on what Ronnie disliked about 1pkt?

 

[DeeDeeCues]

The perfect clearances speak for themselves.

Another thing, Ronnie is absolutely the only cueist that I can stand to watch for more than seven minutes. His control is amazing.

Her has also shown a lot of development as a person and champion. One of my favorites is when he is playing a young Ding, the crowd is booing Ding, at intermission Ronnie had a talk with him and got him to return for the match.

From ass to class.

 

[Shuddy]

I have read a lot on here that Ronnie O’Sullivan is the best snooker player of all time. I would like to challenge that view. I am new to watching snooker so my opinion is formed from limited knowledge. I assume greatness at snooker is based upon the triple crown tournaments. If that is the case, I would have to put Davis, Hendry, and Williams above O’Sullivan because they have won all three triple crown events in a calendar year. I do grant the fact that O’Sullivan has won the most total triple crown events and I assume that the strength of the fields in these events was strongest during the O’Sullivan era. In my opinion, Hendry is the best player of all time. He has won the second most triple crown events and is the only player to win all the triple crown events in a calendar year twice. That’s my two cents. I would like to read what you guys think.

You’ve kind of made your own fairly narrow definition of greatest of all time: “winning the triple crown in a single year”. I could make my own arbitrary yardstick: most career centuries, Ronnie is the greatest of all time and it’s not even close. (I don’t actually believe this to be the defining characteristic of the GOAT. Just an illustration.

 

[markjames]

John,nice pic.! Can you elaborate on what Ronnie disliked about 1pkt?

well let’s see-
it’s a completely new game to him
it’s odd, only one pocket
it’s mostly defense
he loves offense

not that i can possibly speak for him
but i’ve heard him speak enough to know
that, yea, he’d loathe it

called selby the torturer
wonder what he called ebdon

 

[skogstokig]

called selby the torturer
wonder what he called ebdon

"psycho", i believe. not appreciated.

Ronnie

Ronnie is snooker's most written and talked about player, and its greatest showman. His supreme talent and style have made him the People's Champion and, as one commentator put it, 'the question is not how much does Ronnie O'Sullivan need snooker, but how much does snooker need Ronnie...

books.google.se

 

[gregcantrall]

Ronnie O'Sullivan vs John Higgins in the Champion of Champions. I finally got to watch it this morning. I found it very interesting.
The greatest of all time debate reminds me of, Could Mighty Mouse beat up Superman? From one of my favorite movies, Stand By Me.
The commentary does get into some of the head to head statistics. Pretty darn close between these two.
The camera work shows John Higgins' eyes quite often on the Striking of the cue ball. Giving insight into the cue ball object ball last debate. The pool version of Mighy Mouse vs Superman.

 

[gregcantrall]

Ronnie O'Sullivan vs John Higgins in the Champion of Champions. I finally got to watch it this morning. I found it very interesting.
The greatest of all time debate reminds me of, Could Mighty Mouse beat up Superman? From one of my favorite movies, Stand By Me.
The commentary does get into some of the head to head statistics. Pretty darn close between these two.
The camera work shows John Higgins' eyes quite often on the Striking of the cue ball. Giving insight into the cue ball object ball last debate. The pool version of Mighy Mouse vs Superman.

Just found a better clip.
It would be a good fight though.