UK Championship 2019 26/11 - 8/12 BBC/Eurosport

Joe_ Public · 08-12-2019 11:41pm

Chalk McHugh wrote: »

The money is decent now. Stop comparing it to football where it's like monopoly money at this stage. A lot of these snooker players make a good living for doing what they love. Id swap in a heartbeat if i had the talent. They get to travel the world now. Snooker is in rude health and its only going to get better. Pity it's almost dead in Ireland.

True enough alright. But elephant in the room is the uk. Snooker isnt just dying in ireland, its also the uk. Great having a star like trump, but who's coming up after him? Wilson, lisowski and after that? Nothing, James Cahill possibly. I dont know what the answers are tbh, but i would be seriously alarmed by that trend. Globalisation is good, not a bad word to say about it, but they need to start tackling that decline here. Not even sure it is acknowledged as a problem.

Joe_ Public · 08-12-2019 11:46pm

Arthur Daley wrote: »

Could be hugging the cushion with running side? But not pacey to allow it to drop

I dont think so to be honest. There isnt any deception, intentional or otherwise, about the pic. It hit cushion way outside knuckle and still went in. Gould actually laughed and shook his head when it happened.

The tables they use for CoC are not the star ones, but are the same ones they use for championship league where you have centuries virtually every second frame. I think table supply deal is up for renewal soon and will be interested to see who gets the contract.

El_Duderino 09 · 08-12-2019 11:49pm

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Look at the list of sponsors - all low level bookies. Just not able to attract the big banks and financial institutions with their big bags of money.

Snooker has such an identity crisis. It's. A working man's sport, played by normal men and the pros dress like they're going to meet the Queen. The snooker shootout is a very interesting concept. Most people just don't have days to spend watching mark Selby play safe. Bookies and online casinos is probably as much as they can get with the current format.

nkl12xtw5goz70 · 08-12-2019 11:54pm

Chalk McHugh wrote: »

He's done a great job in my opinion.

Shaun Murphy? Is that you? :pac:

nkl12xtw5goz70 · 08-12-2019 11:56pm

The 2020 Masters draw was made today. Here are the first-round matches:

Judd Trump vs Shaun Murphy
Joe Perry vs Ding Junhui
Mark Selby vs Ali Carter
Barry Hawkins vs John Higgins
Neil Robertson vs Stephen Maguire
David Gilbert vs Mark Allen
Kyren Wilson vs Jack Lisowski
Stuart Bingham vs Mark Williams

Chalk McHugh · 08-12-2019 11:57pm

We need a revival of the Irish Masters or a ranking event to come to Dublin or elsewhere in the south. All the ex pros loved Goff's and Ireland. Many like the Nugget said it was their favourite venue. Bloody Saudi Arabia getting in on the act i'd say it will be as enjoyable for the players as a visit to a dentist who is in the throes of Parkinsons disease.

Chalk McHugh · 08-12-2019 11:59pm

Mckenna Crashing Material wrote: »

Shaun Murphy? Is that you? :pac:

I've been called many things, but that is by far the most sickening insult a man can get ha.

Arthur Daley · 08-12-2019 11:59pm

it was ever thus.

There are limits to the attraction of the sport. I think it has done very well for itself and I think the BBC and Hearn deserve a lot of credit for that. The game and the circuit has a lot of attraction to some of us who like the causual and generally well mannered nature of the players. They are well dressed and down to earth lads, they are real. It's never going to fish in the same pond as boxing, tennis or f1 in my view. Footballers used to be people you could relate to 30 years ago but now so many of them are so far removed from real life, I'm not sure I'd like to see Snooker embarass itself trying to emulate that bling culture and dismally failing at it.

I'll not be bothering with this Saudi tournament either.

nkl12xtw5goz70 · 09-12-2019 12:09am

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

Snooker has such an identity crisis. It's. A working man's sport, played by normal men and the pros dress like they're going to meet the Queen.

Well, snooker evolved out of billiards, which was a sport played by aristocrats and royalty (it's believed that King Louis XI of France had the first known billiard table) and the formal dress code reflects that history. The identification of snooker with the British working classes is more of a post-WWII phenomenon.

Sure, pros could dress like American pool players, but it's nice to have that sartorial nod to the origins and traditions of the game.

Arthur Daley · 09-12-2019 12:09am

Hendry's first UK championship was in 1989. He broke through and beat Davis in the final and then went on to win his first World Championship 6 months later. It was also around the pinnacle of the 1980s snooker boom.

Hendry got £100,000 for winning in 1989, which translates to £201,000 in 2018 STG according to the Bank of England inflation calculator.

Joe_ Public · 09-12-2019 12:11am

Like in any sport the top players are pretty well rewarded. Sponsorship money probably not huge but trump clearing a good 7 figures annually and thats not bad by any measure.

My problem would be the lower down the scale fellas, you can be a journeyman tennis player or golfer and lead a very comfortable life but i could not say that of a snooker player. Less than 50 players have won over 30k this season and we're over half way through. Most of them wont play in itv events or masters so limited opportunities left for them. Just dont know how these guys can make it pay. No first round prize money cannot be helping.

nkl12xtw5goz70 · 09-12-2019 12:32am

Arthur Daley wrote: »

There are limits to the attraction of the sport. I think it has done very well for itself and I think the BBC and Hearn deserve a lot of credit for that. The game and the circuit has a lot of attraction to some of us who like the causual and generally well mannered nature of the players. They are well dressed and down to earth lads, they are real. It's never going to fish in the same pond as boxing, tennis or f1 in my view. Footballers used to be people you could relate to 30 years ago but now so many of them are so far removed from real life, I'm not sure I'd like to see Snooker embarass itself trying to emulate that bling culture and dismally failing at it.

You hit the nail on the head there. Snooker has its own culture and personalities who are far more real and relatable than the likes of Roger Federer. With the possible exceptions of the Ronnies and Trumps, their lives are not markedly different from most people's.

Plus, only a minority of people will ever have the patience and dedication to follow snooker properly. A single frame of snooker can last an hour or more, with intricate safety battles that only people who know the game can appreciate. It will never be a game for the masses.

Compare that to TV-friendly 9-ball pool matches where a rack can be over in 5 or 6 shots and where there's a 30-second shot clock. My issue with Hearn is that I see him trying to push snooker in that direction, and that should be resisted.

BorneTobyWilde · 09-12-2019 12:44am

Joe_ Public wrote: »

I'm definitely no fan of barry hearn but to be honest, I'm not sure the demand is out there. They should be doing more to try and attract sponsors who arent bookies though. But some will tell you the game was nearly dead before hearn took over so he's a god in some peoples eyes!!

Make it more fun

Distraction Snooker, where the guy not at the table can do what ever he likes to put other guy off.

Joe_ Public · 09-12-2019 12:45am

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Make it more fun

Distraction Snooker, where the guy not at the table can do what ever he likes to put other guy off.

Not first time you've used that line is it ;-)

Berserker5 · 09-12-2019 7:24am

If they get the Olympics in 2024 will be a boost

El_Duderino 09 · 09-12-2019 10:43am

Mckenna Crashing Material wrote: »

Well, snooker evolved out of billiards, which was a sport played by aristocrats and royalty (it's believed that King Louis XI of France had the first known billiard table) and the formal dress code reflects that history. The identification of snooker with the British working classes is more of a post-WWII phenomenon.

Sure, pros could dress like American pool players, but it's nice to have that sartorial nod to the origins and traditions of the game.

Oh, I get the historical reference in the costumes they wear. nd I was referring to the current game where it's played by actual people in clubs, the fans don't dress like Jacob Rees Mogg because they're normal people. The players aren't aristocrats, They're much more Lilley to be from Essex than Kensington.

The walk on music is a classic example of the clash. They walk on to 20 seconds of pop music, flashing lights and raucous applause, then silence for the rest of the match.

I think the silence and dickie bows probably limit the appeal. I think it really says something that Sky hasn't bought it and put it behind a pay wall. In its current format it probably doesn't have capacity to grow much - in this part of the world anyway

Joe_ Public · 09-12-2019 11:43am

They've already dropped dickie bows and waistcoats for the home nations events. And the snooker world didnt collapse on its head. I guess if some people had their way, the future vision for the sport would be players dressing down and playing to raucous, beered up crowds roaring things like "yellooow" every 5 seconds, as seen in the shoot out. It doesnt work for me anyway.

nkl12xtw5goz70 · 09-12-2019 12:16pm

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

The walk on music is a classic example of the clash. They walk on to 20 seconds of pop music, flashing lights and raucous applause, then silence for the rest of the match.

That clash is entirely due to Barry Hearn, who is chairman of the PDC as well as World Snooker. He imported the walk-on music and disco lights from darts, but they don't work in snooker, in my view.

I think the silence and dickie bows probably limit the appeal.

Many people enjoy watching a dignified game unfolding over hours in hushed silence. It can be completely absorbing. If the silence, dickie bows, duration of matches, etc., were the problem, we'd all be watching 9-ball pool. I do enjoy 9-ball — but it's not half as satisfying as a good snooker match.

El_Duderino 09 · 09-12-2019 12:32pm

Joe_ Public wrote: »

They've already dropped dickie bows and waistcoats for the home nations events. And the snooker world didnt collapse on its head. I guess if some people had their way, the future vision for the sport would be players dressing down and playing to raucous, beered up crowds roaring things like "yellooow" every 5 seconds, as seen in the shoot out. It doesnt work for me anyway.

It works in most other sports. Fans cheer and chant, get pissed up if they like.

Joe_ Public · 09-12-2019 12:46pm

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

It works in most other sports. Fans cheer and chant, get pissed up if they like.

I dont know. Tennis, for example, they dont cheer and chant during points. Ok, in flushing meadows they can be rowdy but a lot of people dont like that. Golf similar, only difference is lads can go to tents and get smashed and then go out and yell mashed potato on some sods backswing.

Snooker doesnt have to do anything because other sports do it imo, if that limits the appeal then so be it. I think the silence adds to the tension and atmosphere at critical moments rather than taking away from it. Players in deep concentration cant operate when a raucous cheer erupts just as he's pushing the cue through anyway. Just a recipe for chaos i think.

That's not to say it won't finally go in that direction if it wants to, only i wouldnt be interested in watching it if it does.

gormdubhgorm · 09-12-2019 6:10pm

El_Duderino 09 wrote: »

It works in most other sports. Fans cheer and chant, get pissed up if they like.

Joe_ Public wrote: »

I dont know. Tennis, for example, they dont cheer and chant during points. Ok, in flushing meadows they can be rowdy but a lot of people dont like that. Golf similar, only difference is lads can go to tents and get smashed and then go out and yell mashed potato on some sods backswing.

Snooker doesnt have to do anything because other sports do it imo, if that limits the appeal then so be it. I think the silence adds to the tension and atmosphere at critical moments rather than taking away from it. Players in deep concentration cant operate when a raucous cheer erupts just as he's pushing the cue through anyway. Just a recipe for chaos i think.

That's not to say it won't finally go in that direction if it wants to, only i wouldnt be interested in watching it if it does.

I think a number of pro snooker players said they would not mind a bit more noise. People will get used to it. Can't remember the name of the competition 6 red shootout. I think? Where the fans are encouraged to shout out the players wear t shirts no waistcoats etc. Seems to attract a younger crowd.

When you think about it darts is a much more precision sport than snooker and the crowd hardly ever shut up, except for the real tense moments.

UK Championship 2019 26/11 - 8/12 BBC/Eurosport

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