World Championship Snooker 2013

Oh.........














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Barry Hawkins played well in the opening session but Ronnie still leading. Next session is at 7pm

 

really impressed with Hawkins, would love for him to win here but if not atleast take Ronnie a long way in this final!

 

Barry Hawkins squares it at 7-7 with a great 133 break, certainly giving O'Sullivan a game

 

Ronnie is just phenomenal

Hawkins just * himself.

 

Been an excellent final so far.

 

3 Centuries in a row for Ronnie

 

He just doesn't give a * :smiley-laughing002:

 

Can't believe Ronnie missed that blue

 

That was a brilliant safety

 

Ronnie`s crusin now. Hawkins has played well but O`Sullivan`s just too good.

 

O'Sullivan in the victory interview 'my career has had more ups and downs than a whores pants..

 

I backed O'Sullivan at (-5.5). Close shave.

As I said previously, I have been a fan of Ronnie for pretty much his whole career. There's never been a snooker player who's more exciting to watch(and as a huge Jimmy White fan I never thought I would say that). I do find his attitude and his lack of respect for the game increasingly annoying though I must admit. Either retire or get your head down and play the game Ronnie. Quit whining about what a chore it is for you to take part.

 

It can be irritating at times the way he handles the pressure of snooker, but that's something that will be different for everybody and if he does it that way then so be it; not everyone can take the mental strain well and Ronnie is a guy who has suffered a lot in that respect throughout his life so it is no surprise to see him show it occasionally. His honesty about it is refreshing at times - he's the only one who people will listen to concerning mental problems with the game.

This is not something casual watchers of snooker will think of probably, they imagine the job of doing something you love must be great fun - but depression in snooker players is RIFE. I know a lot of snooker players and a silly amount have suffered in this respect. It really is one of the loneliest sports, at so many different levels of competing. But more especially when it comes to fiercely competing for, in terms of modern sporting monetary prizes,what is absolute buttons (outwith the WC). As a pro snooker player if you are not in the top 16 or are already financially secure by some other means - you genuinely could be doing with a part-time job. Compare this to some of the guff we have seen play in the SPL and get paid handsomely.

There is no surprise to see players further down the rankings fix the odd game here and there, because they are not doing it just to earn an extra buck, they are doing it to pay their mortgages. The game went to * as soon as tobacco sponsorship was banned and it still boils my blood thinking of how it changed so much due to this decision - i know it was for health reasons but my argument is if you are going to smoke you will smoke - the name of a snooker sponsor isn't going to convince the others.

But getting back to Ronnie, I think a major part of the way he chops and changes his mind with regards not playing is now also to do with Barry Hearn. Both men have too big personalities for each other, the town isn't big enough for the both of them so to speak - and for me there is little doubt that they have never really seen eye to eye. I am not a fan of Hearn, nor the way he presents himself as snookers saviour of revolutionizing the game, when its just not happened at all. I am glad there is a player out there with balls to stand up to him - remember all this talk of him 'retiring' has came as almost a direct response to too many extra ranking tournaments introduced by Hearn.

Snooker is very much alive and well, but not in this part of the world. The game will be saved by countries such as china - where they are experiencing the snooker 'boom' that we felt here in the late 70s and 80s - and it is only a matter of time before the last WC at the crucible is played.

 

You've got to love Ronnie, even if you hate him

 

I hadn't realised that Ronnie hadn't played a competition for a year and initially I thought that this made the win even more spectacular.

I also heard players complaining of 'burn-out' and initially thought they were just being a bunch of moaning wimps.

Having gven it more thought, I've kind of revised my stance on both these thoughts...

Ronnie undoubtedly has bucketloads of talent, but I consider it a litle unfair for him to swan into the big money-making blue-ribbon event and compete against guys who MUST be somewhat jaded having gone round the international circuit for the previous year.

To my mind, if you want to take money out of the sport, then you have to contribute to the system that's been put in place that generates the prize money in the first place.

Ronnies apparent mental fragility and reluctance to dedicate himself fully to the sport means that I have to rate Hendry over him. As I said before - if their respective primes clashed-fully and they competed evenly across all the ranking tournaments, then the robotically-focused Hendry would have tormented Ronnie and made him quit.