World Grand Prix

[Odrl]

Anyway, quite a fun final in the end, and a midnight finish as well. :smile:

Dott gave it his all, but Robertson is just so solid at the moment... He was missing a few towards the end and got outplayed tactically, but he is just so reliable in making all those centuries and big breaks even when he is not at the very top of his game. At the moment he kind of reminds me of the way O'Sullivan has played throughout his career, just winning by default because of his breakbuilding prowess even when on his B game, unless someone really ups their game against him. And his concentration is pretty bulletproof at the moment as well. I just hope he doesn't run out of energy before Sheffield. :smile:

18th ranking title for Robertson now, 6th in the all time list. Mark Williams' place in the top 5 (22 titles) is looking shaky!

Yeah, I think the players who are regularly winning titles nowadays will close the gap on the old legends pretty quickly, simply because of the inflation of titles. When you take the short-format stuff out of the equation though, Williams is still on 21 while Robertson drops down to 12, so it will still be a while before that gap is closed, if at all. :smile:

[Neil Taperell]

What a great final , made up for the last 2 tournaments . Robertson obviously on fire in the last month but Dott again showed what a great battler he is .

[balkend]

Full admiration for Dott the way he fought back , hope he wins a title soon , 13 years is too long . Total respect for the man

[Neil Taperell]

Would have loved to see it go 9 all , Robbo looked like he was feeling it a bit . Goes to show that no matter how many titles you have won or experienced gained , that pressure does affect everyone .

[Rane]

Full admiration for Dott the way he fought back , hope he wins a title soon , 13 years is too long . Total respect for the man

Absolutely. Lots of players would have given up beeing faced with 5 centuries and having to fight hard for nearly every frame on the board. Dott isn?t great at finishing in one visit, and I think that has cost him a few titles over the years.

[crocodile]

I know I've already made the point but I'm going to make it again anyway because it's cropped up yet again... the damn re-rack!!

Why bother with tactical play at all?? Just bring in a new rule that says when more than two reds end up on a cushion a re-rack is suggested.

Oh, hold on... they do that already!

And why the feck does it always get a round of applause???

Perhaps the crowd wants to see something a bit more exciting than the balls moving a couple of millimetres ....

[JimMalone]

When Robertson scores like this I usually wonder why he's 'only' won 1 WC and 1 Masters compared to Selby who has 3 of each. Perhaps I'm just underestimating just how great Selby has been though?

Probably. I think when Selby was on his top game I've hardly seen anyone play better, especially under pressure. His safeties were so strong that they almost always forced chances for him and then he used them.
Robertson is close though, when he is on his top game. Even a stronger scorer, but tactical Selby is better.

[Billy]

Perhaps the crowd wants to see something a bit more exciting than the balls moving a couple of millimetres ....

I understand that, but the players clearly play for the re-rack when the opportunity arises. Bring in a rule which states the player trailing has to make contact with a cushion after five tippy-tap shots each.

[Odrl]

Why the player trailing? Why should he be forced to give away the safety advantage?

[MrRottweiler]

Players seem to be quicker now when it comes to suggesting, and the other player agreeing with a re-rack. I like to see players slug it out when the frame goes pear shaped and most of the time 'normal service is resumed' as Virgo would say after a few shots but now they will re-rack at the slightest hint of it becoming a gritty frame. Even when they have full view of reds but the balls have stuck to cushions which can look like the players can't be bothered with the long tactical play. The rules need revising and perhaps the ref (who from what I know has no authority to deny a re-rack if both players agree to it) should be given powers to reject it when they feel it's not because of a stalemate. I wonder what the stats are on how many times opponents asked John Higgins for a re-rack and he refused. The only time I would agree is within a few shots of the break and both players were playing containing shots in to or under the pack because reds had moved over pockets further up the table.

[Billy]

Why the player trailing? Why should he be forced to give away the safety advantage?

Dunno. It has to be one of them. My real point is they resort to the re-rack too easily. How long will it be before players start calling for one because the black is in the jaws of a corner pocket and all the reds have migrated to that quarter of the table?

[Odrl]

Dunno. It has to be one of them. My real point is they resort to the re-rack too easily. How long will it be before players start calling for one because the black is in the jaws of a corner pocket and all the reds have migrated to that quarter of the table?

They already do, I've seen a re-rack in that situation several times. It's a shame in a way, because those can be really fun. :smile:

[Billy]

They already do, I've seen a re-rack in that situation several times. It's a shame in a way, because those can be really fun. :smile:

Yeah, that’s where my gripe stems from. I love tactical snooker but it seems to be a dying aspect of the game.