2021 World Championships

[JimMalone]

If Selby keeps his form, then he will lift the trophy. But it's incredible difficult to keep that level

And indeed. So far today he is playing five levels worse than before.

[Cue crafty]

Interesting a few people have said they struggle to see Bingham as a two time Champ, he's been extremely consistent now for many years and added the Masters to his trophy cabinet as well not long ago.

I have to admit I too share in this struggle/opinion but wonder why? I think sometimes I see his game as a little clumsy from time to time and maybe that's it. Not so much with his touch, he has good touch and is a great in the balls, it's just the odd shot. His bridge hand gives me issues to look at too, looks like a broken spider crab.

[Odrl]

I think it's probably because we were so used to Bingham as kind of a journeyman for a large part of his career. He only started winning tournaments in his mid 30s. If he was ten years younger and playing the kind of snooker he has been playing for the last ten years, I don't think anyone would find it weird that he could win the World title more than once, like we wouldn't find it weird if Murphy won it again.

[JimMalone]

Interesting a few people have said they struggle to see Bingham as a two time Champ, he's been extremely consistent now for many years and added the Masters to his trophy cabinet as well not long ago.

I have to admit I too share this in this struggle/opinion but wonder why? I think sometimes I see his game as a little clumsy from time to time and maybe that's it. Not so much with his touch, he has good touch and is a great in the balls, it's just the odd shot. His bridge hand gives me issues to look at too, looks like a broken spider crab.

I can only speak for myself, but here's my take on it:

It's a rare achievement to win two world titles. So far in the modern era only the following players managed to achieve this:
Hendry, Davis, O'Sullivan, Reardon, John Higgins, Mark Williams, Selby, Spencer, Alex Higgins. Shortly spoken: all-time greats.

To me Bingham doesn't quite fit in that category. In fact there are some players I always have seen as superior players, who have only 1 title (okay, this can happen) like Robertson, Doherty, Ebdon, Murphy or even zero titles (Ding, White).
It would have a strange feeling to me to see Bingham with 2 world titles and Ding with none.

Bingham has been a great player, but he has only had two seasons within the Top 5 of the world (the two seasons in which he carried the points of his world title of course) and only four within the top ten and he has won 5 ranking titles (I really don't count his Gibraltar Open win).

When he's on fire he's great to watch, but I also wouldn't call him among the all-around best players.

[Billy]

Whose personality do you actually like though? I think from a distance it can be very easy to judge people on TV who you don't know. What's wrong with Kyren being proud of being a dad?

There’s nothing wrong with it. But it’s the way that pride is shoved down our necks all the time. Who do I like? I’d love to have seen a Williams vs McGill final. I’d like to have seen Gilbert in the semis too. None of those left do anything for me in terms of play style. They’re all so vanilla.

Fair point about judging people we don’t know, though.

[neuronic]

The intervall guys at Eurosport are talking about some "concert penis". Obviously some chinese player chose snooker over being one. Didn't know that.

[balkend]

If Bingham was a piece of furniture he would be a rather bulky IKEA double wardrobe . But , he is a winner and has had a great career . Selby and Bingham are not here to dazzle and entertain they are here to win . . But their play bores me for some reason , I think its the predictability of their play , no dangerous unexpected shots which surprise and catch you unawares .except for Selbys occasional superb long pots ( ie against Mark Allen ) Selby has been described here today as a leggy preying mantis gobbling up his victims . I would have liked to have come up with that description of him , its so apt

[P.Smith]

Interesting a few people have said they struggle to see Bingham as a two time Champ, he's been extremely consistent now for many years and added the Masters to his trophy cabinet as well not long ago.

I have to admit I too share in this struggle/opinion but wonder why? I think sometimes I see his game as a little clumsy from time to time and maybe that's it. Not so much with his touch, he has good touch and is a great in the balls, it's just the odd shot. His bridge hand gives me issues to look at too, looks like a broken spider crab.

For me I think it is simply because he hasn't won much else. It would be like Dott (a player I love) winning 2. Just doesn't make sense on the face of it. Being a multiple time world champ would put you in the 'elite' of the sport normally but with Bingham I don't see it.

[P.Smith]

There’s nothing wrong with it. But it’s the way that pride is shoved down our necks all the time. Who do I like? I’d love to have seen a Williams vs McGill final. I’d like to have seen Gilbert in the semis too. None of those left do anything for me in terms of play style. They’re all so vanilla.

Fair point about judging people we don’t know, though.

Fair enough. But it is probably the broadcasters 'shoving it down our throats' I don't think it is Kyren's fault personally. I agree that the broadcasters sound like broken records most of the time.

[mikee]

There’s nothing wrong with it. But it’s the way that pride is shoved down our necks all the time. Who do I like? I’d love to have seen a Williams vs McGill final. I’d like to have seen Gilbert in the semis too. None of those left do anything for me in terms of play style. They’re all so vanilla.

Fair point about judging people we don’t know, though.

They are always banging on about Wilson being a family man ,so what ! is that strange or out of the ordinary ,Kryton himself is always saying he’s doing this and that for his kids ,winning for the kids etc ,tell you what mate when yer kids get to about 12 or 13 they won’t give a flying f**k about you .If he does win it this year there will be that many tears the crowd will be leaving the crucible in boats and the Samaritans will be on stand by

[itsnoteasy]

Whose personality do you actually like though? I think from a distance it can be very easy to judge people on TV who you don't know. What's wrong with Kyren being proud of being a dad?

I used to live in Leicester a good few years ago and Mark Selby would park in disabled spaces all the time and if any one complained he would kick their walking sticks from underneath them, to be fair it was hilarious watching the old folk falling over and that's how he got his nickname of the jester from Leicester. Stuart Bingham on the other hand used to work in an orphanage ran by my aunty who was a nun, he got sacked as he used to steal all the poor kids puddings and lock himself in the janitors cupboard and eat them all. He was in his early twenties then and that was the start of his weight problems. Shaun Murphy has been and still is to this day the world gurning champion a title he won at the Egremont Crab fair in 2001 and has never really had any close rival since. You can see him after every break that ends on thirty after an unexplained miss, practice his world class ability. Kyren Wilson welll what can I say abou
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[P.Smith]

I used to live in Leicester a good few years ago and Mark Selby would park in disabled spaces all the time and if any one complained he would kick their walking sticks from underneath them, to be fair it was hilarious watching the old folk falling over and that's how he got his nickname of the jester from Leicester. Stuart Bingham on the other hand used to work in an orphanage ran by my aunty who was a nun, he got sacked as he used to steal all the poor kids puddings and lock himself in the janitors cupboard and eat them all. He was in his early twenties then and that was the start of his weight problems. Shaun Murphy has been and still is to this day the world gurning champion a title he won at the Egremont Crab fair in 2001 and has never really had any close rival since. You can see him after every break that ends on thirty after an unexplained miss, practice his world class ability. Kyren Wilson welll what can I say abou
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Based on this I'm rooting for Murphy. One has to be a supreme gurner to win at the Egremont Crab Fair. The standard has been quite remarkable since 2001 also.

[MrRottweiler]

Interesting a few people have said they struggle to see Bingham as a two time Champ, he's been extremely consistent now for many years and added the Masters to his trophy cabinet as well not long ago.

I have to admit I too share in this struggle/opinion but wonder why? I think sometimes I see his game as a little clumsy from time to time and maybe that's it. Not so much with his touch, he has good touch and is a great in the balls, it's just the odd shot. His bridge hand gives me issues to look at too, looks like a broken spider crab.

I only noticed his bridge hand yesterday and how it's spider like. At least he doesn't do the finger tapping which I've never understood.

[P.Smith]

Selbs had his worst session of the tournament and came out level. Typical Mark.

[MrRottweiler]

If Murphy is on form and careful with his shot selection I can see him demolishing Wilson. I like Shaun but why is he always being so dramatic in post match interviews instead of giving a straight answer? It's a bit childish to say but now I've thought of The Chase I can't get it out of my head.