Tweet
I enjoyed the final. Neither player was really playing at the top of their game, but it had a lot of good moments, and Selby was never so far in front as to make it uninteresting. Obviously it was Sunday night that was the decisive session, with Selby winning it 7-2. In most other finals he's played it was actually Sunday afternoon where he made the difference. 
What to say at the end of it all? Obviously Selby winning a fourth World title elevates him even further among the all-time greats, and it also cements his place as the greatest player of his generation. Four World titles in the last eight editions of the tournament, can't really argue with that. He has also won 13 of his last 14 major finals now, with a few minor titles thrown in as well. His record on the big occasions is pretty much unmatched. If he keeps his motivation, he surely has a few more titles in him, but obviously that's not always guaranteed.
Other positives from this tournament? Shaun Murphy obviously, good to see him returning to the final after losing early in the previous five editions of the tournament. Stuart Bingham too, we knew his rating was unrealistic here as he is quite comfortably among the 16 best players in the world, and he proved it here by getting through quite a tough draw and giving Selby his toughest game of the tournament. I was also impressed by Anthony McGill here. He frustrates me a little by not making that step forward that would see him join the elite players, but he played some good stuff in this event and came extremely close to reaching the one-table setup for the second year in a row. I would like to see him playing like that for all of next season, not just at the Crucible.
As for the negatives, Neil Robertson obviously stands out. He has played some tremendous stuff in recent years, but he always seems to hit a wall at the Crucible and go out in quite underwhelming fashion. Must be very frustrating for him. Kyren Wilson's collapse in the semi-finals was also quite a worrying sign. He is a very consistent performer, getting to the business end of most tournaments throughout the season, as well as at the Crucible over the past five years, but the only time he really seems to shine on the big stage is when he plays Trump. He's lost some finals pretty badly, 10-3 to Ding, 9-1 to Murphy, 18-8 and 9-2 to O'Sullivan, and now throwing away a 10-4 lead by losing 13 of the following 15 frames... Needs a big win, I think, otherwise there is a danger that this trend drags on. I guess I could mention players like Trump or O'Sullivan too, but going out in the 2nd round against tricky opponents is just something that inevitably happens on occasion. Perhaps Stephen Maguire is the bigger disappointment. He had got himself back to the top 8 in the rankings with some great results last season, but this season has been another forgettable one for him. Other than Ding, who got the toughest draw here, Maguire is the only seed to go out in the 1st round, and he did so in a pretty pathetic way.
Good to see some proper snooker atmosphere again. Selby didn't get the best reception tonight, but I'm glad he ruined some people's evening. Pretty good coverage by Eurosport too, apart from the few commentators and the one presenter that I find difficult to tolerate. Also good to see a tournament with barely any kicks. Now, if only they could get the tables right for once. 
Looking forward to next season. Hopefully the situation with covid improves to the point where tournaments are held at their proper venues again, with spectators where possible. The Chinese tournaments missing from the calendar has also been a pretty big hit, as those were among the very few that still used the much superior best-of-9 format, or even best-of-11. It would be nice to see snooker returning to China at some point in the near future.
Finally, let me just say that I've appreciated being able to post on here again. Last year was one big frustration, and obviously there is still work to be done to clean up all the broken and outdated stuff on the forum, but hopefully this is the start of better times. It would be a shame to see this site die out after being here for more than 14 years. Hopefully it has a few more years in it.
What to say at the end of it all? Obviously Selby winning a fourth World title elevates him even further among the all-time greats, and it also cements his place as the greatest player of his generation. Four World titles in the last eight editions of the tournament, can't really argue with that. He has also won 13 of his last 14 major finals now, with a few minor titles thrown in as well. His record on the big occasions is pretty much unmatched. If he keeps his motivation, he surely has a few more titles in him, but obviously that's not always guaranteed.
Other positives from this tournament? Shaun Murphy obviously, good to see him returning to the final after losing early in the previous five editions of the tournament. Stuart Bingham too, we knew his rating was unrealistic here as he is quite comfortably among the 16 best players in the world, and he proved it here by getting through quite a tough draw and giving Selby his toughest game of the tournament. I was also impressed by Anthony McGill here. He frustrates me a little by not making that step forward that would see him join the elite players, but he played some good stuff in this event and came extremely close to reaching the one-table setup for the second year in a row. I would like to see him playing like that for all of next season, not just at the Crucible.
As for the negatives, Neil Robertson obviously stands out. He has played some tremendous stuff in recent years, but he always seems to hit a wall at the Crucible and go out in quite underwhelming fashion. Must be very frustrating for him. Kyren Wilson's collapse in the semi-finals was also quite a worrying sign. He is a very consistent performer, getting to the business end of most tournaments throughout the season, as well as at the Crucible over the past five years, but the only time he really seems to shine on the big stage is when he plays Trump. He's lost some finals pretty badly, 10-3 to Ding, 9-1 to Murphy, 18-8 and 9-2 to O'Sullivan, and now throwing away a 10-4 lead by losing 13 of the following 15 frames... Needs a big win, I think, otherwise there is a danger that this trend drags on. I guess I could mention players like Trump or O'Sullivan too, but going out in the 2nd round against tricky opponents is just something that inevitably happens on occasion. Perhaps Stephen Maguire is the bigger disappointment. He had got himself back to the top 8 in the rankings with some great results last season, but this season has been another forgettable one for him. Other than Ding, who got the toughest draw here, Maguire is the only seed to go out in the 1st round, and he did so in a pretty pathetic way.
Good to see some proper snooker atmosphere again. Selby didn't get the best reception tonight, but I'm glad he ruined some people's evening.
Pretty good coverage by Eurosport too, apart from the few commentators and the one presenter that I find difficult to tolerate. Also good to see a tournament with barely any kicks. Now, if only they could get the tables right for once. Looking forward to next season. Hopefully the situation with covid improves to the point where tournaments are held at their proper venues again, with spectators where possible. The Chinese tournaments missing from the calendar has also been a pretty big hit, as those were among the very few that still used the much superior best-of-9 format, or even best-of-11. It would be nice to see snooker returning to China at some point in the near future.
Finally, let me just say that I've appreciated being able to post on here again. Last year was one big frustration, and obviously there is still work to be done to clean up all the broken and outdated stuff on the forum, but hopefully this is the start of better times. It would be a shame to see this site die out after being here for more than 14 years. Hopefully it has a few more years in it.
). Take care, each and everyone!!!
.
Comment