2016 World Championship discussion

[vmax4steve]

Got home from work last night and watched the deciding frames in both matches, kudos to hawkins for finally getting it together, but too late, and McManus, one of my favourite players, great knowledge of the game, always learn something when watching him, and so will Ding, win or lose.
Have seen no evidence of Dings eye twitch so far

Don't think Fu will have any trouble dealing with Selby's gamesmanship, but tactically he (Selby) should be favourite, might simply depend on who gets the run and the least amount of kicks.

[daffie]

Just watched the post-match interviews from Higgins and McManus.....It i always a joy to hear Alan talking about snooker. I don't know for you guys but each time I hear him, I always learn something. His knowledge is immense, he's calm, collected, always spot on in his comments. I really enjoy him when he does the pundit for ITV or Eurosport because it is of such high quality analysis, not the usual bullsh*t we constanlty hear on the BBC. It is so refreshing to have such an insider.

His interview yesterday was very honest, down to Earth, full of excitment. It's a shame he has to go against Ding because these are my two favorites players remaining on this tourney. Should be a cracking game between two master tactician of the game.

I just saw the interview as well. Alan is a very special guy, the way he talks about the game just shows the love he has for it, for the fans, and especially for The Crucible as well. He's also such an wonderfully open, sweet and friendly guy, even with the press...he actually said (tongue in cheek) that he liked hanging out with them better than with DT or WT (no surprise there haha ) He also said he needed to go and book a hotel for the remaining days as he needs to check out of his current room today...brilliant

As Holt said earlier about MJW...I just love the guy.

https://youtu.be/8acIYOhPdAg

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[daffie]

Yeah but the last time Alan McManus won anything you could go out with a fiver get drunk buy your supper get a taxi home and still have change and this was number one

Oh sweet youth sentiment...from one of my all time favorite movies The Breakfast Club.

[daffie]

Odrl if I may

Some of my thoughts on the Semi's and the Final...

The Quarters did not bring as most of us expected, a full-on surprise-fest it was Much the better for it I say.

Personally I would love to see McManus go all the way now and win this year's championship. That would be such a fairy tale story, and I couldn't wish for a more likable person to lift the trophy.

So who would be the better opponent for Alan in the Final then? I feel we would get our full money's worth if he were to play marco Fu. That way we would get a 'many ups&downs, twist&turns, tense&dramatic' Final. Maybe not so much high quality snooker, but personally I will always prefer drama and tension over high quality anyway. With Selby...he could run away with it if he's at his very best (and we have seen already he is starting to peak). Fu does have a tendency to bottle it or let things slip (which was very evident in the Q4), as does Alan at times, so twist&turns are almost guaranteed.

So that would probably be my dream Final this year...McManus vs Fu. But I would also love to see Ding win the trophy as well...can't decide.

But if Ding should win against McManus, which is probably more likely to happen, then I would like to see Selby progress to the Final instead of Marco. I feel that would probably provide the higher quality Final, if both players can perform and sustain their quality play over the 4 sessions.

But with the World Championship format being a best of 35 we are fairly certain to get a lot of twist&turns anyway, regardless of who plays in the Final.

Getting a bit ahead of things Bring on the Semi's I say...

:snooker:

[ken147]

Great semi-final line up. Here are my predictions.

Ding 17 - 10 McManus
Fu 11 - 17 Selby

Final, Ding to win 18 - 8.

[Odrl]

You may. :smile: But I have a few thoughts as well...

Ding Junhui v. Alan McManus:

I never thought I would see this pairing in a World Championship semi-final, but here we are, and it has to be said that both players are here on merit. McManus found himself 9-7 down before the final session in his two previous matches, but he played his best snooker both times when it mattered the most. Last night he outscored Higgins 359 to 24 in the final four frames, so he clearly has no problem playing under pressure this week. His composure has been remarkable. He stayed cool when Maguire and Carter were going mad against him, and he showed no nerves when Higgins started to wobble against him last night. We know he is a very strong tactician, but you can't win the World Championship with safety alone, so it's important that his scoring form is also very strong this week.

Ding has probably played the best snooker of the tournament so far. He too has been remarkably composed under pressure, winning a close match against Gould in the opening round, followed by a nervy finish against Trump in which he stood up to the pressure being put on him. Williams played crap against him, and Ding could have let himself get dragged down to Williams' level, but he remained concentrated and gave himself a nice reward of a day off when he won with a session to spare. At one point he made a break of at least 50 in eight frames in a row, which I imagine has not been done very often at all in the history of the game.

There isn't much history between these two players, but it's worth noting that Ding has won all three of their matches of decent length, and he won them very comfortably, including at the Crucible in 2013. I suppose the danger could be that he goes into this match thinking that McManus is an easier opponent than his previous ones, but I think he is smart enough not to get complacent here. He has followed the "O'Sullivan plan" in his previous two matches, starting really strongly and putting the early pressure on, then just feeding off the opponent's mistakes. I think this could happen here as well if McManus is not careful. He is bound to be going through the same emotions as Hawkins was after his big win, so he needs to put it behind him and just concentrate on this match. Personally, I have a feeling his fairytale will end here. Ding has been really efficient and ruthless in this tournament, and I think he will prove too strong on this occasion. Ding to win 17-9.

Mark Selby v. Marco Fu:

A very interesting match in prospect. They have met a number of times on the big stage in the past, with Selby having the edge in the head-to-head, but this is by far their most important meeting to date. Before yesterday's wobble I would have said that Fu was playing the better snooker in this tournament, but now I am not so sure he has the nerve to go all the way. He is not an outsider by any means, but he would still have been considered a slight underdog in a quarter that contained O'Sullivan and Murphy, and I think he was comfortable in that role, whereas now the World title is only two wins away... He was missing all kinds of balls in the penultimate frame against Hawkins last night, although the clearance he made in the last frame is certainly encouraging. We know he has the scoring game to compete with anyone, and he has never really been afraid to take on the top players, so it's just a question how his game will hold up now that the World title is becoming a realistic prospect.

We know that Selby doesn't have any problems in that respect, the bigger the pressure, the better he plays. Of all the semi-finalists here, I think Selby has probably shown the least so far. He scraped through his games without ever really finding any fluency, and he has been missing easy balls all week, so it just shows how difficult he is to beat, even when not at his best. Fu is the only seeded player he has to face on his way to the title this year, so on paper things should be easier than in 2014. But of course the difference is that his game is not quite there this year. At least not yet, there is still time for him to find it. I'm not sure he is as motivated and determined this year though. He was playing for his first World title in 2014, with a point to prove, whereas this year I just don't think he wants it as badly.

I can't see anything other than a close match here. I think Fu will score the better of the two and have a few strong patches in this match, but I also think his inability to scrap it out will cost him against Selby. They finish in the evening, so I think this could be one of those classic midnight finishes, and there is no one better than Selby at "midnight snooker". Selby to win 17-16.


I can't wait. :smile:

[Giggity1984]

I'd like to see Fu in the final. Pray to the snooker gods lads!

[billabong]

I love simple minds, saw them twice back in the day, hail hail Jim Kerr. He's backing McManus ,no doubt about that, if you know your history.

LOL we do, and it's in the wrong forum for that stuff. .

[billabong]

I just saw the interview as well. Alan is a very special guy, the way he talks about the game just shows the love he has for it, for the fans, and especially for The Crucible as well. He's also such an wonderfully open, sweet and friendly guy, even with the press...he actually said (tongue in cheek) that he liked hanging out with them better than with DT or WT (no surprise there haha ) He also said he needed to go and book a hotel for the remaining days as he needs to check out of his current room today...brilliant

As Holt said earlier about MJW...I just love the guy.

https://youtu.be/8acIYOhPdAg

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This other one where he talks about cloth weights, kicks and bounces, is priceless ( and informative ), too. . starts cloth talk at 6:20 into the clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTbM...ature=youtu.be

[cyberheater]

I'd like to see Fu in the final. Pray to the snooker gods lads!

I am.

McManus and Fu in the final. I'm calling it.

[daffie]

This other one where he talks about cloth weights, kicks and bounces, is priceless ( and informative ), too. . starts cloth talk at 6:20 into the clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTbM...ature=youtu.be

Priceless indeed...the last minute is hilarious stuff!

[Rane]

Only the Top 16 qualify by right under the current format. If you are not in the Top 16 you have to qualify.

As the winning price is 330.000 £, the winner in praxis remains in top 16 the next two years even if he doesn´t play another match. A final will also get McManus inside top 16.

[neuronic]

Now...

I hope McManus won't suffer from the Hawkins fatigue and gives Ding a proper fight.

[daffie]

Wow I really need to go and see a (Semi) Final at The Crucible for myself at least one time ... what an atmosphere!

Game on...C'mon Alan

:snooker:

[trains]

I just saw the interview as well. Alan is a very special guy, the way he talks about the game just shows the love he has for it, for the fans, and especially for The Crucible as well. He's also such an wonderfully open, sweet and friendly guy, even with the press...he actually said (tongue in cheek) that he liked hanging out with them better than with DT or WT (no surprise there haha ) He also said he needed to go and book a hotel for the remaining days as he needs to check out of his current room today...brilliant

As Holt said earlier about MJW...I just love the guy.

https://youtu.be/8acIYOhPdAg

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Yes good interview but made me laugh when Alan said the way Ding conducts himself is a real class quality guy.
I suppose that includes Ding's post UK Championship 2015 interview which has mysteriously vanished down the memory plughole?

http://sports.opera.com/?sport=hocke...lization_id=uk