2017 World Grand Prix

[cueman]

Far harder for any youngster to come into the game now and start winning early like Ronnie, Hendry and Higgins did. I'd say that the likes of Hendry would probably not win half as much if he started out today because he'd lose confidence earlier on in his career and realise he can't just pot and breakbuild to win titles. Now you need an all round game more than ever to compete, something Hendry never had in his entire career. He was finished at 30 as well as a winning machine.

[Hello, Mr Big Shot]

You're right Biggie, there doesn't seem much coming through, I don't think the Chinese lads are that good either, good, yes but not anywhere near a Hendry, Higgins, Williams or O'Sullivan at the same ages. Aren't a few of them already in their mid to late twenties? There are loads of tourneys that the top guns go out early, as they can't be bothered, if these players were any good they should be picking those up or at least going deep but they aren't, we are getting Mark King and Anthony Hamilton winning them. Maybe we have had snookers hey day, maybe Hendry through to the O'Sullivan era was as good as it will ever be.
It's got that bad I'm actually rooting for Selby now.

Yeah, I've tempered my hatred of selby recently, too lol.

As for why the Chinese invasion has stalled, i think it's a huge advantage to be a British youngster - can't be easy for them to adapt to a new culture etc. And mass makes class - if there are thousands of players coming through at the same time, like there was in the uk following the snooker boom in the 70s & 80s, a few more would rise to the top. I suspect the next generation will be where the class is: thousands playing at a very early age (7/8) will produce the goods down the road.

[itsnoteasy]

Yeah, I've tempered my hatred of selby recently, too lol.

As for why the Chinese invasion has stalled, i think it's a huge advantage to be a British youngster - can't be easy for them to adapt to a new culture etc. And mass makes class - if there are thousands of players coming through at the same time, like there was in the uk following the snooker boom in the 70s & 80s, a few more would rise to the top. I suspect the next generation will be where the class is: thousands playing at a very early age (7/8) will produce the goods down the road.

Just by the law of averages you would think so, but the Asian invasion has been forecast for at least twenty years and it seems as far away as ever, but by all reasonable thinking it's got to happen one day.

[vjmehra]

Far harder for any youngster to come into the game now and start winning early like Ronnie, Hendry and Higgins did. I'd say that the likes of Hendry would probably not win half as much if he started out today because he'd lose confidence earlier on in his career and realise he can't just pot and breakbuild to win titles. Now you need an all round game more than ever to compete, something Hendry never had in his entire career. He was finished at 30 as well as a winning machine.

Still he did pretty well to win those few tournaments he did, outclassing the greatest tacticians of his generation consistently without having an all round game...as you say all before he was 30!

[vjmehra]

Still he did pretty well to win those few tournaments he did, outclassing the greatest tacticians of his generation consistently without having an all round game...as you say all before he was 30!

Actually looking at his DOB he won his 7th World title aged 30...what a washed up loser ;-)

[jonny66]

Hendry didn't win a single title after the age of 30, this lead quite a lot of people to believe that snooker is tennis and you're over the hill at 30

[bolty]

Zhao and Yan have got to be two of the best young prospects in the game currently... I hope and suspect we'll be seeing a lot more of them.

[DeanH]

2017 World Grand Prix

shame Ryan couldn't complete the maximum

[itsnoteasy]

It's been a nice night of snooker, the Ding/Murphy match was very good quality.

[DeanH]

2017 World Grand Prix

Ding/Murphy match was a good match with both players playing well. As Murphy said in the interview that if he had lost he would not have minded as he played well against a player also playing well.
And without his contacts in

[cueman]

Still he did pretty well to win those few tournaments he did, outclassing the greatest tacticians of his generation consistently without having an all round game...as you say all before he was 30!

He had very little competition, that is the point I'm making. Tactics didn't really come into it back then. Players weren't as aggressive, Hendry changed the game completely and made the roly poly players of his era a thing of the past to which snooker is forever indebted.

[thommo335]

Mark King "That table I just played on, might as well put it straight in the bin!!!" LMAO

https://www.facebook.com/WorldSnooke...4100826127062/

[shmeeko69]

Far harder for any youngster to come into the game now and start winning early like Ronnie, Hendry and Higgins did. I'd say that the likes of Hendry would probably not win half as much if he started out today because he'd lose confidence earlier on in his career and realise he can't just pot and breakbuild to win titles. Now you need an all round game more than ever to compete, something Hendry never had in his entire career. He was finished at 30 as well as a winning machine.

Fair comment, but guys like Hendry and Davis find a way to win with their mentality and I reckon they would still have won a similar amount of titles. Just my opinion though?

[jonny66]

Mark King "That table I just played on, might as well put it straight in the bin!!!" LMAO

https://www.facebook.com/WorldSnooke...4100826127062/

And he's set up a Fu - King great quartrer final, as someone pointed out.

[DeanH]

Mark King "That table I just played on, might as well put it straight in the bin!!!" LMAO

https://www.facebook.com/WorldSnooke...4100826127062/

Can you show the non-FB people what he said?