Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Mark Allen

[Kingscratcher]

i'm under the impression that allen is a cocky little kid.
his comments and gestures when he beat ronnie in WC 2009 were just anything but respectful. someone should teach this kid a lesson, and woop his butt, and shove his cue up his.....

looking back at ronnie's past head to head with allen, ronnie has always seemd aloof and distinerested when hes up against allen. is there something between them?

I would say more confident than cocky. It took balls to stand and say to Rob Walker in front of that crowd that he expected to beat Ronnie. For him to then turn round and do it, especially after being pulled back to 4.4, shows exactly what Allen is made of. I've never heard him being disrespectful to Ronnie, he is just confident in his own ability and expects to beat him instead of having him on a pedestal like some other players do - too many players don't have that confidence!

[stephenm2682]

allen was lucky he was playing against a lacklustre ROS tho, against anyone else with more fight and determination he would of been walked over. i didn't think allen played great, just fed off ronnie's mistakes, most amateurs would of beaten ronnie yesterday.

[montoya10]

The point is Ronnie wouldn't have played like he did yesterday, if he was up against John Higgins or Mark Williams.
He seems to play at a lower gear, when facing the new generation players, perhaps with the exception of Ding.

[spike]

allen was lucky he was playing against a lacklustre ROS tho, against anyone else with more fight and determination he would of been walked over. i didn't think allen played great, just fed off ronnie's mistakes, most amateurs would of beaten ronnie yesterday.

It's unfair of you to say that Allen would have been (walked over), if he played someone like you say with the grit and determination, which to be fair was missing from O'Sullivan's game yesterday. Allen is more than capable of raising his game when it matters, even when he may not be playing at his very best. Apart from having bundles of talent and (great bottle), he responded well to the pressure that was put on him by O'Sullivan, especially at 4-4. Mark Allen still had the self-belief that he could win the match, where a lesser player could have folded under such circumstances, especially against someone like O'Sullivan. At the end of the day, Allen did enough to get over the line, and at times that's enough..

[ore]

Anybody knows long-pot success rate of the match?

And how many times Ronnie screwed up the next shot (by missing the pot, or by position) after getting a long pot (...which he didn't expect to get in ?). That's I guess the 'highest' one of the conspirasy theories 'he didn't want to win' I ever thought of

But long-pot success rate would be interesting to know, it seems there's a correlation of better long-pot success with less chances for Ronnie to win these days, whatever that would mean (interested in winning - less relaxed - worse in long-pots?).

[HunRon]

After the 9th frame:
Long pot: 71% by Ronnie, 76% by Allen.

[montoya10]

It's unfair of you to say that Allen would have been (walked over), if he played someone like you say with the grit and determination, which to be fair was missing from O'Sullivan's game yesterday. Allen is more than capable of raising his game when it matters, even when he may not be playing at his very best. Apart from having bundles of talent and (great bottle), he responded well to the pressure that was put on him by O'Sullivan, especially at 4-4. Mark Allen still had the self-belief that he could win the match, where a lesser player could have folded under such circumstances, especially against someone like O'Sullivan. At the end of the day, Allen did enough to get over the line, and at times that's enough..

Respectable idea.
Allen was presented with chances, so, could well be called lucky. But at the end of the day, you still have to take care of the job.
Ronnie was having an off-day, but, as we all know and the all players on the tour know, his form switches on and off too quickly, and Allen could crack under the pressure at 4-4, thinking Ronnie was raising his game.

I would love to see them both on top of their forms, however. That could be a real high-quality battle and we would have a better look at Mark, and see if he can beat a Ronnie in full flow, which is quite tough for even the best.

[stephenm2682]

he didn't in last yrs welsh open if i remember correctly?

and mark allen didn't win the match, ronnie lost it and put mark right in amongst the balls in the last 2 frames just when he was getting the advantage and errors coming into mark allens game. not been pro ronnie, just my view.

[Masterdoctorgenius]

http://www.sportinglife.com/snooker/...OSullivan.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/oth...r-honours.html


i wont wonder if he really starts now to play snooker

[ADR147]

in reality ronnie like hendry needs to play more matches if they want to stay in the elite, they need to play ALL the comps to stay match sharp.

[The Boss]

http://www.sportinglife.com/snooker/...OSullivan.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/oth...r-honours.html


i wont wonder if he really starts now to play snooker

Even if Ronnie doesn't win, second prize isn't bad: great comedy. "I like living out of a suitcase" from the once stay at home dad

[montoya10]

http://www.sportinglife.com/snooker/...OSullivan.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/oth...r-honours.html


i wont wonder if he really starts now to play snooker

Now, if only he backs these comments by his actions, that'll be great.

[The Boss]

in reality ronnie like hendry needs to play more matches if they want to stay in the elite, they need to play ALL the comps to stay match sharp.

Match sharp for losing in the first round

[montoya10]

O'Sullivan, Williams and Higgins went 5-1 in their CL group last week. Made some strong breaks and showed form, although it was away from cameras, but so is PTC, isn't it?

Maybe match practice wasn't enough, or maybe it was temporary for them not to show up in Masters.
But Hendry's case is different. I don't know if he's still practicing on his own or not, but if he is, then, it's obvious that it doesn't make the things better for him. And the last two seasons together were a complete different story. He gradually went from 'could get into scoring rhythm every once in a while' to 'he's completely done and gone'.

If Jimmy White has 11 centuries to his name this season, and Hendry has 2 to himself, there is certainly a real problem, considering how good Hendry has been in that department, even in his late years..

[The Boss]

O'Sullivan, Williams and Higgins went 5-1 in their CL group last week. Made some strong breaks and showed form, although it was away from cameras, but so is PTC, isn't it?

Maybe match practice wasn't enough, or maybe it was temporary for them not to show up in Masters.
But Hendry's case is different. I don't know if he's still practicing on his own or not, but if he is, then, it's obvious that it doesn't make the things better for him. And the last two seasons together were a complete different story. He gradually went from 'could get into scoring rhythm every once in a while' to 'he's completely done and gone'.

If Jimmy White has 11 centuries to his name this season, and Hendry has 2 to himself, there is certainly a real problem, considering how good Hendry has been in that department, even in his late years..

Mark Selby has made 35 centuries (more than half of King's career tally) but he lost to King and hasn't won anything this season. Concentration is the issue here i think