Masters - Final Discussion

[Rane]

Hope we'll be seeing you before then daffie! We've got the Championship League, the German Masters, the Welsh Open, the World Open, PTC finals, and the China Open all to come before the big one.

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And the shoot out next weekend. That´s a totally unpredictable tournament.

[Rane]

Congratulations to Robertson. I'm not going to get carried away and say he is in with a very good chance of winning the World's after his performance this week at The Masters as so much can happen from now till April, but he looks to be back to something like his best which makes him a very dangerous player.

No, the masters hasn´t really changed a lot about who´s having a chance at the World´s

[FerruleFox]

Robertson looked great, like a new player out there. He seems to have evolved into the complete package suddenly.

And fair play to him. He did it with no gamesmanship, just pure high quality match snooker. Great to watch!

[SnookerFan]

Decent final, decent tournament. Smurph played sparkling all week, but Robertson's match play was too good on the day. An Murph made a few too many unforced mistakes.

It was good to see Judd get a reminder he isn't invincible either.

[daffie]

Hope we'll be seeing you before then daffie! We've got the Championship League, the German Masters, the Welsh Open, the World Open, PTC finals, and the China Open all to come before the big one.

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Hey thanks, it's nice to feel at home here, this is a great snooker forum. Why did I only just discover it?

And yes, you are absolutely right of course, much to come untill the WC. I have to say that it's fantastic to see Eurosport air just about every snooker event. Being in The Netherlands I would have been dependent upon bbc coverage, which is the big events only.

[johnsusername]

Have to say, Murphy's interview at the end was really good, really classy. Good man, credit to the game.

[daffie]

Yeah that's something I really admire in Sean, always full of praise for the other players and everything else. A class-act as they say.

There was a time though when he asked the ref for a frame deduction against Maquire for taking too much time or something I remember. I felt that to be rather unsportsmanlike of him back then, and I would feel the same way now. But I'm not sure...maybe there was a good enough reason for asking the letter of the law to be applied there?

But he has grown up as well, and takes life less seriously it seems...and really enjoys his snooker. In short...he has changed for the better.

[coomsey76]

And yes, you are absolutely right of course, much to come untill the WC. I have to say that it's fantastic to see Eurosport air just about every snooker event. Being in The Netherlands I would have been dependent upon bbc coverage, which is the big events only.

You should check out liveworldsnooker.tv and you'll be able to watch alot more snooker!!

[coomsey76]

Congrats to Robertson really great match play from him all round....

And really nice to see Murhpy so gracious in defect.....!!

[daffie]

You should check out liveworldsnooker.tv and you'll be able to watch alot more snooker!!

Ah...wasn't aware of it, thanks. Although I'm not too much of an online watcher...I really prefer a regular TV screen.

[deant1982]

There was a time though when he asked the ref for a frame deduction against Maquire for taking too much time or something I remember.

I think there was some ill feeling before that happened, but what I recall is -
Maguire forgot his chalk and "had" to go and get it before they started, even though the rules state both players should be ready to start or the player will be deducted a frame. Murphy did raise the issue with the referee (Murphy was organised and ready to start, why couldn't Maguire be?) and the rules do state he be awarded the frame...

I remember it annoyed Maguire, who (when asked about it) shrugged it off, then came out with "oh well, I don't want to be a a fat world champion" or something like that, and the spat has rumbled on since then.
(Murphy should just have responded along the lines of - You don't want to be a fat world champion?? Don't worry, you won't be!" )

I quite like Murphy. He seems genuine, is a great break builder, and wants to be known for what he does on the table, than what he says on twitter. Good luck to him.

Well played to Robertson though. He played the game with his head as well as his cue this week, and it paid off for him. He is always a potential winner of every tournament he is in, and on form, can be near impossible to stop.

[The Statman]

I think there was some ill feeling before that happened, but what I recall is -
Maguire forgot his chalk and "had" to go and get it before they started, even though the rules state both players should be ready to start or the player will be deducted a frame. Murphy did raise the issue with the referee (Murphy was organised and ready to start, why couldn't Maguire be?) and the rules do state he be awarded the frame...

I remember it annoyed Maguire, who (when asked about it) shrugged it off, then came out with "oh well, I don't want to be a a fat world champion" or something like that, and the spat has rumbled on since then.
(Murphy should just have responded along the lines of - You don't want to be a fat world champion?? Don't worry, you won't be!" )

I quite like Murphy. He seems genuine, is a great break builder, and wants to be known for what he does on the table, than what he says on twitter. Good luck to him.

Well played to Robertson though. He played the game with his head as well as his cue this week, and it paid off for him. He is always a potential winner of every tournament he is in, and on form, can be near impossible to stop.

Yes, I believe that 'chalk' incident was preceded by Murphy himself being docked a frame for the same offence - presumably why it was uppermost in his mind when Maguire fell foul of it.

Anyway, I agree - I thought Robertson played an excellent match although I agree with his comments about Murphy having a rough run of the ball in the first session. It just wasn't quite Murphy's day but he was just a bit poorer than Robertson on the day.

I do like watching matches where I'm a pretty firm neutral so don't care who wins! Slightly glad that it didn't go to the wire purely because I wouldn't have got home till 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning!

[montoya10]

I think there was some ill feeling before that happened, but what I recall is -
Maguire forgot his chalk and "had" to go and get it before they started, even though the rules state both players should be ready to start or the player will be deducted a frame. Murphy did raise the issue with the referee (Murphy was organised and ready to start, why couldn't Maguire be?) and the rules do state he be awarded the frame...

I remember it annoyed Maguire, who (when asked about it) shrugged it off, then came out with "oh well, I don't want to be a a fat world champion" or something like that, and the spat has rumbled on since then.
(Murphy should just have responded along the lines of - You don't want to be a fat world champion?? Don't worry, you won't be!" )

I quite like Murphy. He seems genuine, is a great break builder, and wants to be known for what he does on the table, than what he says on twitter. Good luck to him.

Well played to Robertson though. He played the game with his head as well as his cue this week, and it paid off for him. He is always a potential winner of every tournament he is in, and on form, can be near impossible to stop.

I remember that quite well. Actually, I had been on Maguire's side for that one.
Didn't think Murphy showed something that could be considered as a classy act.

Well, luckily, the tension between those two cooled off a bit in recent times.
It's not about being utmost perfect. It's more about getting over these little things here and there. And if Murphy and Maguire found a way to get over this somehow, I would consider both as gentlemen.

[daffie]

Statman and Deant1982...thanks for clearing up the incident regarding Murphy and Maguire.

[deant1982]

I remember that quite well. Actually, I had been on Maguire's side for that one.
Didn't think Murphy showed something that could be considered as a classy act.

I always was too. I thought it was a little petty of Murphy to try (and I believe succeed) to claim the frame, but I've warmed to Murf, and for some reason found myself not being so pro Maguire (I think he let me down on a bet and cost me money...). In hindsight, I see his point if he was punished for the same thing just before. its all minor points really.

Well, luckily, the tension between those two cooled off a bit in recent times.
It's not about being utmost perfect. It's more about getting over these little things here and there. And if Murphy and Maguire found a way to get over this somehow, I would consider both as gentlemen.

I still think there is some needle there (especially from Maguire) who always seems to focus that little more when he plays Shaun, but its not as bad as it was. I think a little of the resentment (even if Maguire would never admit it) is Murphy did what Maguire has been unable to do, and became world champion, and in less time. Maguire is another underachiever, he knows it, and I think that irks him more than anything Murphy does but it helps him to deflect his disappointment on someone else instead of at himself. Ronnie was the same towards Hendry until he got over it. He has, since then won the world title 3 times....