World Championship 2012 1st Round Discussion

[checkSide]

Go Ronnie!

[breakman16]

'mon ronnie!!!!!

[Le Ball Sack]

This is painful to watch.

[vmax4steve]

I think Mark Allen should be allowed to say whatever he wants to, is it not supposed to be a free country or are we only allowed to be free to do what we're told. If he feels strongly enough that there is a tendency for chinese players to accept referee decisions rather than make their own, as is tradition in the english game, then why not say so.
To be honest, snooker is the only game I know of where there is this tradition of honesty, and it does indeed come from a bygone era where Corinthian attitudes of fair play from the public school playing fields were at odds with the cut throat attitudes of the professionals that these upper class amateurs shared the field with.
Snooker etiquette does come from the billiard rooms of the upper classes, but should working class blokes have to adhere to this in the twenty first century, and should blokes from other countries where this tradition is alien to them be expected to to be the same.

We all like to think and believe that we're honest people, but the truth is that if you're honest all the time you will never get laid, never have any friends and never make any money. Lies are the oil in the social machine, if you don't believe me then just try being perfectly honest just for one day and see if you can keep your job and your marriage together.
Myself I'm as honest as I can be, totally when I'm playing snooker, mostly at all other times, and I respect anyone who gives an honest personal opinion. Their opinion may be at odds with mine or even be totally wrong but as long as it's theirs then so be it.
What I would hate to see is snooker sinking to the depths of football, but that is down mainly to referees who are only referees because they have a psychological need to be in charge, who know the rules but don't know the game to the highest of standards.
What really has to change as far as snooker referees are concerned is this need to always be behind the player playing the shot. As far as I'm concerned the referee should stand wherever he/she needs to, to be able to see what is about to happen. If that is in front of the player playing the shot, then as long as he/she keeps perfectly still then it doesn't matter. If Paul Collier had been in front of Cao when he played that alleged push stroke/double hit he would have seen it, called it and there would have been no problems, referees decision final and all that. And Mark Allen would not have been then able to use that incident as an excuse to lose, which I feel is basically what he has done.

[ADR147]

I think Mark Allen should be allowed to say whatever he wants to, is it not supposed to be a free country

totally agree with this.

[sklskl]

Ok so I've missed the first 2 days I caught up with the scores and the fantastic 147!!!!!! Have I missed much else?

Just in time for the Ronnie game. I think Ebdon could frustrate him with his slow play.

[daffie]

....

As far as freedom of speech goes, I completely disagree with just about everything you said there. But I do respect your views.

[daffie]

Ok so I've missed the first 2 days I caught up with the scores and the fantastic 147!!!!!! Have I missed much else?

Nah...not too much Just about the best first couple of days we've had in any WC so far...

Interesting tussle this tho...Ronnie is completely different from the person he was in 2005. He is much more mature now and has found a way to deal with his demons...I think this one will not faze him too much. And we all know how well Ebdon has been playing lately, so good match in prospect!

[sklskl]

I hope you're right , I prefer a Ronnie that is in full flow (well we all do) compared to a frustrated Ronnie.

He missed a difficult pink and Ebdon's just set it up for him.

[sklskl]

Why didn't Ronnie play that pink so much slower? He left himself so high up, seemed amateurish or is it just me?>

[streamer45]

What a first frame!

[daffie]

What a first frame!

Absolutely unbelievable..I just love it!

[sklskl]

This is crazy, both players missed the black. Ronneie just missed a sitter.

[sklskl]

Ronnie wins the frame , finally after about 20 shot on a respotted black.

[montoya10]

It doesn't get any better than this.

Hats off to both players.