Ronnie O Sullivan - Ali Carter - final

[jim evans]

this is what we should all be talking about not the dress sense of people even if it is rubbish,hendrys 147,just about 2nd highest 100 breaks some realy brilliant snooker this forum is getting worse about things been aired if somebody ant have brought it up we would all be saying well done ronnie unlucky ali gd bye syephen hendry more to life people

[breakman16]

It's a sign of the times, unfortunately.

Why anyone would go to a night like this in a football shirt is beyond me...

no class, chavs, did u see the guy in tracky bottoms, sports jacket and cap? I thought they had a rule where no football shirts were allowed, at least put a polo shirt on, you dont have to wear shirt with collar and cuffs and jacket but make SOME sort of effort would be nice! lol

[breakman16]

I agree with everything you said. Those 3 blokes dressed in football strips were a complete embarrassment, absolutely bloody laughable. The snooker showpiece event of the year with millions watching overseas and we get three tramp lookalikes in the front row! They looked like they'd crawled in from the nearest five-a-side pitch and slumped there.
I too, remember when almost everyone was formally dressed for such occasions, but don't forget those people almost all wore school uniforms throughout their educational years and were used to being smart.

see my post below, they looked like they'd come straight out of their local pub, not asking for a suit but dear God not a cap, sure some of us including me wear tracky bottoms at home and football shirts but not to go out in, at least show some respect to the occasion, have some class!

[Ronnie's tip]

I just remember from being a boy watching the Crucible Final (and Masters, btw) everyone in the front rows formally dressed, looking smart. I thought it was very pleasant and added something to the occasion and atmosphere. Something that set these finals apart from all others, made them special.

Then I grow up and see many traditions being destroyed in my country and culture.
Maybe you see it as a trivial thing, sir, but this blasé attitude to tradition is indicative of wider problems IMO.

I agree that a football shirt might be a bit too much, but all this tradition stuff needs to be put to bed. You have to move with the times - young people don't want to see men in suits, just like they don't want slow, 'boring' snooker with no emotion.

If it was up to me I'd scrap the dress code for all tournaments bar the WC, UK and Masters. Every other event should be just a black shirt with a sponsor and trousers (like what they wear in the PL). As I said, you have to move with the times. Snooker still has a lot to do before it can become a major sport again, and while it may annoy a few traditionalists, it will bring in many more new fans.

[gavpowell]

Really? And you think the thing that's really keeping people away from the sport is the dress code?

I don't watch darts or football, but it isn't because they don't wear waistcoats...

FOX - without wishing to call you a liar, I think perhaps your memory is playing tricksa on you - in the '85 final footage, you can distinctly see people wearing jeans, godawful knitwear etc. Not suits. It depends when you were a kid, I suppose, but not all of us saw Walter Lindrum live

[Ronnie's tip]

Really? And you think the thing that's really keeping people away from the sport is the dress code?

I don't watch darts or football, but it isn't because they don't wear waistcoats...

It doesn't attract younger viewers. It's not 'cool' seeing grown men in a sport wearing a bow tie whether we like it or not. It's only a small thing, but snooker needs to do everything it can to push itself to a higher level. There probably isn't a single major thing that can push the game forward (other than a classic fued like Federer/Nadal), it's a lot of little things. The entrance music was a really good idea - very simple, but effective. I actually thought the build up for tonights session was pathetic in comparison to last years, where Higgins/Trump's entrance gave everyone goosebumps. I guess the scoreline at the time didn't help that though, nor did the fact that Ali Carter was involved (no offence to him).

Sort the dress code out, hype the events more - the final of the UK and Masters needs to be treated with more importance, focus more on characters, don't punish players for voicing their opinion (as long as it isn't too far), and I think we need to see more events on the bigger channels. Give one of the bigger events (German Masters/Welsh Open ect) to Sky Sports or something.

[gavpowell]

I really can;'t agree - look at the impact Judd Trump has had - he took snooker onto twitter, a new generation of fans. Brecel looks set to do the same, the game is growing across Europe, exploding in China, spreading through Australia etc. The only complaint I've ever heard from non-snooker buffs is "there's no characters anymore is there? Except Ronnie." Well I think that's certainly a myth that's been shattered since the Hearn era - the characters are starting to come to the fore.

I don't see that anyone is really put off by the dress code, but would be interested to see evidence to the contrary.

[arbitrage]

so if someone is extremely ugly, would they need to get facial reconstruction surgery first before they can attend?

Why would you have to buy a shirt? Who doesn't have a shirt? And what does "wearing a suit never made me do my job better" even mean - what relevance has that to what we are talking about??

I think it's sad we're even having this debate. I'm misplacing the sense of occasion?! It's the world snooker final session at the Crucible, in front of hundreds of millions watching on TV. How can you not see that a football shirt might not be appropriate dress for such an occasion?

Must we lose a sense of dignity and class in every aspect of our lives? What is happening to the world...
No, Sir, I respectfully disagree.

[Ronnie's tip]

I really can;'t agree - look at the impact Judd Trump has had - he took snooker onto twitter, a new generation of fans. Brecel looks set to do the same, the game is growing across Europe, exploding in China, spreading through Australia etc. The only complaint I've ever heard from non-snooker buffs is "there's no characters anymore is there? Except Ronnie." Well I think that's certainly a myth that's been shattered since the Hearn era - the characters are starting to come to the fore.

I don't see that anyone is really put off by the dress code, but would be interested to see evidence to the contrary.

Judd Trump is one. A single person. I've only seen a tiny bit of Brecel but he doesn't excite me. A good player doesn't bring in the fans - an exciting one does. He seemed quite boring to me.

Mark Allen will have actually helped the game, whether Barry Hearn likes it or not. I guarantee more people will tune into his matches now that he's created all this controversy. He's a character - a controversial one. People are interested to see what he will say next. I think the idea of punishing Mark Williams for saying he doesn't like the Crucible is a joke. It looks like both Allen and Williams have given up on twitter - well done Barry Hearn. What's the point in promoting the game on twitter when you punish players for saying their opinion? I love Barry Hearn, he's done a lot of things right but he's getting this wrong.

The growth of the game worldwide is great, but I'm talking specifically about the UK. How many real characters does the game have? I don't mean players that give a little smile here and there, I mean players that draw attention to themselves.

Ronnie - Genius
Trump - This young 'kid' who goes for everything and usually get's them. Represents many young people today.
Mark Allen - Outspoken
Murphy - A lot of people I speak to see him as a bit of a snob
Higgins - Legend
Williams - Legend
Maguire - Aggressive

Aside from that, who? Mark Selby is incredibly boring, Ding has no personality, Robertson? Not really. Dott/Lee/Bingham/Gould/Walden/Hawkins/Davis/Higginson - no casual fan cares about this lot. People only care about Selby when he plays O'Sullivan and likewise Robertson with Trump. Carter has raised his stakes with his actions this tournament though. I'm not saying these guys are bad for the sport or anything like that - as a snooker fan I can happily watch these guys play, but they don't attract an audience.

Snooker needs more hype in everything it does. It needs to be more in your face. The trophy celebrations need to be bigger, the entrances need to be better, the 'look' needs to be cooler, we need some proper rivalries. Where would snooker be without Higgins vs Reardon, Higgins vs Davis, White vs Hendry, Hendry vs O'Sullivan, O'Sullivan vs Higgins.

It needs to be a game where people can go down the pub and watch a match, and when someone cracks in a long pot the pub cheers (or boos).

Maybe I'm being too ambitious, but the game itself can not change, so it's the circumstances around the game that need to make up for it.

People just aren't interested in two friendly gentlemen shaking hands, looking extremely smart and playing a slow session for 5 hours. It doesn't get people talking anymore. That era is dead, whether people like it or not, and it's one of the reasons the game has dropped in popularity.

[vplusasia]

For the first time I'm not sure about Ronnie, he's playing much slower and safer which is not his style but if I have to guess the champ and score than it would be Ronnie 18-16.

[Ronnie's tip]

For the first time I'm not sure about Ronnie, he's playing much slower and safer which is not his style but if I have to guess the champ and score than it would be Ronnie 18-16.

Slow stream?

[LittleMissAlexa]

Ronnie's record in major finals isnt too shabby we all know hes 100% in worlds he has the same record in uk finals too

[johnsusername]

Thoughts:

- Well done O'Sullivan. Played the best throughout the tournament, and then the final and deserved to win.
- Carter was clearly exhausted by the final. As Ken Doherty said yesterday, playing Ronnie was like playing an Android - you just couldn't give him an inch. His cue-ball control was simply outstanding.
- Generally it was a disappointing final. Ronnie was too good, Carter too sloppy.
- Best game was Carter versus Trump IMO.
- DRESS SENSE - Anyone over the age of 14 should be banned from wearing football shirts as a fashion item. Scruffy so and so's!

[Masterdoctorgenius]

any chance that bbc will show the shots of the championships on the website

[johnsusername]

I think someone said the shots of the championship were on youtube?

It's a shame the BBC doesn't do a nice round up after the final with a bit of music - the trophy's handed over and it just ends. Also, it'd be nice if they did a one-hour review show of the whole tournament. Would be good to see pundits views after everything has calmed down.