Welsh Open 2007 - Results and Discussions

[rich45]

It's only 2 months since he played absolutely brilliant snooker at the UK...a loss at two of the smaller tournaments isn't a crisis just yet, and I still expect him to win one more World Title before he's done...

[mcmanusrules]

Ok I appologise to JHISMG.

And in responce about Alan, he is currenty at 16 on the 1 year list, from being 52nd last season.

Alan and John have been evenly meatch this season I think, 1 semi final each, and I recall Alan beating John at the Grand Prix.

And Alex, Alan won't win the world championship like that. He will drop one frame.

[JHISMG]

At least you have a sense of humour.

To be honest I do quite like Alan McManus but if you look at the snooker they have played Johns performance in the UK just about beats all of Alan's put together and multiplied together.

[mcmanusrules]

No, Alan beat Murphy

[JHISMG]

Alan beat someone? Thats better than John is doing at the moment at least!

[mcmanusrules]

Haha.

Alan by the way, will be back in the 16 season after next.

[gingerale]

Meanwhile any intelligence why John Higgins left the frame mid break? No word about this on World Snooker.

Andrew Higginson showed some very elite snooker in that match, he was not just using chances Higgins left. Without the lapses by John that match would have been much more tighter, of course.

[JHISMG]

It wasnt so much the fact he lost, he just went down without a fight. He went 3-0 when Higginson didnt play too well, as soon as higginson potted a ball here or there, he fell apart n lost 5-0 from then on.

I'm afraid I have to disagree with you, John had at least 1 chance in every frame. At least 1 if not more, he didnt even look like taking them and then left Higginson in the balls every time.

By the way, its so confusing writing Higginson and Higgins all the time haha.

[gingerale]

JHISMG,
Well I can't say if Higgins didn't even looked like taking the chances.
Things went wrong, he partly blames it on technique in the post match interview, maybe he changed something or whatsoever. Maybe he was sick.
But Andrew Higginson is on the run now after beating Steve Davis and John Higgins at Malta and Newport. Next opponent will be Hawkins or Judge and I'm curious about it.

[Maija]

Mtfh

From World Snooker: John Higgins: "I'm not with it at the moment. Stephen Hendry or Ronnie O'Sullivan wouldn't have let slip a 3-0 lead. Maybe that's what separates the great players from the very good."

Asked about a technical problem he alluded to in Malta, Higgins added: "I don't know if I'll ever sort it out."

Awwww. If Higgins goes around saying things like that, well, that isn't a good sign that he's going to return in top form any time soon. I don't like the 'ever' part of that statement!

WS Higginson: "Now I realise your opponent is just another person and I go out and play the balls. I've got a lot more belief in myself."

A mentally lot healthier thought to have run through your mind as you enter a tournament indeed.

Higginson wasn't even ranked when he appeared at Malta, after Malta he was suddenly #63. He got the 23rd century of his carreer yesterday. Had he faced, say Ebdon, he would probably not have. So lucky for Higginson that John has had the carreer blues coming crashing down on his head. Ok, that having been said - Higginson did play very well indeed, but couldn't he have done that against someone else?! I'm all for players who rise from the pit of the unranked and into the televised tournaments... and all that jazz. Maybe he should slip John the phone number of whomever has helped him getting to where he is now.

To sum it up: ARGH! (Not the top of eloquency, but at least I've kept a lid on the profanities.)

[Wim]

Let' s face facts. John Higgins is showing symptons he is on the way back. And Higginson is such a good player. So John Higgins will have to deal with the fact that his consistancy tends to downsgrade. Like Davis. And Hendry, which I qualify higher than Higgins, had some bad months too,but playing brilliantly again now. So after all those years, now bad days, bad weeks will be slipping into the man's game. But a generation of good attacking players is ready to take over...that is positive!

[Maija]

So after all those years, now bad days, bad weeks will be slipping into the man's game. But a generation of good attacking players is ready to take over...that is positive!

Of course it is good that new and keen players are coming through, after all it wouldn't be much fun to watch the "good old lads" beating each other with increasingly bad snooker (Parrot v Drago springs to mind). Higginson (29) and Higgins (31) are actually of the same generation, though, so alluding to the former being a "young and fresh" player and the latter as being on his way down is just not right. Hendry did fix his game again and now I hope John does. After all, it's just a game... but I hope he's still got the will to shape his up again

[PaulTheSoave]

Was it his twin brother then I saw on eurosport at The Malta Cup?

Higginson has never played on TV tables before thats why he should never have beaten the world no.4.

[Wim]

Of course it is good that new and keen players are coming through, after all it wouldn't be much fun to watch the "good old lads" beating each other with increasingly bad snooker (Parrot v Drago springs to mind). Higginson (29) and Higgins (31) are actually of the same generation, though, so alluding to the former being a "young and fresh" player and the latter as being on his way down is just not right. Hendry did fix his game again and now I hope John does. After all, it's just a game... but I hope he's still got the will to shape his up again

I didn't say Higginson was a new fresh player, as Selby, Robertson and Ding. Higgins is already a long time at the top and remaining there could become very difficult.

[Caroline]

I think it is mainly the problem of John himself, do not need to heap up all these praises on Higginsons too quickly yet. In Malta I never fancied him to win even when he was almost on the point of going 3-0 up against Doherty. Of course John was disappointing yesterday.