The Masters 2014

[Ronnie's tip]

Will they be showing highlights on the BBC tonight? I hoped they'd put the match on the red button again, but ah well.

[GeordieDS]

Far to good when he's on it, i can't see anyone stopping him in April/May either, equalling the great Steve Davis' record is a huge incentive. Well done to the greatest snooker player of all time.

Wow didn't even know Hendry was playing , well played Stephen

[GeordieDS]

Will they be showing highlights on the BBC tonight? I hoped they'd put the match on the red button again, but ah well.

It's quite annoying as they show all the other games but miss out the match that matters , it's like fck you it's finished now

[gavpowell]

i did not say deliberately. i said he was trolling. learn how to read and comprehend simple sentences please. why is it difficult for you to comprehend simple concepts? end of discussion

I can read perfectly well and I understand everything you've said, just not your reasoning. You will note I said "essentially" - your position is that Selby could not possibly beat Ronnie because he's nowhere near good enough, but that Ronnie was "trolling" - in which case he effectively lost on purpose by not playing properly.

Ronnie is the greatest player in the history of the sport, in my opinion, but the nature of snooker, probably most sports is that even the greatest and most talented can lose to extremely determined "lesser" men.

[gavpowell]

arb is our little troll
wouldnt worry to much

I know, I know, but I do try for reasoned discussion with everyone, regardless of their attitude.

[jb134]

I don't believe for a moment O'Sullivan deliberately lost those matches, which is essentially what you're saying. Hunter did the same thing to him, and frankly I never thought Hunter was all that good, let alone on a par with Ronnie. But sometimes in sport, a player/participant just comes up against someone whose style causes them real problems: for O'Sullivan it's the hard matchplayers who have the mentality of refusing to let go - he's just a lot better at dealing with it now than he used to be.

Ali and Norton were never in the same class and yet Norton gave Ali nightmares on three occasions, arguably winning them all. Ray Robinson was boxing's equivalent of Ronnie - nobody's ever looked as good as him before or since, yet he struggled like hell with Gene Fullmer and took two fights to work out Jake LaMotta. It happens.

Why is it so difficult for you to show a bit of class and give Selby credit for playing well enough on the day to beat Ronnie? It doesn't lessen O'Sullivan's ability or achievements - if anything I think it shows an impressive adaptability to his game that he's learnt to deal with guys who frustrate him.

That's a very good post although Norton gave everyone problems, if he could have taken a punch he'd have been champ but then Ali could take a punch and look what that got him.

There is no question that a Selby is "in Ronnie's class", if he were not, he could not have recorded the victories he has had. Ronnie is of course top of the class, that's the point. I had my doubts before this final, just as I have any time he pays Selby or Higgins but it seems that today he was good and Selby wasn't. For me, Ronnie is the best of all time but until he at least wins seven WCs there will always be those who ignore the evidence of their eyes and scramble for the record books (which they conveniently open at a point after Joe Davis.

In the "modern era" Ronnie and J Higgins are the first (Williams apart) multiple champions operating in a field that could beat them since Reardon (again always overlooked) Reardon, JH and ROS were beating great players and more importantly players of similar level for their titles, Hendry and S Davis were not. They should have won 8 each.

Ronnie and JH are also operating as contemporaries in WC winning terms, as did Reardon and Spencer, which Davis and Hendry did not. The argument of course would be moot if Reardon and Spencer had commenced WC play at the age of 19 as both may well have reached double figures.

[armstm]

he said "essentially". learn to read and comprehend simple words please.

[scottley]

We can't all be elite readers.

[jb134]

he said "essentially". learn to read and comprehend simple words please.

Was that directed at me?

[armstm]

norton didn't give foreman many problems!

[armstm]

Was that directed at me?

el arbo, el trollo

[arbitrage]

I know, I know, but I do try for reasoned discussion with everyone, regardless of their attitude.

...and i try for reasoned discussion with everyone, regardless of their intelligence or comprehension abilities (or lack of)

[armstm]

...and i try for reasoned discussion with everyone, regardless of their intelligence or comprehension abilities (or lack of)

you were intelligent and knowledgable in your prediction of ronnie's demise at the 2012 german masters. yes, only a higher intelligence such as yours could have predicted the end of ronnie's career just before he won 2 world championships and now a masters. top of the class.

[jb134]

el arbo, el trollo

A little less time spent posting nonsense on websites and you might make a 40.

[armstm]

eat ****t