Ssb - unhappy day

[MySockPuppet]

Why do players suddenly seem to lose all semblance of form?

It’s happened to a fair few over the years: one moment they are at the top of their game, the next they are plunging down the rankings.

The latest to suffer this fate is Ryan Day. Two years ago he was third in the provisional rankings after reaching the Grand Prix final.

Now he is 24th, will have to qualify for the UK Championship and won’t be at the Masters.

Day has lost his last eight matches on the tour and is badly in need of a run in a tournament to arrest an alarming slide.

Players, like anyone, have pressures away from their professions which may impact their form but snooker is a sport that cruelly exposes any mental frailties.

When a player is at the table it is up to them and if they are not feeling confident, doubts cloud their minds and cause mistakes.

Ryan Day has not forgotten how to play snooker overnight. But something is wrong and, as with Mark Williams a few years ago, turning the corner will not be easy.

The PTCs are, in theory, a good thing for a player struggling with confidence. If you lose early one week you have an immediate chance to make amends.

But the other side of that coin is that a series of swift exits one week after another can deplete self belief at a greater rate than if there were fewer events.

Last season, a player not performing could blame the paucity of tournaments. Not any more, though.

Day is a fine talent: a long potter and break builder of the modern style. In that 2008 Grand Prix he made an excellent 50-odd clearance in the decider against Mark Selby in the last 16 that proved he can compete under pressure.

But he has failed to win any of his three ranking finals thus far and so does not have that reservoir of success to tap into.

Day was ranked sixth last season. I’ve seen players reach such heady heights before and then struggle. I wonder if sometimes they look at their lofty position and think that the only way is down.

After all, they’ve spent years working hard to climb the rankings but, when they get there, they are no longer the hunter but the hunted.

Does this instil a mood of panic, particularly after a couple of disappointing defeats?

I don’t know why Day is struggling but I do know how highly he is rated by his fellow players.

They would expect him to turn the tide at some point, as would I, but professional snooker is cutthroat and nothing is guaranteed.


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[Looki]

He is a fine player, indeed. I've wondered if those ranking final losses have shook his confidence so badly that he isn't able to perform at the moment. Whatever it is that has affected him I hope all the best for him and hopefully one day he can play the game again in such a manner we know what he's capable of.

[spike]

I am sure even Day himself is at a total loss as to why he isn't winning with more regularity. Maybe he should get some friendly advice from fellow Welshmen Mark Williams and more recently Matthew Stevens who had been in the doldrums for sometime, but who are now are both coming back to form..

[gettingbetter]

Nice read, just another note, Joe Perry is looking at falling out of the top 32 soon too.

[Matt_2745]

I am sure even Day himself is at a total loss as to why he isn't winning with more regularity. Maybe he should get some friendly advice from fellow Welshmen Mark Williams and more recently Matthew Stevens who had been in the doldrums for sometime, but who are now are both coming back to form..

Problem for me though is that both Mark and Matthew were better players to start with. No doubt Ryan should be doing better than he is at the moment but I do think that when he got to number 6 he has overachieved a touch. I probably see him as a 10-12 player rather than a 4-6 one.

[wildJONESEYE]

Problem for me though is that both Mark and Matthew were better players to start with. No doubt Ryan should be doing better than he is at the moment but I do think that when he got to number 6 he has overachieved a touch. I probably see him as a 10-12 player rather than a 4-6 one.

i dont think being a top player sits well with him .

some are better as underdogs others are Great Champions and can carry being the best off for long periods. Ryan Day cant handle the expectation of success brings.

[sharkster63]

Hello,
I think that at this high end level you cannot afford to be even a small 2 pct below your max playing ability. I see the best players who win consistently only having a 5 percent advantage over the pack. It does not take much to lose that edge.

They are all great players but only the cream rises to the top.

Cheers,

[thinsy]

What I see is 32 players capable of being in the top 16.....
64 players capable of being in the top 32.....

I wouldn't be surprised with the likes of the PTC's having ALL the players starting from the first round (and 'top' players regularly getting beaten by 'lesser' players) and due to the regular updating of ranking points/positions it won't be long before the 'elite 16' becomes the 'elite 32'..............

Round one: ranks 65-96 play 33-64
Round two: ranks 1-32 play winners of round one
Round three: last 32
Round four: last 16
Q-F: last 8 (obviously)
S-F: last 4 (obviously)
Final: last 2 (obviously)

This would not put so much pressure on so many capable players making it to the top 16.

Of course this would cause a little confusion over which matches would be played at qualifying venues and which would be carried to the tv stages (of course you could still have the top 16 players guaranted tv venues)

I'm sure Lord Bazza would work something out.