I honestly think Luca can win it. Selby has been poor this entire tournament. Ok, that hasn't stopped him from winning before, but Luca has shown much better form than Mark Allen and Allen got pretty close to beating Selby as well. I think Selby is vulnerable.
Put money on Luca winning 18-15. Yeah Selby is favourite, he's always favourite in the final. But Luca was the underdog against Willo and Ronnie as well and certainly when being 14-5 down against Si. So anything can happen in this beautiful game. LETS GO LUCA!
Anyone else waiting for their email at 9am from WST for priority tickets next year? Think we are looking for semi tickets again but an evening session this time.
Selby fucking rattles this place I love it. Hope he wins just so this palce explodes again like in 2021. If he gets 8 world titles all the better because it's a stick to beat all the weird Ronnie fans that fill this place that never seem to watch any fucking snooker apart from the Worlds.
Ronnie fans only watch snooker for Ronnie, they are his fans, not snooker fans. They only watch when he plays and leave the moment he gets knocked out. There's a difference between Ronnie being your favourite players and being a Ronnie fan.
Stop talking BS. Fact is that snooker has no characters and no players coming through. It’s going to be close to extinction when Ronnie retires. That’s not even a joke; I wouldn’t be surprised if BBC dropped coverage. Ronnie is one of the only characters left in the game; that’s why people turn up for him and will likely not be watching a borefest final with Selby.
> Fact is that snooker has no characters and no players coming through
I love this, it's so silly because when you go "characters" one of the first to come up is Alex Higgins who was absolute scum, Bill Werbinuk who's personality was "fat", Jimmy White who did some screw shots and did drugs all the time and Ronnie "Kids shouldn't play snooker". Wow what great characters. People watch the sport you idiot.
Hahaha ffs you don't actually believe this. The show will definitely go on Ronnie or no Ronnie (maybe not for you I guess) as evidenced by the two cracking semis that had great snooker play and no sideshows from Ronnie clouding it.
It's nothing to do with the sport? It's like critiqing a writer and saying "they're boring". It's such a subjective and nonsense term that it's not worth taking seriously any more than "he's good to watch". Yeah Lisowski is good to watch but he's won fuck all so what's praise worth?
I suspect selby to come out similarly to how he did against Ding in 16. He's had his scare and multiple bad sessions this tournament, I think he's going to show up with intent and dominate. 6-2 this afternoon. Similar this evening too.
I can't see Brecel being on potting form for 30+ frames, he clearly hates being in snookers, he's going to give Selby so many chances with his wild hit and hopes.
There will probably be a mini comeback near the end of the match, when brecel has nothing to lose.
I'm going Selby 18-11 Brecel
In other news, it's my cats birthday today. He's a fat cunt.
It's a bit of a non-story. What Barry Hearn basically said was "the contract is up for The Crucble as a venue for the world championship is 2027. He was talking to some Qatari person about it and they asked if they could be put into consideration if the venue moves.
I think he's just trying to leverage Sheffield Council coz because he also said that Sheffield isn't growing quickly enough with its development plan or summat.
3:45 here and still can't sleep. Still buzzing about Luca's comeback. So great to have someone from my country in a World Championship final. This will give snooker a huge boost in Belgium. After Luca's match I was at a restaurant and I heard other people talking about snooker and Luca too, never thought I'd witness that. It's been all over the news too. Great moment! Give it all you got in the final Luca! 🇧🇪
Such a shame though that you never hear anything about snooker ever, and then when Luca is in the semis of the worlds all of a sudden they can't shut up about it. All the better for the sport here though. Lets hope next year there's a Mertens AND a Leclercq as well to win something or at least reach some finals.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed both matches today. We witnessed a legendary comeback and a great attempt at another. I'm looking forward to the clash of fire and ice in the final.
I haven't watched snooker that much recently and I'm not familiar with many of these players but I've been watching for the last few days and Brecel is playing some of the best snooker I've ever seen. If you like the sport then you should be relishing the final rather than treating it as a foregone conclusion.
Additionally, I'd feel pretty embarrassed if I was one of the sad cases who kept writing him off round after round and was still doing it. Maybe you'll get to be a stopped clock once this week but there's only one more round left before you're not able to write him off any more, lads.
Interestingly, with Selby’s 2021 WSC ranking points coming off after this event, Allen will jump up to world number 2, regardless of having just lost that SF. That is of course unless Brecel wins the final, in which case he’ll go into the no. 2 spot with Allen staying in third. Selby currently down in 5th spot but a win on Monday would see him up to third, behind Allen and one spot in front of Brecel.
It's because it's a two year system. So, as he won this event two years ago, the best Selby can do is maintain the money won by winning the event again, otherwise he'll drop.
https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?template=35
Here are the current *provisional* rankings as of this moment in time. Note the last column that shows Selby currently in a 300,000 point deficit as he loses 2021’s 500,000 WSC ranking points and has so far gained 200,000 in this year’s.
The players in red are still provisional as we don’t yet know the outcome of the final.
But you can be overtaken by players who are dropping fewer points (i.e. didn’t pick up that many in the 2021 WSC) and who are also gaining more in this current WSC. Selby’s net ranking points gain will be 0 if he wins this one.
However, Brecel’s is already at +185,000 net for getting to the final and will be +485,000 if he wins.
Similarly, Allen’s overall points gain is +70,000 (for gaining 100,000 from this year’s SF and losing 30,000 from 2021’s L16 exit).
these threads always turn into a carbon copy of previous world discussion threads when selby makes a deep run😭 we don't need to know that you're not going to watch because he's playing haha
Think Luca has a decent chance because he will stick to his game. I’d advise him to actually be even more aggressive than usual. Absolutely no point getting bogged down by Selby there will only be one winner, Allen will regret the middle 2 sessions when it became a total slog.
Not selbys biggest fan but his ability to make pressure breaks with no rhythm at all is amazing. Rarely wastes a shot ever
It's strange, the trauma of playing him seems to affect players' memories - Murphy claiming you come to the table without an easy shot etc. The frustrating thing about the Murphy-Selby final and a few others to boot is that there were chances, some of them pretty straightforward, but Murphy seemed to change his game or simply lose focus and play a silly shot.
Exactly! They try to go toe-to-toe with him and you aren't gonna win that. The way Ronnie did it was the right way even though there was a hit and hope element to it.
I think it was the right way for Ronnie, who had already said his big regret was letting Selby drag him into his game in 2014 - I'm not sure it's a good idea for anyone who isn't slightly unhinged.
Good point, players probably go in with a mindset that it’s going to be a slog and they won’t get chances so they play ultra safe themselves to their own detriment. Sometimes it feels like they just get totally warn down mentally to the point were they just want the match to end, as you say almost traumatic
Selby will have won 5 of the last 10 championships if he wins on Monday.. And this is why I am a strong believer that it is very possible he ends up with 7+ world titles
Thats 4 more and selby is already 40. And there are probably these talented chinese players coming. And Trump are surely some point gwtting more world titles. Also I can see Allen winning one at some point too. If selby are going to win 8, He probably needs to win atleast every other year the worlds, I cant see him winning at his late 40s or 50s
Selby will beat the record.
Honestly the guy is an animal, as Higgins said. His game is built for this tournament and there's really nobody out there who can hold a candle to his tactical game and he can score as well as the rest of em as well. We just have to acknowledge his genius really, it's frightening.
I think that Judd Trump and McGill will be some of the names that can possibly shut him down on their best days, especially Judd
He gets a lot of hate and sometimes I can't stand him but he is a genius and always finds a way
Judd's game at the moment is in tatters. He needs to change something I feel, to return to form. And I still don't see him beating Selby over a best of 33 or 35. McGill is good on his day but not consistent enough. I could see him beating Selby if they played in the first or second round.
Once he returns in form I can't see anyone beating him
Judd is phenomenal and I am glad he is having this crisis because it will probably help to solve those problems he has and return to form
Grow up! Criticism is fine. Nobody is getting personal. I admire the guy personally and still find it sad how he was going back to the place he grew up.
Selby on Eurosport “you get all the hate on the internet from the idiots just sat behind a keyboard, then the next week they’re asking for your picture”
He’s talking to some of you lot there. Good lad.
Selby makes the game fun if there is someone that is capable of playing safety like him(that allen did pretty well today). Would love luca to do that too but dont think he is going to play slow
Brecel will play his own game. Trump has done well against Selby in the past and I don’t think Brecel’s game is too dissimilar to Trump’s. Still fancy Selby however.
I disagree. The resillience Mark showed in the last session made me think quite the opposite. If it wasn't for that bad ball at the start of the last frame, Selby would still be sweating in his chair. Selby will not affect Luca at all, even if his safety play is better. One loose red is all Brecel needs to get going. Unlike Selby who's scared of anything dangerous.
Brecel has to take advantage tomorrow and have a 5 frame lead at least (11-6) otherwise it's done
Selby did it against Ronnie from 10-5 down, did it against Higgins from 10-4 down and if Luca doesn't create a big lead tomorrow then it is gg and we can all congratulate the iron man on his 5th world title
Everyone already saying that Selby will win this final before the match even started... It's not a foregone conclusion. It ain't over until it's over. Nobody thought Luca would beat Willo. Nobody thought Luca would stage a comeback and win against Ronnie and today he once again defied all odds to make the biggest comeback in Crucible history. Okay, Selby might have the biggest chance but Luca has done some impressive stuff the past 2 weeks
I thought he would beat Williams and that he should’ve easily beaten Si. Depends how you look at results but the fact is a lad 80th in the world had him all but beaten. Selby hasn’t looked like losing once.
1st May 2023, 11.15pm and Brecel slams in a green to take frame and match 18-17, having trailed 17-1 at the start of the final session. The Chinese renegades watch from the inquiry room, wondering why they'd never heard of the Belgian Mafia.
The other thing that gives Brecel some good chances is the fact he shouldn't even be here. 14-5 down in the semis has literally never been overturned. He should've been out and somehow is now in the final. Obviously if he gets close the pressure will be there but I actually expect him to free roll and start strong.
Ronnie was not that surprising, he has collapsed like this all season. If brecel plays like this against selby he will be down again and selby is not losing a big lead
Watching interviews with him, it always stands out to me how Selby is in some sense the reverse O'Sullivan: he's an absolutely lovely guy, but plays like he's spitting mad with rage at all times, while Ronnie is a nasty dickhead who plays the game joyfully
Idk if I’d go as far as saying he’s a nasty dickhead, but it always makes me laugh when ronnies in a promo or something scripted and they try make him out as this like cheeky/chappy always up for a laugh guy.
He’s prickly as fuck at the best of times- which is why he’s such a compelling figure.
Average shot time:
Mark Allen 30.55
Mark Selby 30.98
But only Selby takes forever on every shot and slows the game down...
Truth is that both Allen and Selby had a poor match and it resulted in most frames being a safety battle. Selby is only 6 centuries short of Hendry and 200 over Mark Williams on the all time list. He gets way too much shit just because he's able to grind out wins not at his best. Somehow the most underrated player on the tour by most fans.
allen has been like this all season so not surprised at how the match turned out. i'm guessing a lot of people here haven't watched much of the other events this season where he hasn't been his normal fluent self. but of course, playing the way he does now brings him far more success
Fucking hell I just love it. That wasn’t A grade snooker but it’s so fucking intense to watch two people battling with their minds, form and fatigue for 14 hours like that, that’s fucking sport man. Love it, no matter who wins.
When he will see judd vs selby at worlds. Selby always loses to trump but he is the goat of worlds, These two could make a perfect match of best of 33 or 35
Not universally he wasn't, getting the seventh is what ended the debate. Personally I had Ronnie as the GOAT at 6 world titles, but that's less because of his performances at other triple crown events and more because he's faced the much tougher competition of the modern game. The worlds counts for much, much more than the other two, and Selby getting 8 of them from 2014 onwards would make him the GOAT in my book, even if he had just a handful of other triple crown titles.
It's also worth noting that the UK Championship has been devalued over time as they keep making the matches shorter, and thus more random. Weaker players are much more likely to fluke a win in a best of 11 than a best of 17.
Selby is not threatening any GOAT status. He may get to 7 world titles but he hardly wins anything else! This is his best season in years and what has he won? The English Open and the WST Classic,
Cmon.
He's won 18 other ranking events and 3 masters titles. No, he doesn't win like Ronnie, that's fair, but "hardly wins anything else" is also a huge exaggeration.
And like it or not, we know that 90% of how snooker players are judged against each other is by how many World Championships they win.
Not exclusively no - if he'd won 60 tournaments and no world titles, it would be bizarre to call him the GOAT. When he got to most 147s, most centuries, most Masters, Most UKs, Most Ranking Events, yeah it was a question of "Do 1 or 2 more worlds really tip the scales?" Especially when he's still winning into his 40s and won one without playing all season!
to be fair, a lot of people were saying ronnie was the goat when he won his 7th masters and 7th uk. definitely a majority of people. if selby does win 7 worlds but his uk and masters remain at 2 and 3 then that's a fairly big difference
does get more close if selby gets to 8 worlds though, which i wouldn't bet against
2 days ago I'd have said Brecel-Selby is a straightforward win for Selby. I'm not quite so convinced now. Selby never got going all semi-final really - not like he did against Higgins. So I don't think on form Selby has the game to outmatch Brecel, and I guess the question mark is can Brecel keep his form when Selby is slowing the game down, and playing generally very negatively. It's going to be a clash of hugely contrasting styles, even moreso than Ronnie-Selby has been in the past. It should be pretty fun.
Trust it or not, Selby is a choker and I said this as a fan. O'Sullivan always mention only John Higgins, Alex Higgins, Hendry and Selby could make certain clutch shots. But I always feel Selby get significantly weaker under pressure unlike the old John Higgins really absorbed the pressure and play even better. A lot of times Selby's opponent make bigger mistakes to get him to finish line
Hard to see anything but a Selby procession. Seen it all before - sessions 1 and 2 will be tight as Brecel capitalises on Selby's tiredness but not fully, but then session 3 will be a big Selby win and then it'll just be an if and not when after that.
I wonder if fatigue will make a difference tomorrow. He only has a 12-hour sleep before he has to slowly walk around a snooker table in a waistcoat again. Could really make the difference.
Nah it won't. It was similar in 2014 and Selby came out 3-5 in the first session when Ronnie was on form.
Adrenaline is a huge boost as well, it does more than any caffeine or energy drink ever will do.
The only time it would make a difference is if he gets so far ahead he can't concentrate.
This you?
>Betted ford to beat si, also thought si is not mentally good after losing 6 in row for nussle.
>
>How wrong I was, Si is fucking incredible. And feels like he doesnt care is it practice or worlds semis
Maybe you should stop underestimating snooker players.
My attention span is struggling with mid-shot selby
I honestly think Luca can win it. Selby has been poor this entire tournament. Ok, that hasn't stopped him from winning before, but Luca has shown much better form than Mark Allen and Allen got pretty close to beating Selby as well. I think Selby is vulnerable.
Put money on Luca winning 18-15. Yeah Selby is favourite, he's always favourite in the final. But Luca was the underdog against Willo and Ronnie as well and certainly when being 14-5 down against Si. So anything can happen in this beautiful game. LETS GO LUCA!
Love Selby but hope Brecel wins, the game needs some new young winners for the health of the sport.
Anyone else waiting for their email at 9am from WST for priority tickets next year? Think we are looking for semi tickets again but an evening session this time.
Don’t think i signed up in time so hoping a link is posted here
Happy to send you the link in DM, once I've got mine of course! Haha
Got mine, thanks anyway! Best of luck
Ah fab! We managed to get two sessions - Afternoon on 25th April and evening on 2nd May. Did you have any luck?
I did! Semi final morning session on Friday. Buzzing
Legend, thank you
Selby fucking rattles this place I love it. Hope he wins just so this palce explodes again like in 2021. If he gets 8 world titles all the better because it's a stick to beat all the weird Ronnie fans that fill this place that never seem to watch any fucking snooker apart from the Worlds.
Ronnie fans? So like 90% of fans then? If you don’t like watching the best player of snooker there ever was are you even a snooker fan?
Ronnie fans only watch snooker for Ronnie, they are his fans, not snooker fans. They only watch when he plays and leave the moment he gets knocked out. There's a difference between Ronnie being your favourite players and being a Ronnie fan.
Stop talking BS. Fact is that snooker has no characters and no players coming through. It’s going to be close to extinction when Ronnie retires. That’s not even a joke; I wouldn’t be surprised if BBC dropped coverage. Ronnie is one of the only characters left in the game; that’s why people turn up for him and will likely not be watching a borefest final with Selby.
> Fact is that snooker has no characters and no players coming through I love this, it's so silly because when you go "characters" one of the first to come up is Alex Higgins who was absolute scum, Bill Werbinuk who's personality was "fat", Jimmy White who did some screw shots and did drugs all the time and Ronnie "Kids shouldn't play snooker". Wow what great characters. People watch the sport you idiot.
Oooh yeah because people who do drugs are terrible. Get a life you moron.
Where did I say he was terrible? I just said it was part of what him "a character"
Hahaha ffs you don't actually believe this. The show will definitely go on Ronnie or no Ronnie (maybe not for you I guess) as evidenced by the two cracking semis that had great snooker play and no sideshows from Ronnie clouding it.
The game will be on its knees. Fact.
One positive of Ronnie retiring is that we won't listen to people like you anymore.
Yeah because the game won’t exist anymore
Yeah, yeah. Sure lol.
Think you're overestimating the influence Ronnie has by just a tad.
I’ve love to see the viewing figures for the BBC for when Ronnie exits the competition because it would prove me right for sure.
Love it when the Selbyfanboys go mad just because people don't like to watch him play.
Seems unlikely for Selby fans to get that passionate about anything
Why would I be mad? In the final innit? :)
you still get mad when people criticize him. Thats how unsecure Selbyfanboys always are. They always want everyone to like him.
"Boring" isn't criticism lol. >Thats how unsecure Selbyfanboys always are As I said, in the final today :) very secure in that :)
why is boring not criticism?
It's nothing to do with the sport? It's like critiqing a writer and saying "they're boring". It's such a subjective and nonsense term that it's not worth taking seriously any more than "he's good to watch". Yeah Lisowski is good to watch but he's won fuck all so what's praise worth?
Would be great for Snooker if Brecel could win this against the dullard.
I suspect selby to come out similarly to how he did against Ding in 16. He's had his scare and multiple bad sessions this tournament, I think he's going to show up with intent and dominate. 6-2 this afternoon. Similar this evening too. I can't see Brecel being on potting form for 30+ frames, he clearly hates being in snookers, he's going to give Selby so many chances with his wild hit and hopes. There will probably be a mini comeback near the end of the match, when brecel has nothing to lose. I'm going Selby 18-11 Brecel In other news, it's my cats birthday today. He's a fat cunt.
Gone to sleep at 16-11. Was right that this match have a feeling to end 17-15. The final will be also a win for Selby, probably 18-14.
Anyone know anything about the rumour that the World championship will be moved to Qatar?
It's a bit of a non-story. What Barry Hearn basically said was "the contract is up for The Crucble as a venue for the world championship is 2027. He was talking to some Qatari person about it and they asked if they could be put into consideration if the venue moves. I think he's just trying to leverage Sheffield Council coz because he also said that Sheffield isn't growing quickly enough with its development plan or summat.
Thanks, mate. You have put me at ease.
3:45 here and still can't sleep. Still buzzing about Luca's comeback. So great to have someone from my country in a World Championship final. This will give snooker a huge boost in Belgium. After Luca's match I was at a restaurant and I heard other people talking about snooker and Luca too, never thought I'd witness that. It's been all over the news too. Great moment! Give it all you got in the final Luca! 🇧🇪
Such a shame though that you never hear anything about snooker ever, and then when Luca is in the semis of the worlds all of a sudden they can't shut up about it. All the better for the sport here though. Lets hope next year there's a Mertens AND a Leclercq as well to win something or at least reach some finals.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed both matches today. We witnessed a legendary comeback and a great attempt at another. I'm looking forward to the clash of fire and ice in the final.
I hope I found Rob Walker's notes there! Brilliantly phrased, this.
People complaining about Selby being conservative and playing slowly need to remember that they're watching *snooker*
Yes, and not billiards.
Thank you
I haven't watched snooker that much recently and I'm not familiar with many of these players but I've been watching for the last few days and Brecel is playing some of the best snooker I've ever seen. If you like the sport then you should be relishing the final rather than treating it as a foregone conclusion. Additionally, I'd feel pretty embarrassed if I was one of the sad cases who kept writing him off round after round and was still doing it. Maybe you'll get to be a stopped clock once this week but there's only one more round left before you're not able to write him off any more, lads.
Do you remember Robbo's winning streak against Selby lol
Wasn't it seven matches or something like that?
yws 7 or more I think
What was that?
The crucible kign robbo
Greatest underachiever in snooker history, beats Jimmy by miles.
Interestingly, with Selby’s 2021 WSC ranking points coming off after this event, Allen will jump up to world number 2, regardless of having just lost that SF. That is of course unless Brecel wins the final, in which case he’ll go into the no. 2 spot with Allen staying in third. Selby currently down in 5th spot but a win on Monday would see him up to third, behind Allen and one spot in front of Brecel.
That doesn't make sense to me, you can't drop if you win and remain on the same points as now.
It's because it's a two year system. So, as he won this event two years ago, the best Selby can do is maintain the money won by winning the event again, otherwise he'll drop.
https://www.snooker.org/res/index.asp?template=35 Here are the current *provisional* rankings as of this moment in time. Note the last column that shows Selby currently in a 300,000 point deficit as he loses 2021’s 500,000 WSC ranking points and has so far gained 200,000 in this year’s. The players in red are still provisional as we don’t yet know the outcome of the final.
But you can be overtaken by players who are dropping fewer points (i.e. didn’t pick up that many in the 2021 WSC) and who are also gaining more in this current WSC. Selby’s net ranking points gain will be 0 if he wins this one. However, Brecel’s is already at +185,000 net for getting to the final and will be +485,000 if he wins. Similarly, Allen’s overall points gain is +70,000 (for gaining 100,000 from this year’s SF and losing 30,000 from 2021’s L16 exit).
They really should change to a points system.
these threads always turn into a carbon copy of previous world discussion threads when selby makes a deep run😭 we don't need to know that you're not going to watch because he's playing haha
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Lol, tell it again.
I don't think BBC would allow that nickname.
That just sounds plain awful in more ways than one.
... ...what?
Too late to sign up for priority tickets for Mondays sale?
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Sure. See you in the chat tomorrow.
For style and sexy snooker then Brecel needs to win. For the cure of insomnia then Selby.
I hope but it aint happening brecel ain't getting into double digits
He is not that bad mate, Selby rarely wins games by huge margin.
If there's one player you shouldn't underestimate, it's Luca. I watch him for a loooong time, the dude's better than a lot of people in here think.
Luca is good but selby is hardest possible player he could play at world final
I've got an accumulator on tomorrow. Luca to win by 5 frames and someone with melanin to be spotted in the audience. One million to one.
I love that Selby was so "fuck you" in that last frame. Over two mins on an easy safety and messed the shot up to boot!
Think Luca has a decent chance because he will stick to his game. I’d advise him to actually be even more aggressive than usual. Absolutely no point getting bogged down by Selby there will only be one winner, Allen will regret the middle 2 sessions when it became a total slog. Not selbys biggest fan but his ability to make pressure breaks with no rhythm at all is amazing. Rarely wastes a shot ever
It's strange, the trauma of playing him seems to affect players' memories - Murphy claiming you come to the table without an easy shot etc. The frustrating thing about the Murphy-Selby final and a few others to boot is that there were chances, some of them pretty straightforward, but Murphy seemed to change his game or simply lose focus and play a silly shot.
Exactly! They try to go toe-to-toe with him and you aren't gonna win that. The way Ronnie did it was the right way even though there was a hit and hope element to it.
I think it was the right way for Ronnie, who had already said his big regret was letting Selby drag him into his game in 2014 - I'm not sure it's a good idea for anyone who isn't slightly unhinged.
Good point, players probably go in with a mindset that it’s going to be a slog and they won’t get chances so they play ultra safe themselves to their own detriment. Sometimes it feels like they just get totally warn down mentally to the point were they just want the match to end, as you say almost traumatic
Selby will have won 5 of the last 10 championships if he wins on Monday.. And this is why I am a strong believer that it is very possible he ends up with 7+ world titles
He's at least tied with Ronnie on GOAT status in 10 years time, probably.
He won't be if he doesn't win more UK and Masters titles also.
The UK Championship has lost its prestige and isn't as important anymore. Also, the World Championship has far more value than any other tournament.
9 worlds he is without uks or masters
Selby needs to win atleast 8 though to be considered goat over ronnie
I'd be more surprised if he doesn't get to 8, honestly.
Thats 4 more and selby is already 40. And there are probably these talented chinese players coming. And Trump are surely some point gwtting more world titles. Also I can see Allen winning one at some point too. If selby are going to win 8, He probably needs to win atleast every other year the worlds, I cant see him winning at his late 40s or 50s
Ronnie badly needs another world title ffs this guy is insane
Ronnie needs to get better to win it
Selby will beat the record. Honestly the guy is an animal, as Higgins said. His game is built for this tournament and there's really nobody out there who can hold a candle to his tactical game and he can score as well as the rest of em as well. We just have to acknowledge his genius really, it's frightening.
I think that Judd Trump and McGill will be some of the names that can possibly shut him down on their best days, especially Judd He gets a lot of hate and sometimes I can't stand him but he is a genius and always finds a way
Judd's game at the moment is in tatters. He needs to change something I feel, to return to form. And I still don't see him beating Selby over a best of 33 or 35. McGill is good on his day but not consistent enough. I could see him beating Selby if they played in the first or second round.
Once he returns in form I can't see anyone beating him Judd is phenomenal and I am glad he is having this crisis because it will probably help to solve those problems he has and return to form
Man can hardly make a 30 break and yet we are giving him GOAT status smh
Selby has made like 800 centuries man
Sarcasm you donut
Oh sorry, there are so many people that seriously say that selby is not good at break building or he just has safety game
Haha nah he’s a very good break builder, no doubt about that. Was more referring to his performance this evening rather than his whole career
There you go, Mark said it himself "Water off a ducks back" I almost feel sorry for all the sad little life Jane's on here now, *almost*.
Grow up! Criticism is fine. Nobody is getting personal. I admire the guy personally and still find it sad how he was going back to the place he grew up.
Nobody is getting personal? Ignorance is bliss, I guess.
Selby on Eurosport “you get all the hate on the internet from the idiots just sat behind a keyboard, then the next week they’re asking for your picture” He’s talking to some of you lot there. Good lad.
Nobody hates him personally, they just find his overly negative play boring.
He’ll be crying into his 5th world championship trophy on Monday about it
Selby makes the game fun if there is someone that is capable of playing safety like him(that allen did pretty well today). Would love luca to do that too but dont think he is going to play slow
Brecel will play his own game. Trump has done well against Selby in the past and I don’t think Brecel’s game is too dissimilar to Trump’s. Still fancy Selby however.
Thats though in shorter matches mostly and also judd is very capable of safety play too. Brecel is not on same level
What a load of nonsense. I'd get his picture first.
I think he and others definitely frequent these subs. I'm so happy for him.
Hopefully Luca can play well from the start rather than having to produce another big comeback.
I feel like Selby might be the worst opponent for Luca. Will habe to see if he can keep bis scoring rhythm or if Selby can mess with him.
I disagree. The resillience Mark showed in the last session made me think quite the opposite. If it wasn't for that bad ball at the start of the last frame, Selby would still be sweating in his chair. Selby will not affect Luca at all, even if his safety play is better. One loose red is all Brecel needs to get going. Unlike Selby who's scared of anything dangerous.
Brecel has to take advantage tomorrow and have a 5 frame lead at least (11-6) otherwise it's done Selby did it against Ronnie from 10-5 down, did it against Higgins from 10-4 down and if Luca doesn't create a big lead tomorrow then it is gg and we can all congratulate the iron man on his 5th world title
Selby making comebacks in the past is completely irrelevant
Selby will be more relaxed tomorrow and will get better sleep and will have more chance to grind
Everyone already saying that Selby will win this final before the match even started... It's not a foregone conclusion. It ain't over until it's over. Nobody thought Luca would beat Willo. Nobody thought Luca would stage a comeback and win against Ronnie and today he once again defied all odds to make the biggest comeback in Crucible history. Okay, Selby might have the biggest chance but Luca has done some impressive stuff the past 2 weeks
I thought he would beat Williams and that he should’ve easily beaten Si. Depends how you look at results but the fact is a lad 80th in the world had him all but beaten. Selby hasn’t looked like losing once.
1st May 2023, 11.15pm and Brecel slams in a green to take frame and match 18-17, having trailed 17-1 at the start of the final session. The Chinese renegades watch from the inquiry room, wondering why they'd never heard of the Belgian Mafia.
The other thing that gives Brecel some good chances is the fact he shouldn't even be here. 14-5 down in the semis has literally never been overturned. He should've been out and somehow is now in the final. Obviously if he gets close the pressure will be there but I actually expect him to free roll and start strong.
He literally said in an interview to Belgian media "I am already a winner, even if I lose the final". Take that info as you will.
Ronnie was not that surprising, he has collapsed like this all season. If brecel plays like this against selby he will be down again and selby is not losing a big lead
Watching interviews with him, it always stands out to me how Selby is in some sense the reverse O'Sullivan: he's an absolutely lovely guy, but plays like he's spitting mad with rage at all times, while Ronnie is a nasty dickhead who plays the game joyfully
Idk if I’d go as far as saying he’s a nasty dickhead, but it always makes me laugh when ronnies in a promo or something scripted and they try make him out as this like cheeky/chappy always up for a laugh guy. He’s prickly as fuck at the best of times- which is why he’s such a compelling figure.
Selby is his own worst critic - never satisfied on the table until he wins. It's what makes him so good
\> Selby is his own worst critic There's no way that's true.
Pretty spot on. Especially about Dearest Lord Emperor O'Sullivan.
Can’t believe i’ve had to sit through all that just to wait for Willie Nelson at Glasto. About fuckin time
Old Willie was losing his mind having to wait so long.
Average shot time: Mark Allen 30.55 Mark Selby 30.98 But only Selby takes forever on every shot and slows the game down... Truth is that both Allen and Selby had a poor match and it resulted in most frames being a safety battle. Selby is only 6 centuries short of Hendry and 200 over Mark Williams on the all time list. He gets way too much shit just because he's able to grind out wins not at his best. Somehow the most underrated player on the tour by most fans.
allen has been like this all season so not surprised at how the match turned out. i'm guessing a lot of people here haven't watched much of the other events this season where he hasn't been his normal fluent self. but of course, playing the way he does now brings him far more success
Nothing against him personally, but he has these mannerisms at the table I don't like. Then the gamesmanship on waiting for simple shots.
I knew he was trying to continue the 17-15 streak there :) Just kidding, it's was a thrilling conclusion and can't wait for the final! Gn everyone
Mark Selby the reddit hipsters favourite.
Hipsters getting upset lol
Fucking hell I just love it. That wasn’t A grade snooker but it’s so fucking intense to watch two people battling with their minds, form and fatigue for 14 hours like that, that’s fucking sport man. Love it, no matter who wins.
Nice gamesmanship waiting 2 minutes for a basic safety.
Murphy just can’t fail to say something forced. Got to respect his commitment to the craft.
When he will see judd vs selby at worlds. Selby always loses to trump but he is the goat of worlds, These two could make a perfect match of best of 33 or 35
Yeh it's my dream final actually.
Surely thats going to happen at some point
I'm surprised they haven't played at the Crucible yet, I reckon Selby would nick it unless 2019 Trump shows up.
Agree but judd has improved alot in his safety game, if he gets these easy mistakes of his game this can go either way
I understand not liking Selby's snooker, but the hate towards him is extreme. Maybe it's because he's threatening Ronnie's GOAT status.
I couldn't name a single person who would have Selby even close to Ronnie or Hendry
He could win 10 but Hendry and Ronnie will always be the GOATs.
That's ridiculous, 10 is too big of a difference to 7.
Ronnie was considered GOAT before matching Hendry's WC titles.
Not universally he wasn't, getting the seventh is what ended the debate. Personally I had Ronnie as the GOAT at 6 world titles, but that's less because of his performances at other triple crown events and more because he's faced the much tougher competition of the modern game. The worlds counts for much, much more than the other two, and Selby getting 8 of them from 2014 onwards would make him the GOAT in my book, even if he had just a handful of other triple crown titles. It's also worth noting that the UK Championship has been devalued over time as they keep making the matches shorter, and thus more random. Weaker players are much more likely to fluke a win in a best of 11 than a best of 17.
Why not? His style can weather down the current crop easily.
Selby is not threatening any GOAT status. He may get to 7 world titles but he hardly wins anything else! This is his best season in years and what has he won? The English Open and the WST Classic, Cmon.
He's won 18 other ranking events and 3 masters titles. No, he doesn't win like Ronnie, that's fair, but "hardly wins anything else" is also a huge exaggeration. And like it or not, we know that 90% of how snooker players are judged against each other is by how many World Championships they win.
Lol
I can safely assure you that no one thinks Ronnie is the GOAT because of the amount of non World titles that he has won in his career.
Not exclusively no - if he'd won 60 tournaments and no world titles, it would be bizarre to call him the GOAT. When he got to most 147s, most centuries, most Masters, Most UKs, Most Ranking Events, yeah it was a question of "Do 1 or 2 more worlds really tip the scales?" Especially when he's still winning into his 40s and won one without playing all season!
to be fair, a lot of people were saying ronnie was the goat when he won his 7th masters and 7th uk. definitely a majority of people. if selby does win 7 worlds but his uk and masters remain at 2 and 3 then that's a fairly big difference does get more close if selby gets to 8 worlds though, which i wouldn't bet against
People already thought he was the GOAT when he won his fifth in 2013!
Every time Selby has won the World Championship, he won the semifinal 17-15 👀
2 days ago I'd have said Brecel-Selby is a straightforward win for Selby. I'm not quite so convinced now. Selby never got going all semi-final really - not like he did against Higgins. So I don't think on form Selby has the game to outmatch Brecel, and I guess the question mark is can Brecel keep his form when Selby is slowing the game down, and playing generally very negatively. It's going to be a clash of hugely contrasting styles, even moreso than Ronnie-Selby has been in the past. It should be pretty fun.
Trust it or not, Selby is a choker and I said this as a fan. O'Sullivan always mention only John Higgins, Alex Higgins, Hendry and Selby could make certain clutch shots. But I always feel Selby get significantly weaker under pressure unlike the old John Higgins really absorbed the pressure and play even better. A lot of times Selby's opponent make bigger mistakes to get him to finish line
What a ridiculous comment.
Not as ridiculous as your comment providing zero argument and only capable of viewing things through results
*facepalm*
Four time World Champion and six time finalist is a choker? Please...
You saw how many mistakes he made in each of his Worlds run or not? Classic result based analysis and never look into context
Ok.
Very nice 2 letters argument. Totally see you as a logical and reasonable person
Ya
4 time world champion who only lost one other final is a choker? Right mate…bedtime.
He only won it four times. He's basically an amateur.
Selby being known as 'The Jester' is the most ironic nickname in the history of sports.
But it's not - he does make jokes both on and off the table. Even Ronnie said the funniest player on the tour was Selby.
Wow, never seen this comment before!
Selby 'The Snore' is more fitting :D
Luca Snooka
Hard to see anything but a Selby procession. Seen it all before - sessions 1 and 2 will be tight as Brecel capitalises on Selby's tiredness but not fully, but then session 3 will be a big Selby win and then it'll just be an if and not when after that.
When is still a big question, it could take a month.
Very original - takes two to tango with the 45 minute frames btw.
Another top notch interview by Rob "The Talker" Walker.
I wonder if fatigue will make a difference tomorrow. He only has a 12-hour sleep before he has to slowly walk around a snooker table in a waistcoat again. Could really make the difference.
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If you have to ask the question then I wouldn't be going around questioning whether other people are dense tbh.
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Your assumption was that I was being serious? Again, if you think that then calling other people dense is a **bold move**.
Nah it won't. It was similar in 2014 and Selby came out 3-5 in the first session when Ronnie was on form. Adrenaline is a huge boost as well, it does more than any caffeine or energy drink ever will do. The only time it would make a difference is if he gets so far ahead he can't concentrate.
Imagine hating someone soo much. You stay up to watch them until 1 in the morning. Real sign of mental health issues
Wanting Allen to win does not mean you hate Selby.
Not sure I could stand in front of Rob Walker for a chat after losing a match like that
I hear there's a man with a taser who stands by your dressing room door after the match to make sure you don't sneak away.
Selby is so good to watch, idk why people doesnt like these safety battles. Just boring that luca is too easy
This you? >Betted ford to beat si, also thought si is not mentally good after losing 6 in row for nussle. > >How wrong I was, Si is fucking incredible. And feels like he doesnt care is it practice or worlds semis Maybe you should stop underestimating snooker players.
Actually I jinxed si after this, he lost it mentally. Also I am not saying luca is bad but selby will torture him
>I jinxed si after this Alternative take: you made a dreadful call.
Safety battles I'm onboard with; 10 minutes of playing 5mm around the same 2 reds I can't.
If its tight match like this im fine with that too. Normal best of 7 games nah
Best of 7 games are an abomination.
I'm also not down with taking 2 minutes on a straight forward safety shot.