30.3.09

MAVERICK AIMS TO BE TOP GUN

Liang Wenbo takes centre stage in today’s second match at the Bank of Beijing China Open.

His two qualifying matches have been held over to Beijing in recognition of his growing popularity and status at home. This is something I fully agree with. Snooker needs to be doing all it can to promote itself at the moment.

I like watching Liang, although he can be a frustrating player at times.

You sometimes feel like taking him to one side and telling him to rein himself in a bit.

There’s no doubt he’s a terrific potter and very good break builder but I think most would agree he goes for too many low percentage pots.

That said, he got to the quarter-finals of last year’s World Championship playing this way so who is to say he is wrong?

He’s a real maverick, a one off. I like that and feel he could become established as one of the game’s top players in the years to come.

But he seems destined to be a player who blows hot and cold, a little like Tony Drago was during his career.

Talent is only one component – albeit a very important one – required to be successful at snooker.

The psychology of playing the game, of knowing when to attack and when to defend, also need to be learned and the younger players don’t yet have the experience to have taken all this in.

I think Liang will beat Robert Milkins – the match is live on Eurosport at 12.30pm UK time – but nothing is guaranteed and he’s so unpredictable that I won’t be putting money on it.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good read as always. On a side note, is there any way in which the viewer can know in advance which match Eurosport will be showing live?

Anonymous said...

you took the words out of my mouth with this blog dave

Dave H said...

We're usually told the day before by the organisers

Tomorrow it's Maguire v Harold and Ding v Holt, if Holt wins

Anonymous said...

Unpredictable is also a word we could level at Milkins who blows hot and cold.
Like you, I would be with Wenbo especially in China.

kimball said...

I think it is deliberate,
he played a much more careful game
in IBSF U21 final against Tiang Pengfei.Waiting out the attacking-
chanses.
Also 2003 IBSF in China, losing 2-4
to Alex Borg but making 127 and 104
Borg said " the guy is terrific anybody can pot balls but his safetygame is special!"
How do you figure that,Dave?

Matt said...

He's not started well, Milkins 1-0 up and with a chance in frame two now. Early days though.

Anonymous said...

I think Liang would do best to stick his own game and ignore all the "advice" he seems to be getting from traditionalists who don't appreciate how new what he's doing is. He only needs to curb about 25% of those shots he gets criticised for and that's only to do with the frame situation and not intrinsic difficulty.

Anonymous said...

I believe the fact that Liang Wenbo goes for virtually everything - and often successfully - can also come to his advantage. It can easily scare off opponents, who are under constant pressure not the leave any half [or even less...] chances on as they know he will have a go at them.

cheers,
Eric

Anonymous said...

i dont agree with the last two comments

i think he got away with being far too aggresive in the WC as its over a longer distance and a high percentage of the "low percentage" shots were going in as he was playing very well

back in the "real world" of best of 9's a solid start is usually needed and he wont play that well from the off in every match.

hes a good talent. wont ever be top 8 IMO

Anonymous said...

Excellent read and info as usual. Any chance of an update on Holt's score as scoreboard seems to be broken on world snooker site. His oppo is pretty good by all accounts and whoever plays Ding next match should be worth watching.

Anonymous said...

heard holt lost...........

Anonymous said...

Liang lost - what a shock! I see the World Snooker site in reporting on the Trump match failed to mention his victory in the Championship League last week. No surprise there.

Anonymous said...

LOL just read that World snooker report myself and was thinking the same.I'm guessing that Judd will struggle to hold on to his provisional top 32 ranking now which is absolutley HUGE for him. The last thing he wants is a bit of a run in either of the last 2 events frome the likes of Dott and Greene.

Matt said...

Judd should be fine for the top 32. Taking into account World Championship points he is currently in 28th place, so it would take wins from Bond, O'Brien, Greene, Hamilton and Dott to shift him. Although I expect a couple of those players to win matches between now and May, it's highly unlikely that all five will I think.

Anonymous said...

It doesn't surprise me that Trump lost. Perhaps now contributors to this blog will stop talking about him like he's some sort of genius. He's a good player with a lot of promise but he is not the messiah.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
Liang lost - what a shock! I see the World Snooker site in reporting on the Trump match failed to mention his victory in the Championship League last week. No surprise there.

4:15 PM

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i dont think the CL or the PL has anything to do with "World Snooker" so i wouldnt expect to find news on their website.







Anonymous said...
LOL just read that World snooker report myself and was thinking the same.I'm guessing that Judd will struggle to hold on to his provisional top 32 ranking now which is absolutley HUGE for him. The last thing he wants is a bit of a run in either of the last 2 events frome the likes of Dott and Greene.

5:00 PM
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well it is only provisional so i wouldnt have refered to it as his, just like a runner in an 800m final who is at 3rd place isnt provisionally a bronze medalist. i do know what you mean by the comment, but as its provisional it means not a lot until its mathematically impossible to be "changed"

Janie said...

I quite clearly read on WSA they did mention Judd's CL win last week - saying it had set him up nicely for china - wrong!! he lost!

Anonymous said...

well there you go, not only has it not got anything to do with them directly but they also mention it on occasion too.

yet some folk still have a pop....

Anonymous said...

Didn't hear the Eurosport team mention the CLS win for Trump this morning either.
Only that his season has ended badly since he lost to Lee in the world qualifier.