23.4.09

WHY SHOULD STEVE DAVIS RETIRE?

For what it's worth, I don't see why Steve Davis should be pressured into retirement.

He is still good enough to be ranked among the top 32. He is still good enough to have appeared in two ranking tournament quarter-finals this season. He is still good enough to have qualified for the Crucible.

OK, so he was poor in losing 10-2 to Neil Robertson in the first round of the Betfred.com World Championship but this doesn't mean he should put his cue away for good.

Steve has more than earned the right to carry on. In fact, having him in tournaments enhances them because of his legendary status.

He seemed to get a louder cheer than any of the other 31 players when he was introduced into the arena.

If he wants to carry on, why shouldn't he?

It doesn't diminish his past achievements and the fact that he can still turn the odd trick some 31 years into his professional career is surely worth celebrating, not carping about.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

Keep going Steve.

MMMBop said...

It does my head in when people say players should retire.. I found this on the BBC site from 2001:

Another former world champion Terry Griffiths called for Davis to quit from the game, saying that his current form has been nothing short of "embarrassing".

But as with all sportsmen, having tasted glory for so long, it must be difficult to let go.

Davis replied in typically stubborn fashion: "I could retire, but I'm bloody well not going to."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/in_depth/2001/world_snooker_championship/1210950.stm

MMMBop said...

Also, I know this little Super6 snooker tournament has been filmed but do you know when it'll air on TV?

Claus Christensen said...

He played a bad match. It has happened before and probably will again. Steve Davis has done well to be where he is ranking wise. I hope he will achieve his 30th Crucible appearance next year and see no reason for him or any other players in the top 32 to retire.

Anonymous said...

No need for Steve to retire. If he carries on the way he played against Robertson it won't be long before he's drops way down the rankings that he won't bother trying to qualify. End of next season will be it for Davis.

Anonymous said...

He is 24th in the current world snooker provisional rankings, and as nobody really outside the top 16 has got through the first round at sheffield, he shouldn't drop much if at all when the rankings finalise after may bank holiday. The idea that he should retire is not worth discussing. If he still wants to play let him- there will be good and bas days and most recently a bad one but if with his goals adjusted to more modest heights than in the 1980s, and some of the 1990s, he gets enjoyment from the game why not?

Samivel said...

Terry Griffith said in commentary - not referring to the match in progress but to the perception of Steve in general - that the public feels sorry for him. Do you think that's true? I could understand it if he'd been referring to Jimmy White, but in contrast to him Steve a) has won the world championship (and numerous other tournaments) and b) isn't deluded as to what his role in future tournaments will be.

I for one don't feel sorry for Steve (particularly not when he admits that he doesn't practice a lot ;o) - you just have to see his current achievements in relation to his age. And Terry's fellow commentator John Virgo was astonished by the idea as well. Still, do you think Terry has a point?

Betty Logan said...

People don't feel sorry for him, they are just very fond of him and are disappointed when he loses. Steve was there are at the start of the snooker boom, dominated its golden age and ironically was the 'victim' at its absolute peak. There are a lot of good memories attached to Steve - everyone remembers the spitting image puppet, the smug quips, and the incendiary battles with Alex Higgins. There is nothing embarrassing about qualifying for The Crucible - if other players were better they would be there in his place. One day they will be, but Steve Davis has made his decision and he shouldn't be criticised for it.

Anonymous said...

He's a living legend and as long as he remains on the tour and has the enthusiasm for the game then let him be. He's a tough test for anyone bar the top players when he's on song. I do have to point out however that his form in the last Premier League was at best abysmal and he shouldn't automatically be invited to that. Sky should use his talents elsewhere during that event.

Anonymous said...

still 24th at age 50? thats an achievement by itself already

stuartfanning said...

Obviously he should continue playing for as long as he wants, but I do think his performances over the last year or so detract from his great record. Some of the shots he plays are embarrassing, the commentators don't know what to say sometimes. His connections with Barry Hearn is the only thing that keeps him on the Premiere League each year. Others get invited because of their good performances.

Devil's Advocate said...

Obviously, Davis' standard of play isn't as good as it used to be, but actually, this season he is likely to improve his ranking, he has appeared in a couple of quarter-finals and could possibly be in the top 16 on the one-year list if nothing else.

Yes his performance against Robertson wasn't good, and perhaps this season has seen a lot of top players out of form in comparison to previous years, but to say his performances over the season 'detract from his great record' is slightly wide of the mark given the facts.

Although - harsh as it sounds - I do agree that his connections with Hearn gives him an advantage regarding a premier league invite, notwithstanding his peerless reputation and appeal.

Ollie said...

For the record, Barry Hearn has told Davis that he will not receive an automatic invitation to compete in the Premier League next season, and to get there he will have to earn his place through the Championship League. I think even Hearn recognises that Davis's participation in the League has seemed somewhat anomalous in recent seasons; in last season's League in particular he was on the end of some dreadful pastings.

John H said...

Steve can have the odd very poor performance like this week but so can most of the players! If he had managed to pinch the 4th frame for 2-2 which he nearly did and not missed the final black it would of been 5-4 after the first session- on another day he would of been 6-3up with those chances!
clearly noone on here saw Steves excellent performances in the championship league last month. He can still mix it with the best of them on a 'good day'
Keep up the good work and get back in the top 16 with another good season like this one Steve- and dont worry about the odd poor performance!

Anonymous said...

he shouldnt

Anonymous said...

52 later this year and provisionally ranked 24. Doesn't practice with much intensity these days. Suggests to me that there is a serious lack of talent around if a part time player is officially the 24th best in the world.

Anonymous said...

suggests to me youre twisting the facts to your own end

he is an almost 52 years of age player who was the best player in the world for most of his twighlight years, so thats why hes an exception to the "rule" you are suggesting, or comparison.

in reality, any 52 year old journeyman may be worth the statement above, but davis was exceptional

Anonymous said...

the best player in the world for most of his twighlight yearsI really don't understand what you mean with this? Surely then he would be ranked in the top 3/4 and winning events if this were true?

I'm not twisting anything, just stating facts. He's nearly 52 and will officially be the 24th (or thereabouts) best snooker player on the planet next season.

Davis admits himself he doesn't practice as much as he used to, or indeed should. What does this say about the rest of the so-called emerging talent?

Anonymous said...

yeah ok youre right, im wrong. whatever. you just stay in your own small bubble then

Anonymous said...

anon 3:20pm

The ranking is rather flattering because he didn't exactly face stiff opposition to reach his two quarter-finals which came in the middle of his PL performances. And in Bahrain he made a mockery of the system by pulling out at the right time thereby earning maximum ranking points for his bye against O'Sullivan.

The ranking system is flawed anyway. How can Mark Selby, the current 2nd best player in the world be ranked 9th?

Betty Logan said...

Because Selby has done nothing to warrant a higher ranking? If Selby really was the second best player in the game he would have reached at least one ranking final this season. I think on balance you have to have to have John Higgins and Shaun Murphy as the players of choice after Ronnie. Higgins is the only other player in the last few years to be world champion and world number 1, and Murphy is the only next generation player to win a second major (as well as being the only one to have a proven track record at the Crucible).

On the subject of Steve Davis and the Premier League, the League in recent years has been showcase event. There are plenty of 'competitive' tournaments around, so nothing a wrong with an exhibition event that serves up ties between the big names in the sport i.e. Ronnie, Hendry, Davis, White.

Anonymous said...

5.02 anon

You can patronise me if you like.

All I do is state facts and you get seem to be getting huffy about it.

Your previous attempt to justify Davis' position was woeful. If a 12 year old came out with such appalling constructed text you would complain at the lack of education.

If you want a reasoned debate, please post something that makes sense, and stop resorting to petty one-upmanship.

Anonymous said...

a ddnt no ths ws a skewl wear psts hd 2 b prfct nglish.

Anonymous said...

Steve davis still being on the tour at 52 is actually good for snooker as it challenges commonly held perceptions that once a snooker player hits 40 their finished, perhaps in the future snooker players will be able to play into their 70s other sports dont have this longevity