tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post3140151029800124007..comments2024-02-03T12:04:16.336+00:00Comments on SNOOKER SCENE BLOG: CRUCIBLE COUNTDOWN: MORE FIRST ROUND PREDICTIONSDave Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08037719321756898982noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-8043327732218879822012-04-22T17:21:53.456+01:002012-04-22T17:21:53.456+01:00@Ryan
ur onesided match was a drame
allen lost t...@Ryan<br /><br />ur onesided match was a drame<br /><br />allen lost the match in the most annoyning manner.<br /><br />for all the world he stole the frame on the black only to see the white ball in off<br /><br />Hats off, Cao<br />biggest shock of the WC so farAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-40050780760245883132012-04-20T15:35:22.965+01:002012-04-20T15:35:22.965+01:00You wouldn't put money on anyone in that quart...You wouldn't put money on anyone in that quarter of the draw, although the player who comes through it will be playing so well you'd fancy them to go on and win it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-54699291623572824952012-04-20T13:53:40.450+01:002012-04-20T13:53:40.450+01:00O'Sullivan has never threatened retirement in ...O'Sullivan has never threatened retirement in the arena, but a poster above seems to think he might at the first sign of distress.jamie brannonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01668254365608375328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-8112283384426375772012-04-20T13:37:02.619+01:002012-04-20T13:37:02.619+01:00@ kildare
okay, these are all opinions here, but ...@ kildare<br /><br />okay, these are all opinions here, but I've had it with this "easy run of opponents" for Robertson in 2010.<br /><br />so <br />- Fergal O'Brien<br />- Martin Gould (against whom he was 11:5 down, and I've seen it, there wasn't much Neil did wrong in those first two sessions)<br />- Steve Davis (yes nobody expected him to beat John Higgins, but this is the Crucible and as you stated "If Doherty plays well he has every chance. " - and Steve Davis didn't?)<br />- Ali Carter<br />- Graeme Dott<br /><br />is an easy run?<br /><br />Neil Robertson is a proven title winner, he was before and after winning in 2010.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-84298630309453324212012-04-19T18:11:14.876+01:002012-04-19T18:11:14.876+01:00I agree with you 1.50. If Doherty plays well he ha...I agree with you 1.50. If Doherty plays well he has every chance. <br />Everyone seems to be tipping Robertson but I'm not so sure.<br />The year he won it, he had a relatively easy run of opponents. I stress relatively, as I know theres no easy opponent at the crucible.<br />If O'Sullivan and Robertson both reach the quarters, which they both should barring surprises, I think O'Sullivan will come through. He is simply a better player and will be trying like a demon to win this year as it could be his last chance to catch Higgins in WCs won.<br />Should the Aussie come through that tussle he will most likely face Allen, Ding or Selby, of whom all three wouldn't be much more than evens against him.<br />He has it all to do I think.kildare cuemannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-55556569450561638732012-04-19T16:38:07.692+01:002012-04-19T16:38:07.692+01:00Question: can O'Sullivan still drop below 16th...Question: can O'Sullivan still drop below 16th in the rankings? And WHEN Ebdon defeats him, which round does he need to reach to have a chance to climb upto 16th?<br /><br />Anyway, it won't matter that much, I'm predicting Higgins vs. Trump and Robertson vs. Ding Semi-finals and a Trump vs. Robertson Final, in which the Aussie will prevail.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-63031747314375984092012-04-19T13:50:58.795+01:002012-04-19T13:50:58.795+01:00I fancy Doherty to run Robertson a lot closer than...I fancy Doherty to run Robertson a lot closer than many are predicting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-77774698161705606012012-04-19T12:01:47.763+01:002012-04-19T12:01:47.763+01:00I hope that Ken Doherty will loosen his matchbox.I hope that Ken Doherty will loosen his matchbox.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-13566825845702077672012-04-19T12:00:57.536+01:002012-04-19T12:00:57.536+01:00Mark Williams v Liu Chuang I think, despite MJ'...Mark Williams v Liu Chuang I think, despite MJ's poor form since the Shanghai Masters, will be one of the more one sided games. Chuang obviously played well to beat Jimmy White and Jamie Cope in the qualifiers but, Williams won't give him the opportunities that those two did.<br /><br />Ronnie O'Sullivan v Peter Ebdon as David said will always have the raincloud over it, following the infamous quarter final in 2005. Going back to that match, I agreed with John Parrott following the match that the referee should of interviened. But that was then, this is now and I'm picking Ronnie to win regardless of Ebdon's tactics following his fighting spirit in winning the German Masters. An old Ronnie at 4-0 down to an Andrew Higginson, who was playing well, would have gave up but he came back and won and then 6-3 down to an inspired Stephen Maguire in the final showed true fighting skills and heart.<br /><br />Martin Gould v David Gilbert could be a very nervy affair with a lot on the match for both players and envisage it being close. Since reaching the top 16, Gould has struggled and I think he'll struggle again with the anticipation o being a seed - so I'm going for a Gilber victory.<br /><br />Neil Robertson v Ken Doherty. Robertson has been my tip for the Championship since his impressive win at the Masters, even though he's had poor results since. I think he wants to prove a point for his loss last year and I think Ken will feel the full brunt of it and be back in the BBC studio quickly.<br /><br />Ding Jun Hui v Ryan Day could be closer that the formbook suggests as I believe Ryan's win over Gerard Greene and Fergal O'Brien's subsequent loss to David Gilbert has secured Ryan his top 32 ranking, so there won't be that added pressure for Day. Day has had some big wins and performances at Sheffield and it wasn't that long ago he had back to back quarter finals but, over 19 frames and 2 sessions I think Ding will edge it about 10-8.<br /><br />Mark Allen v Cao Youpeng I think will be the most one sided opening round match. Youpeng must have some bottle to beat Dave Harold and Tom Ford in final frame deciders in the qualifiers but, Mark Allen on the big stage is a different proposition - especially with the added confidence he gained from winning the World Open and having his best career performances over the longer distances at Sheffield and the UK Championship.<br /><br />Matthew Stevens v Marco Fu, along with Graeme Dott v Joe Perry could be the match of the round. It really is 50/50! I'm going to pick Fu, purely because Stevens, despite regaining his top 16 ranking, hasn't won the big matches the last few seasons. Losses to Mark Allen here last year from 9-6 up and to Ali Carter in the 2010 Shanghai Masters from 4-1 up. Fu is an all round class act, who should be in the elite 16.<br /><br />Mark Selby v Barry Hawkins. Hawkins is a player who I feel always struggles against those ranked above him, a good top 32 player but a return to the top 16 is beyond him. Despite the injury scare to Selby, I think he will turn a close opening session into a 10-6/7 victory.<br /><br />RyanRyan Wridenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-86642877990333515062012-04-18T21:12:05.791+01:002012-04-18T21:12:05.791+01:00As a big snooker fan for many years i do hope ros ...As a big snooker fan for many years i do hope ros wins thru, in my opinion there is only ros, trump, allen and williams are worth watching. The rest altho good players are slow/negative ebdon selby dott and possibly robertson, the are are others like murphy maguire and ding who are capable but i can take or leave and of course higgins who shudnt even be there, heres hoping the flair players get thru!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-23566726380052998232012-04-18T19:27:21.938+01:002012-04-18T19:27:21.938+01:00Ebdon will defeat O'Sullivan.
At the first sig...Ebdon will defeat O'Sullivan.<br />At the first sign of distress Ronnie will go into kamikaze mode and threaten to retire.<br />Ebdon will claim to be oblivious to his own slow play and may break into floods of crocodile tears as he reflects on his own plight.<br />The pantomime starts at the weekend and the usual suspects are in attendance.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-57182478882247284082012-04-18T19:26:51.285+01:002012-04-18T19:26:51.285+01:00Ros and Ebdon will come down to O'Sullivan'...Ros and Ebdon will come down to O'Sullivan's form on the day.<br />If he plays well he'll have no trouble from Ebdon but if he's missing easy balls, he could be on the way home.<br />I think Ebdons resurgence might work in O'Sullivans favour. He'll relish the challenge and he generally seems to play well when up against players who were top pros when he was starting out, i.e Ebdon, Hendry, Doherty and White.<br />I think O'Sullivan is in the quarters barring the shouting.<br /><br />I agree with your summation of the Fu/Stevens game. Expect Stevens to play breathtaking snooker until the winning line approaches, then start to falter. Fu needs to be no worse than 6-3 down at the interval, then he will have every chance.<br /><br />I think Higgins will be very poor in his opener, and against a plodder like Perry or M.Davis would probably be sent home. Fortunately for him he drew the lunatic that is Liang Wenbo, and will get loads of chances to make 25s and 30s and will probably be enough to see him through to rd. 2.kildare cuemannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-9286480697879284782012-04-18T17:21:25.017+01:002012-04-18T17:21:25.017+01:00on ros v ebdon ron needs 2 take the chances he get...on ros v ebdon ron needs 2 take the chances he gets and put them away quickly, if not and he plays like v selby in the welsh it will be meat and drink 4 plebdonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-76252674853395369342012-04-18T13:51:46.247+01:002012-04-18T13:51:46.247+01:00Arguably, Ryan Day is the one qualifier no one wan...Arguably, Ryan Day is the one qualifier no one wanted. Having said that, I don’t think Ding would have been one of the qualifiers any of them would have wanted either. This’ll be a good tight match & as ever, whoever wins the most closely fought frames, will come out on top as both are exceptional break builders & I expect there to be plenty of 80+ breaks in this match.<br />I can’t see Marco Fu beating Matthew Stevens.<br />As for the Ronnie O’Sullivan v Peter Ebdon match, Ronnie O’Sullivan has matured considerably since the 2005 match however that doesn’t necessarily mean that because of this, Ronnie will win. I was on Peter Ebdon when he won the worlds @ 33’s & I was also on him again @ 28’s when Graeme Dott beat him in the final & I see the same Peter Ebdon this year as I did then. Peter Ebdon is a quality player too. If, as you say Dave, Ronnie came out on top early on it would be tougher for Peter Ebdon, but Ronnie needs to be playing at his best to do this. Even if Peter is 6-3 down at the MSI, Peter will still be well involved. A mouth-watering matchup, it has to be said.John McBridehttps://twitter.com/#!/JohnMcBrideIREnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-72554937416744640262012-04-18T13:48:42.738+01:002012-04-18T13:48:42.738+01:00I think Chuang is going to give Williams a closer ...I think Chuang is going to give Williams a closer challenge than the 10-5 predicted.Jimmyhttp://www.pool-games.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-82063554159944522512012-04-18T13:44:45.132+01:002012-04-18T13:44:45.132+01:00A very interesting set of predictions Dave. I made...A very interesting set of predictions Dave. I made my own predictions yesterday and have just compared them with yours - all but two are the same and those which are the same we only differ in frame score by the odd frame in each case! I opted for Gould to edge Gilbert, principally because of his ability to perform at the Crucible. I take your view though that he hasn't performed particularly well this season and maybe Gilbert's good form coming into the Championship may well be the critical factor in this match. A close game nonetheless!<br />I also felt that Stevens might edge Fu, again because of his record at the Crucible and because he tends to perform better in the longer matches. Another close one as well.<br />And then of course there's O'Sullivan vs Ebdon! Well I think that O'Sullivan has looked good this season and his work with his sports psychologist does seem to be paying off. He's kept it together mentally at points in matches where previously he might have thrown in the towel. He's also rediscovered his long-potting ability and coupled with his lethal close-game this makes him as ever a serious contender. The deciding factor for me is his desire for a fourth title. If he's really hungry to win another world crown then I can't see Ebdon winning, although I do predict a close match. Hopefully there won't be too many 5-minute breaks of twelve to watch but I don't think Ebdon will give a care what anyone thinks and will employ whatever tactics he feels give him the best chance of winning. The question is though is O'Sullivan mentally prepared for the inevitable - I think so! Ronnie to win 10-8.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29605452.post-29354273679853327752012-04-18T13:39:56.786+01:002012-04-18T13:39:56.786+01:00Hello (again)!
If You want to read in my opinion:...Hello (again)!<br /><br />If You want to read in my opinion:<br />Williams-Liu:<br />Williams to win 10-5.<br />After the two 2nd place, this season is bad for Mark J. But he is a class act, who can raise his game, if he needs.<br />Liu is very good in World Quals, but this is the crucible. 4 year ago, he played great 1st session against Ronnie (from 0-3 down, only 4-5 down).<br /><br />O'Sullivan-Ebdon:<br />O'Sullivan to win 10-6.<br />This is the match of the last 32. Class of the styles. Ronnie's head is much better than 2005. Surely Ronnie learned from the 2005 WCH quarter.<br />Ebdon's form is back. His head is always good for the tactical battles.<br />The key is Ronnie's answer to Ebdon's game.<br /><br />Gould-Gilbert:<br />Gould to win 10-9.<br />This match will be very quickfire. Gould and Gilbert are very attacking player.<br />The question is 'Can George believes his victory?'. And if he has a big ahead (like 2007), how to handle in this situation.<br />Gould was disappointment after his 1st round defeat against Hendry in China Open, because he missed a very easy red.<br />All in all, in my view, this match will be very close.<br /><br />Robertson-Doherty:<br />Robertson to win 10-6.<br />After Masters victory, Robertson's form is not very good.<br />Doherty is a very good fighter.<br />The key is Doherty's safety game, plus Robbo's long pot success.<br /><br />Ding-Day:<br />Ding to win 10-6.<br />Day made great comeback against Greene in the last qual. round. This victory maybe give him confidence, but in 2005 (against Higgins) and 2006 (against Ronnie), he couldn't hold his nerve.<br />Everybody said that this year will be Ding's year. Maybe high pressure will be on Ding.<br /><br />Allen-Cao:<br />Allen to win 10-3.<br />I think this match will be the one-sided 1st round match of this year's world championship.<br />Cao has 2 good win (Harold+Tom), but I think the question is the match: 'how many frames can Cao win?'.<br />This match will resemble the Allen-Ford in 2010.<br /><br />Stevens-Fu:<br />Fu to win 10-9.<br />In 2011, Stevens led Allen by 9-6, but Allen won 10-9.<br />Fu is very good fighter and he played great match against Jogia in world qual.<br /><br />Selby-Hawkins:<br />Selby to win 10-7.<br />hopefully Selby's neck will OK in this match and we will see great battle.<br />Hawkins - like Carter or Day - can't win some big matches in his life plus Selby's season is very good.<br />I can't see, how Hawkins can beat Selbyin best of 19 frames match.Kiss Zsolthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11196110335196565289noreply@blogger.com