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Re: Pink Ball’s Top 50 Iconic Snooker Players of All Time

Postby D4P

Pink Ball wrote:18. Cliff Thorburn
he will be best known for being the only player in history who is remembered more for a maximum break than he is for actually winning the World Championship.


A case might be made that Ronnie is better known for 5:08 than for his 5 World Championships.

In any event, this was a great list, and I enjoyed reading it.

Re: Pink Ball’s Top 50 Iconic Snooker Players of All Time

Postby Iranu

Pink Ball wrote:
Iranu wrote:How are you defining iconic? John Virgo seems way too low.

Virgo? Seriously? I must have missed something in the past 40 years.

Like I said, how are you determining iconic?

Virgo is I would say one of the 25 most likely names to come out of an average person’s mouth when asked to name a snooker player.

And I’d have Dennis at number 5 for the ‘85 final alone. He’s the subject of probably the most famous photo in snooker history.

So I’m curious as to what your criteria are.

Re: Pink Ball’s Top 50 Iconic Snooker Players of All Time

Postby Iranu

Pink Ball wrote:Success, notoriety, media profile. Virgo has the last point, not so much on the first two.

You’ve got him below Quinten Hann.

Sure Hann is notorious to us snooker aficionados but his media profile and success are non-existent.

I’d also argue Dennis should be higher based on his media profile alone. One half (the winning half) of not just the most famous snooker match but one of the most famous sporting events the British Isles have ever seen.

Re: Pink Ball’s Top 50 Iconic Snooker Players of All Time

Postby Johnny Bravo

Pink Ball wrote:1. Alex Higgins
He was hated, adored, and never ignored. He never allowed anyone to do that, even when he was an almost-literal shadow of what he’d been. Alex Higgins remains the most charismatic, obnoxious, entertaining, pitiful, glorious figure in snooker history – and it will take a juggernaut of a person to change that fact.
What he did on the table was nearly always overshadowed by what happened away from the baize, and that’s staggering if you think about it – because he was a wonderful snooker player.
He was actually a very slow operator, but deceivingly so, such was his excitable way. His pace didn’t matter, though – he could pot anything from anywhere, and on the rare occasions that nothing was available to him, he could run for cover better than most.
He was a two-time World Champion and won all three of the sport’s majors, and that wasn’t easily done in any era. Weighing up all that success, though – who cares?
Higgins was all about the show, and he turned his sport into a show. Without him, it would never have become the television sensation that it did become. He completed a process that Joe Davis had inadvertently started 50 years previously, dragging snooker from the parlour room and into the consciousness of just about everyone in the UK and Ireland who owned a television set.
His battle with himself was always a struggle, and it was a fight he did not win – he became a quite pathetic, alcohol-and-cigarette-riddled skeleton who died a lonely death worlds removed from his love of being the centre of attention. But before he was laid to rest, he became the centre of attention one last time as thousands crammed onto the streets of Belfast to say goodbye to snooker’s greatest-ever icon.

:hatoff: :hatoff: :hatoff:
Higgins has had a bigger impact on snooker than anyone else.

But your top 3 should include ROS and White, not the boring Davis.

Re: Pink Ball’s Top 50 Iconic Snooker Players of All Time

Postby HustleKing

Pink Ball wrote:Success, notoriety, media profile. Virgo has the last point, not so much on the first two.


I'd say he's notorious and not famous for the cue ball recurring "gag", as most people under the age of 45 or so get royally snake hissed off with it because he says it constantly whenever he senses an "opportunity" :zzz:

Re: Pink Ball’s Top 50 Iconic Snooker Players of All Time

Postby Pink Ball

Iranu wrote:
Pink Ball wrote:Success, notoriety, media profile. Virgo has the last point, not so much on the first two.

You’ve got him below Quinten Hann.

Sure Hann is notorious to us snooker aficionados but his media profile and success are non-existent.

I’d also argue Dennis should be higher based on his media profile alone. One half (the winning half) of not just the most famous snooker match but one of the most famous sporting events the British Isles have ever seen.

Suck his sausage

Re: Pink Ball’s Top 50 Iconic Snooker Players of All Time

Postby eraserhead

Iranu wrote:
Pink Ball wrote:Success, notoriety, media profile. Virgo has the last point, not so much on the first two.

You’ve got him below Quinten Hann.

Sure Hann is notorious to us snooker aficionados but his media profile and success are non-existent.

I’d also argue Dennis should be higher based on his media profile alone. One half (the winning half) of not just the most famous snooker match but one of the most famous sporting events the British Isles have ever seen.

JV is a great commentator and knowledgeable about the game, not so much with the modern players. He's amazing for the big moments like finals or maximums, but can also build up moments in the less interesting matches he's an amazing asset for the general viewer.


Where's the cueball going alone is a thing that general viewers will know over the most of the names in this list, but then it becomes a debate about what's iconic to pinkball.

Re: Pink Ball’s Top 50 Iconic Snooker Players of All Time

Postby Iranu

Pink Ball wrote:
Iranu wrote:
Pink Ball wrote:Success, notoriety, media profile. Virgo has the last point, not so much on the first two.

You’ve got him below Quinten Hann.

Sure Hann is notorious to us snooker aficionados but his media profile and success are non-existent.

I’d also argue Dennis should be higher based on his media profile alone. One half (the winning half) of not just the most famous snooker match but one of the most famous sporting events the British Isles have ever seen.

Suck his sausage

Present it

Re: Pink Ball’s Top 50 Iconic Snooker Players of All Time

Postby Dan-cat

Pinkie... what a brilliant read. You brought back so many memories. You've made some outstanding contributions to this forum, this is probably my favourite. Thank you.

Agreed with where you've put Steve. The youngsters don't know. I was captivated by him and was the main reason I got into snooker.

Re: Pink Ball’s Top 50 Iconic Snooker Players of All Time

Postby Dan-cat

That Doug Mountjoy renaissance year, thanks to coaching by Frank Callan and his 'drill' method is one of my all-time favourite snooker memories. He beat Hendry in his prime in the Tennents UK 16-12. Schooled him. It was fabulous. A fairtytale.

Re: Pink Ball’s Top 50 Iconic Snooker Players of All Time

Postby Dan-cat

...and now Steve is DJing at the festivals I go to. It's so strange to me. I met him at a tiny club in London called the Social, one of his early gigs, and shook his hand and simply said 'thank you.' He looked at me like I was a bit strange, and was probably expecting me to say more, but it's all I could muster.

Re: Pink Ball’s Top 50 Iconic Snooker Players of All Time

Postby Acé

Took PunkBall out of ignore list just to see where Judd would rank and only 15?

LOL

Let me school you, MANCHESTER UNITED, that's right, MANCHESTER UNITED TWEETED about Judd Trump. In Snooker's history tell me ANY player that's gotten that type of reach.

Let me break this down for you. Snooker is so MINUSCULE compared to Football in terms of popularity, reach, fans, whatever, everyone knows this.

BUT to have not just any random football club but MANCHESTER UNITED recognise who Judd Trump is? COME ON I dare anyone on this form to show me a bigger recognition than United recongnising who Trump is.

Re: Pink Ball’s Top 50 Iconic Snooker Players of All Time

Postby Pink Ball

Acé wrote:BUT to have not just any random football club but MANCHESTER UNITED recognise who Judd Trump is? COME ON I dare anyone on this form to show me a bigger recognition than United recongnising who Trump is.

Ken Doherty paraded the trophy at Old Trafford.