Snooker players who didn't fulfil their potential

have there been any snooker players that have touted as a hot prospect in the future but haven't fulfilled that promise?

I think Stephen Maguire would fall into this category. He made a big impression when he first arrived. O'Sullivan reckoned he was about to have a new rival over the coming years. It never worked out like that and Maguire has massively under achieved.

Definitely Luca Brecel and you could make an argument for Ding and to a lesser extent, Robbo

there are too many. You could say half of the Top16 players havent fulfilled their potential.

Jamie Cope, so unfortunate that he got the yips after showing real promise.

Lee Spick

mark davis

With a lot of these players there is always a question about whether they haven't fulfilled their potential, or if they were just overhyped at the beginning. The only player I can think of where there isn't any doubt is Paul Hunter.

Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Should have had about 20 World titles by now. Massively underachieved IMO.

From the 80s, Joe O’Boye & ‘giro’ Jon Wright; neither could live up to the hype that surrounded them.

Gary WIlkinson

I didn't fulfil my potential. If only my school career work advisor took me seriously when I said I wanted to be a snooker player

The_Abbott wrote:I didn't fulfil my potential. If only my school career work advisor took me seriously when I said I wanted to be a snooker player

Like Ricky Walden’s teacher, who made him stand in the corridor?

Deleted

McManusFan wrote:With a lot of these players there is always a question about whether they haven't fulfilled their potential, or if they were just overhyped at the beginning. The only player I can think of where there isn't any doubt is Paul Hunter.

He's dead, so it wasn't his fault.

Cloud Strife wrote:Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Should have had about 20 World titles by now. Massively underachieved IMO.

20 is a stretch, but he should have won at least 10.

Jimmy White, Stephen Maguire, Neil Robertson, Ding Junhui,

Jimmy can still win

Michael Holt.

Johnny Bravo wrote:Jimmy White, Stephen Maguire, Neil Robertson, Ding Junhui,

I’m not sure about Robbo not fulfilling his potential. OK you could argue he could have won more than one world title but he’s a regular tournament winner and almost always in the top 3 or so players of any season.

With his world championship record it’s not so much that he’s only won one - after all, you look at the players who have won it since he won in 2010 and with the exception of Bingham they’re all all-time greats - it’s more that he’s almost never threatened to win it again. What is it, one semi final since he won? That’s poor for someone of his class, and the form he keeps showing.

But I’m not convinced he’s underachieved. Multiple world champions are an extremely select group of players.

Johnny Bravo wrote:Michael Holt.

That’s a good one.

I’d add Tom Ford as well. He’s made more maximums than Trump, Robbo, Selby etc. but like Holt his temperament has held him back massively.

Iranu wrote:

Johnny Bravo wrote:Jimmy White, Stephen Maguire, Neil Robertson, Ding Junhui,

I’m not sure about Robbo not fulfilling his potential. OK you could argue he could have won more than one world title but he’s a regular tournament winner and almost always in the top 3 or so players of any season.

With his world championship record it’s not so much that he’s only won one - after all, you look at the players who have won it since he won in 2010 and with the exception of Bingham they’re all all-time greats - it’s more that he’s almost never threatened to win it again. What is it, one semi final since he won? That’s poor for someone of his class, and the form he keeps showing.

But I’m not convinced he’s underachieved. Multiple world champions are an extremely select group of players.

I'd say Robertson's achievement are about right. He doesn't often beat the real heavyweights (like a O'Sullivan, Selby, Higgins) in major finals. Neither did he beat any of the big hitters to lift his World title - O'Brien, Gould, Davis, Carter and Dott.

Iranu wrote:

Johnny Bravo wrote:Jimmy White, Stephen Maguire, Neil Robertson, Ding Junhui,

I’m not sure about Robbo not fulfilling his potential. OK you could argue he could have won more than one world title but he’s a regular tournament winner and almost always in the top 3 or so players of any season.

With his world championship record it’s not so much that he’s only won one - after all, you look at the players who have won it since he won in 2010 and with the exception of Bingham they’re all all-time greats - it’s more that he’s almost never threatened to win it again. What is it, one semi final since he won? That’s poor for someone of his class, and the form he keeps showing.

But I’m not convinced he’s underachieved. Multiple world champions are an extremely select group of players.

But Selbo has won it 3 times and Robbo is better than him when both are at their best.

badtemperedcyril wrote:I'd say Robertson's achievement are about right. He doesn't often beat the real heavyweights (like a O'Sullivan, Selby, Higgins) in major finals. Neither did he beat any of the big hitters to lift his World title - O'Brien, Gould, Davis, Carter and Dott.

Selbo is not a heavyweight, he's a cruiserweight who got lucky.

Johnny Bravo wrote:But Selbo has won it 3 times and Robbo is better than him when both are at their best.

Yet Robbo has beaten Selby only 14 times out of 34 meetings. Robbo is more fluent when he's playing well but personally, I'd always back Selby to beat him in a high pressure situation, say in any final or at the Crucible.

badtemperedcyril wrote:

Johnny Bravo wrote:But Selbo has won it 3 times and Robbo is better than him when both are at their best.

Yet Robbo has beaten Selby only 14 times out of 34 meetings. Robbo is more fluent when he's playing well but personally, I'd always back Selby to beat him in a high pressure situation, say in any final or at the Crucible.

Yes, Selbo is mentally stronger, but Robbo has a higher peak and is the better potter and breakbuilder.