Selby: Hands off the World's

if i was a player and just won my semi id want to start the final ASAP Get the momentum ive had and carry it on....being told i cant play for for 2 days would be gutting.

wildJONESEYE wrote:if i was a player and just won my semi id want to start the final ASAP Get the momentum ive had and carry it on....being told i cant play for for 2 days would be gutting.

1 day

Why do you want a rest day so much GJ and when would you propose to have it?

Bourne wrote:It seems most people would rather 17 days of fading quality rather than 17/18 days with a cracking finish

only fading quality if you weak mentally are you saying players today are rubbish in the head ??

GJtheaussiestud wrote:

wildJONESEYE wrote:if i was a player and just won my semi id want to start the final ASAP Get the momentum ive had and carry it on....being told i cant play for for 2 days would be gutting.

1 day

He just doesn't get it Do you really think Dott wanted to play straight away after his draining win over Selby this year while Robbo was tucked up in bed hours before ? Give your head a shake wild.

Sonny wrote:Why do you want a rest day so much GJ and when would you propose to have it?

for me the whole thing is lop sided

so i say start a day earlier and have a rest day between the quarters and semi's which would mean the final wednesday would be the rest day

ideally i wouldlike a rest day before the final but im happyto compromise with a rest day between the quarters and semis

GJtheaussiestud wrote:

wildJONESEYE wrote:if i was a player and just won my semi id want to start the final ASAP Get the momentum ive had and carry it on....being told i cant play for for 2 days would be gutting.

1 day

its still the same id want to start that evening after i finish the semi not wait until 3pm following day never mind waiting until 3pm in 2 days time

Less Matches and Tournaments they been Playing over the season more they want a Rest

after this seasons Final they will be as fresh as a daisy having played so much PTC apart from Ronnie who wont make it through to the semi out of exhaustion and not match sharp

Bourne wrote:I'd be very much in favour of a day's break before a World final, it's the sport's showpiece match ... I guess we've essentially got an argument here between stubborn traditionalists vs people who just want to see a little tweak which would improve the game.

Can I be honest? I started typing out a reply to this thread saying that I didn't care one way or the other whether they had a break for a day. As a fan watching this on television, it makes no difference to me personally if they have a day's rest or not. It doesn't change my enjoyment...

However, as I was typing, the following things occured to me.

1) If you've brought tickets for the last sessions of the semis and the final, it's going to be a pain in the neck for fans having to hang round and do nothing for a day waiting. Especially if you go by yourself.
2) There's a possibility of finishing it a day later, meaning it would finish on a Tuesday making people miss the final. Either that or making it a day earlier meaning the opening "weekend" would start during the day of Friday. Would World Snooker want to do either? Starting a day later reduces viewing figures for the most important match of the season, starting a day earlier reduces the buzz the day one provides.
3) Would World Snooker really want to add an extra day to the schedule. Renting it out for an extra day, when bugger all happens? I doubt it.
4) Would the BBC want a day where nothing happened. Go back to their usual schedule, only to stop it again for one more day. I appreciate it's only daytime telly, but still World Snooker's seems to be making a priority of keeping the BBC sweet these days.

As an armchair fan, it wouldn't appear to make any difference at first. I mean whether there is a day between the semi-final and final appears an irrelevance when discussing ones enjoyment. But to administer, it would be difficult, and may mean people missing the end of the final. Not worth the hassle at the end of the day for something that doesn't make that much difference to the people at home watching. It's not about stubborn traditionalists, I just can see World Snooker not thinking it was worth the bother.

Great Points Snookerfan

they have Started it on a Friday ...

in fact the 1985 WC Was a Saturday/Sunday Final but there wasn't a Bank Holiday Weekend.

but The Friday Start was a Damp Squib because the BBC Did not start their coverage until the Saturday with only a hour Highlight Show Friday Night.

Don't get me wrong I still enjoy the final even though it's become a bit of a drag in the last few years, though last season's was kind of exceptional circumstances given everything that was happening that day took something away, but I think there's room for compromise ... yes the Worlds should be the big test of the player, the toughest test, sorting the men from the boys ... but do we want to do that while at the same time losing the quality ? Is snooker going to start following tennis into becoming all about fitness and stamina as opposed to skill ? I don't want that.

Bourne wrote:Don't get me wrong I still enjoy the final even though it's become a bit of a drag in the last few years, though last season's was kind of exceptional circumstances given everything that was happening that day took something away, but I think there's room for compromise ... yes the Worlds should be the big test of the player, the toughest test, sorting the men from the boys ... but do we want to do that while at the same time losing the quality ? Is snooker going to start following tennis into becoming all about fitness and stamina as opposed to skill ? I don't want that.

i think whats killing the Final and making players tired is the long Time they got to wait to play they get up on the Sunday at about say 10.30am they then got almost 5 Hours before the Match Starts that the Tense up and use a lot of Nervous Energy up before they see a Table.

then same thing and Routine on Monday its a long day being Tense without Actually playing a Shot a Rest day would just Add to that.

We all know Ronnie likes to get in there and hates hanging about well how would that help him ?

wildJONESEYE wrote:

Bourne wrote:Don't get me wrong I still enjoy the final even though it's become a bit of a drag in the last few years, though last season's was kind of exceptional circumstances given everything that was happening that day took something away, but I think there's room for compromise ... yes the Worlds should be the big test of the player, the toughest test, sorting the men from the boys ... but do we want to do that while at the same time losing the quality ? Is snooker going to start following tennis into becoming all about fitness and stamina as opposed to skill ? I don't want that.

i think whats killing the Final and making players tired is the long Time they got to wait to play they get up on the Sunday at about say 10.30am they then got almost 5 Hours before the Match Starts that the Tense up and use a lot of Nervous Energy up before they see a Table.

then same thing and Routine on Monday its a long day being Tense without Actually playing a Shot a Rest day would just Add to that.

We all know Ronnie likes to get in there and hates hanging about well how would that help him ?

He needs to man up and learn matchplay then.

but thats the Problem with Finals.

The Sessions got to be sooner so they dont hang about making themselves eager to get in the action.

The 90s had sessions Sooner

in 1998 Sessions was

2pm and 7pm

then in 1999 they changed them to

2pm and 8pm

then in 2000

3pm and 8pm and thats where we at now.

Well i'm definitely all for starting the final at an earlier time than 3pm, that's borderline criminal and I can't justify why they do it.

wildJONESEYE wrote:
i think whats killing the Final and making players tired is the long Time they got to wait to play they get up on the Sunday at about say 10.30am they then got almost 5 Hours before the Match Starts that the Tense up and use a lot of Nervous Energy up before they see a Table.

then same thing and Routine on Monday its a long day being Tense without Actually playing a Shot a Rest day would just Add to that.

We all know Ronnie likes to get in there and hates hanging about well how would that help him ?

They should start play earlier then Might help stop all the midnight finishes too.

reason they doing it is to give players more rest but its having the opposite effect as i highlighted above.

on the morning of a big match would you want to hang about that long to get out there i know id hate it.

This is a very difficult one...

Personally, I'd be in favour of a rest day. Start the tournament on a Friday (which was last done in 1995), get a rest day in on either the Wednesday or the Saturday of the last week... however, then we have the problem of people who had tickets for the last session of the semi-finals and the first session of the final having to wait around.

It's a difficult one, but I'm certainly of the opinion that the player who as to play on the Saturday night is at a major disadvantage straight away, being punished for doing nothing wrong.

By the way, the 1998 setting of 2pm & 7pm should never have been changed

wildJONESEYE wrote:reason they doing it is to give players more rest but its having the opposite effect as i highlighted above.

on the morning of a big match would you want to hang about that long to get out there i know id hate it.

Well exactly i'm the same when I do examinations, I cannot sleep the night before and just want to get stuck in rather than wait all day, that sickly feeling builds up.

Bourne wrote:

GJtheaussiestud wrote:

wildJONESEYE wrote:if i was a player and just won my semi id want to start the final ASAP Get the momentum ive had and carry it on....being told i cant play for for 2 days would be gutting.

1 day

He just doesn't get it Do you really think Dott wanted to play straight away after his draining win over Selby this year while Robbo was tucked up in bed hours before ? Give your head a shake wild.

Of course he did! He's in the World Final. You can't use Dott as the excuse when we all know why he played rubbish in the final and it wasn't to do with his semi-final being draining.

Murphy beating Robbo in a late finish wasn't the reason he started off slow in 2009 either, and nor was Carter in 2008. Selby in 2007 there was a case but the fact we had a 2 day final helped Selby get back into the match. In 2006 there was a case as well but that was a cracking final and I loved every second of it.

Sonny wrote:

Bourne wrote:

GJtheaussiestud wrote:

wildJONESEYE wrote:if i was a player and just won my semi id want to start the final ASAP Get the momentum ive had and carry it on....being told i cant play for for 2 days would be gutting.

1 day

He just doesn't get it Do you really think Dott wanted to play straight away after his draining win over Selby this year while Robbo was tucked up in bed hours before ? Give your head a shake wild.

Of course he did! He's in the World Final. You can't use Dott as the excuse when we all know why he played poo in the final and it wasn't to do with his semi-final being draining.

Murphy beating Robbo in a late finish wasn't the reason he started off slow in 2009 either, and nor was Carter in 2008. Selby in 2007 there was a case but the fact we had a 2 day final helped Selby get back into the match. In 2006 there was a case as well but that was a cracking final and I loved every second of it.

Well I just can't agree, you put so much emotion into that match not to mention the 25 frame decider the round before, Dott more than most would be jaded because there's nothing of him ! He would have been better off with a longer break after the semi and I firmly believe we the viewer would have been too.

I don't think there should be a rest day at all. The only options I see would be to have three sessions on Semi final thursday and friday with just two on the saturday then have the final as usual. Or as above but start the final on the saturday night, have one more session on the sunday night before the usual two sessions on the monday.

Dott played rubbish, but I actually have little doubt his draining semi-final had a lot to do with it. The guy was practically falling asleep on the Sunday evening... if you tell me that didn't affect his level of play, you've got to be joking me. Do you not think a fresher Dott would have put up more of a battle? I certainly think it made a big difference.

Nice idea, the day off, to bring in players fresh. But it'd be difficult to regulate. And as somebody has suggested, players like Ronnie would hate the hanging around that this day would bring, and it'd make them play worse. It'd affect different players in different ways.

A nice idea which seems simple enough in suggestion, but I don't see ever happening.

SnookerFan wrote:Nice idea, the day off, to bring in players fresh. But it'd be difficult to regulate. And as somebody has suggested, players like Ronnie would hate the hanging around that this day would bring, and it'd make them play worse. It'd affect different players in different ways.

A nice idea which seems simple enough in suggestion, but I don't see ever happening.

That attitude does stink though, do we hold it back for the whims of one player ? What about when he retires ?

Alex0paul WC wrote:I don't think there should be a rest day at all. The only options I see would be to have three sessions on Semi final thursday and friday with just two on the saturday then have the final as usual. Or as above but start the final on the saturday night, have one more session on the sunday night before the usual two sessions on the monday.

its more to do with time to change the set from 2 table to 1 table that the the thursday has 2 sessions .

I can sort of see now why snooker hasnt been able to stop its decline in recent times and its partly due to many fans being unable to accept and embrace minor tweaks to the major events.

other sports have evolved and have embraced slight changes and they have continued to get bigger like tennis and golf