1.
Williams = I cant explain how much I love watching this man. His break building, long potting, tactical play and safety is all stupidly good. NO ONE AT ALL makes the game look as easy as him. He just floats around like he doesnt care with the most funny expression on his face. His humour and wit is very good and he makes me laugh so much sometimes! So dry. To drop out of the top 16 and return like its an easy thing to do rising to number 1 in the world has got to be one of the best achievements in snooker, full stop. To put in 10 + hours practice a day is, well, I have never appreciated someone so much for doing something in the world. Has anyone tried praciticing for say 3 hours? Its not as easy or as fun as it sounds. To do that he is simply a genius. For me, he is the perfect player.
2.
Selby = I just love watching someone who you can tell tries very hard and everything means so much to him. His shot selection is immaculate and breakbuilding is awesome, a very good all round player who battles every last breath. Just love watching him play and his cue action fascinates me! How he plays every shot consistentley with that cue action is beyond me. Very clever player too who plays mind games at time which is intriguing. You can really get stuck in his matches, they are like stories you just want to keep reading. Also a very well spoken man with a good sense of humour too!
3.
Murphy = His proffessionalism is incredible and he gets a lot of stick for it. I can see why but I disagree and find it fine for someone to be like that. Hes obviously a sound guy who knows what hes on about. On the table when rolling he is amazing to watch. The cue action alone is one to watch! He obviously puts the hours in and takes his snooker seriously. My favourite part of his game to watch is his long potting. Truely incredible. Okay he thinks hes god, but I dont care, I love watching him whenever and whereever and hoping for a good run this year in the worlds.
4.
Hamilton = I know, i know, that I bang on about him and im the only person in the world to be a fan of his. But I think hes great. His quirky looks and characteristics amuse me. On the table hes a decent decent player. Under rated in my opinion. His break building is seriously phenominal. He is 11th in the centuries list, ahead of stevens
and extremely close to fu and parrot. I love watching his cue action, very mechanical and he is an extremely methodical player, like selby and ebdon, which I LOVE to watch. I am ahead of my age I know. But its true, I love watching these slower methodical players. I also met him a couple of times at the EPTC4 and every time he stopped for a chat, ended up getting to know him quite well! Was a great guy with a very good sense of humour. So laid back and very cooooooool maaaaaan
An all round favourite of mine.
5.
Neil Robertson = This is the first player I remember following properly and enjoy watching. He was the first player I met at the Masters 2007 and he lit my love for snooker. Had my photo taken with him and a hug from him and it was a special memory. I preffered watching him when he was an all out attacking player playing flamboyant shots with stupid amounts of spin, but now he really is the complete package and still a joy to watch. His breakbuilding still not superior , but long potting is stupidly good and his safety game is now right up there. With a fantastic attitude and such positive approach he will go far. And I admire his positive approach, really is good to watch. He tries extremely hard on every shot and is becoming ever so slowly more methodical. Great player, Great attitude.
I had some others I wanted to put in here but had to choose five, these players basically come in joint places in the top 5.
I would have else, Ronnie, Swail, Dale, Higgins and Ebdon.
6.
Higgins = What hes done since his return is just amazing. I mean COME ON!? How hes done it is beyond me. He is by far the best player the past decade and a half. Best all round player EVER. He has coped tremendously with his dad dying and I believe he is 100 % innocent all the way in that horrible scam. He is by far the favourite for me to win this years worlds, and if I had my last tenner on anyone to win a match, it would be this man. Truely incredible all round player.
7.
Ebdon = I almost think I love watching this player as much as williams, but in a different way. His shot selection and shot execution is unbelievably wierd but a joy to watch. Even at the moment when he isnt on great form he is fun to watch. The determination in every inch of his body and every face he pulls deserves applause. His levels of concentration are stunning and any match involving him is interesting. I know hes slow, but again like I said, I love this! He is also a very good player. Only 4 centuries behind jimmy white, looking to over take him I should imagine. And his win in china 09 proves his career his nowhere near over. That win was incredible and meant more to him than winning the worlds, I was rooting him all the way. His eccentric style and flamboyant character is great and extremely funny. Not to mention what a great guy he is. Met him twice and he offered his hand to shake and gave me a card that he signed wishing me well and genuinley being a proffessionally great man.
8.
Dominic Dale = LEGEND. Such a character and an actually unbelievable player. Very nice man, has the time for everyone and extremely funny its beyond belief. I have booked up for more coaching next thursday at gloucester and sarah made sure it was on a day where dom would be there, so I will be coached on a table very near him while he prepares for the WC! Hoping to have a chat with him wishing him the best and telling him he will have all my support. Cant wait
9.
Swail = I dont think hes had the best of times in life, he suffers with problems such as being 30 % deph. But since I first saw him in the worlds against wenbo, I knew id like this guy! Since then I have supported him against everyone. His run to the welsh final in 08 was stunning. In his interview after his semi he was in floods of tears, the game means a lot to him, and i love to see emotion so much (hence not liking ding and liking people like ebdon and swail). Not only did he get there but played awesome stuff and beat some good players. On his day he always beats top players, such as allen and murphy at the german masters earlier this year! I dearly hope we havent seen the end of him yet. And im glad Alexopaul is a big fan of his too, good to see he has some fans. He is a true gentleman off the table too and has a lot of respect from other players. Met him and he seemed very nice but quite shy.
10.
Ronnie = On his day he is simply the best. His technical ability when breakbuilding is fascinating and the best ever to watch. I dont need to say much else as its pretty obvious. Its very sad to see him fading and acting a complete fool. But I hope he comes back to form soon, as I miss him a lot!