When's the penny going to drop?

On the plus side, I think Bingtao is one for the future. #teamyan

SnookerFan wrote:On the plus side, I think Bingtao is one for the future. #teamyan

He's the best young player I've seen since Ding.

He really doesn't look 16-years-old, does he?!
I agree with all of the posters who reckon he will be the 'real deal' - there have been many false-dawns before with young players being proclaimed as the next big thing - but Yan Bingtao has so many positive attributes for one so young.

PoolBoy wrote:He really doesn't look 16-years-old, does he?!
I agree with all of the posters who reckon he will be the 'real deal' - there have been many false-dawns before with young players being proclaimed as the next big thing - but Yan Bingtao has so many positive attributes for one so young.

He neither looks nor plays like a 16-year-old!

Pink Ball wrote:

PoolBoy wrote:He really doesn't look 16-years-old, does he?!
I agree with all of the posters who reckon he will be the 'real deal' - there have been many false-dawns before with young players being proclaimed as the next big thing - but Yan Bingtao has so many positive attributes for one so young.

He neither looks nor plays like a 16-year-old!

It's funny how he's 16, but he looks like somebodies dad.

Just wait when Ronnie decides to retire and then you'll finally see how much of a good place snooker is in. I'd like to see how Hearn will attract more or even the current money prizes without Ronnie. Prepare to huge crowds in Allen vs Lisowski, Brecel vs Wylson, McGill vs random chinese player. Fantastic talents. Then this fairy tail will come to an end. Doubting the 80s and the 90s is the silliest thing I've ever heard. A 40 break in the 80s is the equivalent of a 70 break today. Easy to say the standard is better today with 30+ years of game evolution and tables far more easier than those back in the days. Find me one sport that is in a worse place quality wise than it was 30 years ago. We're living in times where a random bellend like Allen is allowed to mock a player like Steve Davis. Oh yes, enjoy!

Wildey wrote:what the hell is Lisowski doing?

Not practising.

snucar wrote:Just wait when Ronnie decides to retire and then you'll finally see how much of a good place snooker is in. I'd like to see how Hearn will attract more or even the current money prizes without Ronnie. Prepare to huge crowds in Allen vs Lisowski, Brecel vs Wylson, McGill vs random chinese player. Fantastic talents. Then this fairy tail will come to an end. Doubting the 80s and the 90s is the silliest thing I've ever heard. A 40 break in the 80s is the equivalent of a 70 break today. Easy to say the standard is better today with 30+ years of game evolution and tables far more easier than those back in the days. Find me one sport that is in a worse place quality wise than it was 30 years ago. We're living in times where a random bellend like Allen is allowed to mock a player like Steve Davis. Oh yes, enjoy!

For the first time I can see China taking over the game. It was always stupid to think it was going to happen quickly but over the next decade there will be more young players coming through and the current 20somethings maturing in their 30's, while a lot of the current top players reach a stage where they can't compete at the highest level anymore. It'll be interesting to see what things will be like in 2026 when the Crucible deal comes to an end as things might have changed a lot by then.

snucar wrote:Just wait when Ronnie decides to retire and then you'll finally see how much of a good place snooker is in. I'd like to see how Hearn will attract more or even the current money prizes without Ronnie. Prepare to huge crowds in Allen vs Lisowski, Brecel vs Wylson, McGill vs random chinese player. Fantastic talents. Then this fairy tail will come to an end. Doubting the 80s and the 90s is the silliest thing I've ever heard. A 40 break in the 80s is the equivalent of a 70 break today. Easy to say the standard is better today with 30+ years of game evolution and tables far more easier than those back in the days. Find me one sport that is in a worse place quality wise than it was 30 years ago. We're living in times where a random bellend like Allen is allowed to mock a player like Steve Davis. Oh yes, enjoy!

Germany showed there's a big appetite for snooker, whoever is playing, but that is only Germany as far as I can see, possibly Romania as well. In China and has been seen in the U.K. This week unless Ronnie or ding plays no one cares about the rest, harsh but true I think

Good article. The standard of play today is dreadful. I liken it to the 1970s.

snucar wrote:Easy to say the standard is better today with 30+ years of game evolution and tables far more easier than those back in the days.

Question - as someone who can't claim to be even halfway decent at snooker, would faster cloths not make cueball control more difficult?

Pack splits aside, do faster cloths actually amount to the game being easier?

Iranu wrote:Question - as someone who can't claim to be even halfway decent at snooker, would faster cloths not make cueball control more difficult?

Pack splits aside, do faster cloths actually amount to the game being easier?

A fast table might seem harder to play at first but once you get the speed right is much easier. The new cloth is not only faster is also thinner which improves vastly the accuracy of your shot. Slow rolling the cue ball from baulk cushion to top cushion was a freaking nightmare back in the day because the thicker cloth would never guarantee accuracy to the player and most of the times it would let him down. Another huge difference is that with a faster cloth you can make the cue ball travel around the table with much less effort and therefore more accuracy. Let's say you need to pot pink and black to win but your position on the pink forces you to go up and down the table 3-4 cushions. All you need to do these days is to put medium power and a bit of spin and you're done. The 80s player had to power that pink in (increasing the chance to miss the shot also) with spin and sometimes it wouldn't be enough because the probability to land tight on the cushion to play the black was always there. Faster clothes also make the ball slide more and that's why you often see the balls go in even if the hit the jaw of the pocket or even the cushion. Finally, just try to execute the famous banana screw shot of Jimmy White at the Masters on the faster tables of today with the exact same power Jimmy used. You'll make good ol' Jimmy seem like someone with no cue-power at all.

Thanks for the info. I always assumed that faster cloths meant the margin for error when applying spin must be smaller, but I guess that's not the case then?

Also, would the spin catch in time for the banana shots to take effect properly on modern tables, particularly with less power?

Maybe they should make the cloths thicker on the cushions only, to stop the balls sliding in so easily because it is starting to get ridiculous. Sometimes a ball hits the cushion 6+ inches from the pocket and still goes in!

vodkadiet wrote:Good article. The standard of play today is dreadful. I liken it to the 1970s.

Oh come on...the top level may not be as good as the late 90's but likening the tour to the 70's is pushing it. Now we have more strength in depth, more centuries, more maximums in a season then there were in whole decades.

Other than a dominant player and perhaps more strength in depth safety play, what else could be worse today than the 70's or even the 80's? Save for viewing figures and amateur participation of course.

SteveJJ wrote:

vodkadiet wrote:Good article. The standard of play today is dreadful. I liken it to the 1970s.

Oh come on...the top level may not be as good as the late 90's but likening the tour to the 70's is pushing it. Now we have more strength in depth, more centuries, more maximums in a season then there were in whole decades.

Other than a dominant player and perhaps more strength in depth safety play, what else could be worse today than the 70's or even the 80's? Save for viewing figures and amateur participation of course.

As has been explained it's much easier to make centuries on today's tables than the one's in the 70's. I agree though that today's standards is much higher than the 70's but no where near as good as the late 90's early 00's and probably never will sadly.