by Pink Ball » 29 Mar 2020 Read
Started watching snooker 40 years ago, so I was too young to remember anyone telling me Thorburn and Steve Davis would never win the World Championship. So here’s a list of players since 1985 that went on to win the World Championship having heard — at least once, but in nearly all cases too many times to keep count — they would never win the World Championship:
Dennis Taylor
Joe Johnson
Stephen Hendry
John Parrott
Ken Doherty
John Higgins
Mark Williams
Ronnie O’Sullivan
Peter Ebdon
Shaun Murphy
Graeme Dott
Neil Robertson
Mark Selby
Stuart Bingham
Judd Trump
Last edited by
Pink Ball on 29 Mar 2020, edited 1 time in total.
-

Pink Ball
- Posts: 22619
- Joined: 07 April 2015
- Location: Galway city, Ireland
- Snooker Idol: You are a banker
- Walk-On: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkfgIUiCiUQ
by Cloud Strife » 29 Mar 2020 Read
I remember someone saying Joe Davis will never be world champion.
The lad will never fulfil his potential, they said. Too lax and mentally weak, they said.
Oh how wrong they were.
-

Cloud Strife
- Posts: 18820
- Joined: 28 January 2014
- Location: Antarctica
- Snooker Idol: Roger Federer
- Highest Break: 155
- Walk-On: Don Vedda - buck You
-
by SnookerFan » 29 Mar 2020 Read
Who told you that John Higgins would never be World Champion? Sounds like a real expert.
-

SnookerFan
- Posts: 160398
- Joined: 13 December 2009
- Snooker Idol: Michaela Tabb
- Walk-On: Entry Of The Gladiators
-
by Pink Ball » 29 Mar 2020 Read
SnookerFan wrote:Who told you that John Higgins would never be World Champion? Sounds like a real expert.
There was actually a lot of doubt over Higgins being able to handle the Crucible atmosphere. He hated the Crucible starting out there.
In 20 years time, people will probably not believe that Trump was widely tipped to never win it.
-

Pink Ball
- Posts: 22619
- Joined: 07 April 2015
- Location: Galway city, Ireland
- Snooker Idol: You are a banker
- Walk-On: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkfgIUiCiUQ
by Holden Chinaski » 29 Mar 2020 Read
Come on Luca.
-

Holden Chinaski
- Posts: 32275
- Joined: 26 July 2013
- Location: Belgium
- Snooker Idol: The Belgiums
- Walk-On: Hound Dog - Elvis
by Alex0paul » 29 Mar 2020 Read
So everyone except Bingham?
-

Alex0paul
- Posts: 27329
- Joined: 03 December 2009
- Location: Plymouth
- Snooker Idol: Graeme Dott Joe OConnor
- Highest Break: 97
- Walk-On: Loco in Acapulco
by SnookerFan » 29 Mar 2020 Read
Pink Ball wrote:SnookerFan wrote:Who told you that John Higgins would never be World Champion? Sounds like a real expert.
There was actually a lot of doubt over Higgins being able to handle the Crucible atmosphere. He hated the Crucible starting out there.
In 20 years time, people will probably not believe that Trump was widely tipped to never win it.
Fair point.
-

SnookerFan
- Posts: 160398
- Joined: 13 December 2009
- Snooker Idol: Michaela Tabb
- Walk-On: Entry Of The Gladiators
-
by SnookerFan » 29 Mar 2020 Read
Alex0paul wrote:So everyone except Bingham?
He was favourite.
-

SnookerFan
- Posts: 160398
- Joined: 13 December 2009
- Snooker Idol: Michaela Tabb
- Walk-On: Entry Of The Gladiators
-
by Dan-cat » 29 Mar 2020 Read
Alex0paul wrote:So everyone except Bingham?
Bingham was never in the conversation.
-

Dan-cat
- Posts: 32628
- Joined: 20 August 2013
- Location: Shoreditch, London
- Snooker Idol: The Rocket + The Nugget
- Highest Break: 53
- Walk-On: www.instagram.com/dan_cat
-
by KrazeeEyezKilla » 29 Mar 2020 Read
To be fair no player is a certainty to win the World Championship until they actually do it. It's looks silly now but O'Sullivan being a Jimmy White nearlyman was a real possibility 20 years ago.
-

KrazeeEyezKilla
- Posts: 4025
- Joined: 16 November 2009
- Location: Ireland
- Highest Break: 26
- Walk-On: Dazz Band - Let It All Blow
by HustleKing » 29 Mar 2020 Read
One of the most pointless threads ever on this forum, but I trust PB will not be scraping this far down the barrel when live snooker returns
-

HustleKing
- Posts: 2386
- Joined: 16 December 2018
- Snooker Idol: Skyler Woodward
- Highest Break: 7
- Walk-On: De Hofnar - Zonnestraal (Mowe remix)
by Juddernaut88 » 29 Mar 2020 Read
Did people really think Hendry would never be world champion? I'm amazed to think people thought that.
-

Juddernaut88
- Posts: 60811
- Joined: 27 February 2020
- Location: Coventry
- Snooker Idol: Hendry and Trump
- Highest Break: 30
- Walk-On: Simple Minds- Glittering Prize
-
by Cloud Strife » 29 Mar 2020 Read
HustleKing wrote:One of the most pointless threads ever on this forum, but I trust PB will not be scraping this far down the barrel when live snooker returns
You obviously don't know him too well.
-

Cloud Strife
- Posts: 18820
- Joined: 28 January 2014
- Location: Antarctica
- Snooker Idol: Roger Federer
- Highest Break: 155
- Walk-On: Don Vedda - buck You
-
by Cloud Strife » 29 Mar 2020 Read
The ones they got right:
Jimmy White
James Wattana
Stephen Maguire
Stephen Lee
Paul Hunter
Marco Fu
Matthew Stevens
Ding Junhui
Mark Allen
-

Cloud Strife
- Posts: 18820
- Joined: 28 January 2014
- Location: Antarctica
- Snooker Idol: Roger Federer
- Highest Break: 155
- Walk-On: Don Vedda - buck You
-
by TheRocket » 29 Mar 2020 Read
Hendry won the World title as a 21 year old. Higgins was 22.
Hard to believe they were people who believed they would never win the World title.
For me they are two criteria to justify doubts .
1. If you are not a consistent topplayer or even a journeyman (Johnson/Dott/Bingham prior to 2011)
2. If you are a topplayer but still havent won it in your 20's.
-

TheRocket
- Posts: 16803
- Joined: 23 September 2012
- Snooker Idol: Federer-ROS-Messi
by SnookerFan » 29 Mar 2020 Read
I think Pinkball should provide his sources.
-

SnookerFan
- Posts: 160398
- Joined: 13 December 2009
- Snooker Idol: Michaela Tabb
- Walk-On: Entry Of The Gladiators
-
by Pink Ball » 29 Mar 2020 Read
TheRocket wrote:Hendry won the World title as a 21 year old. Higgins was 22.
Hard to believe they were people who believed they would never win the World title.
For me they are two criteria to justify doubts .
1. If you are not a consistent topplayer or even a journeyman (Johnson/Dott/Bingham prior to 2011)
2. If you are a topplayer but still havent won it in your 20's.
The players you mentioned are, indeed, the ones I head it least about for those very reasons.
But, yes, I'd heard it said about Hendry and Higgins. People thought Higgins couldn't hack the Crucible. Some people said Hendry was the worst World Champion ever when he won it in 1990.
Don't shoot the messenger. I thought it was utter bucking nonsense on both counts.
-

Pink Ball
- Posts: 22619
- Joined: 07 April 2015
- Location: Galway city, Ireland
- Snooker Idol: You are a banker
- Walk-On: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkfgIUiCiUQ
by Juddernaut88 » 29 Mar 2020 Read
Pink Ball wrote:TheRocket wrote:Hendry won the World title as a 21 year old. Higgins was 22.
Hard to believe they were people who believed they would never win the World title.
For me they are two criteria to justify doubts .
1. If you are not a consistent topplayer or even a journeyman (Johnson/Dott/Bingham prior to 2011)
2. If you are a topplayer but still havent won it in your 20's.
The players you mentioned are, indeed, the ones I head it least about for those very reasons.
But, yes, I'd heard it said about Hendry and Higgins. People thought Higgins couldn't hack the Crucible. Some people said Hendry was the worst World Champion ever when he won it in 1990.
Don't shoot the messenger. I thought it was utter bucking nonsense on both counts.
Wow, can't believe some people said Hendry was the worst ever champion in 1990 lol, I'm pretty sure he won like 3 ranking titles that season and the Masters and was world number 1 before the world final. They must have felt absolutely stupid a few years later.
-

Juddernaut88
- Posts: 60811
- Joined: 27 February 2020
- Location: Coventry
- Snooker Idol: Hendry and Trump
- Highest Break: 30
- Walk-On: Simple Minds- Glittering Prize
-
by Pink Ball » 29 Mar 2020 Read
Juddernaut88 wrote:Pink Ball wrote:TheRocket wrote:Hendry won the World title as a 21 year old. Higgins was 22.
Hard to believe they were people who believed they would never win the World title.
For me they are two criteria to justify doubts .
1. If you are not a consistent topplayer or even a journeyman (Johnson/Dott/Bingham prior to 2011)
2. If you are a topplayer but still havent won it in your 20's.
The players you mentioned are, indeed, the ones I head it least about for those very reasons.
But, yes, I'd heard it said about Hendry and Higgins. People thought Higgins couldn't hack the Crucible. Some people said Hendry was the worst World Champion ever when he won it in 1990.
Don't shoot the messenger. I thought it was utter bucking nonsense on both counts.
Wow, can't believe some people said Hendry was the worst ever champion in 1990 lol, I'm pretty sure he won like 3 ranking titles that season and the Masters and was world number 1 before the world final. They must have felt absolutely stupid a few years later.
It was mainly sourness from Jimmy White fans to be honest.
-

Pink Ball
- Posts: 22619
- Joined: 07 April 2015
- Location: Galway city, Ireland
- Snooker Idol: You are a banker
- Walk-On: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkfgIUiCiUQ