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If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championship ...

Postby Bourne

... would it be his greatest achievement ever ?

It's worth asking since his form this season and generally for the last couple of years in ranking events has been so below-par. No ranking title since 2009 Shanghai, no ranking win since the 2010 World Open, he's fallen provisionally to 10 in the world, and will be set to fall lower depending how others below him do this week in China.

Add his draw into the equation (Dale/Murphy/Higgins/Williams/Robertson), and his general lack of confidence and positive demanour around the table, and one would imagine it unlikely he adds a 4th World crown to his already impressive haul of titles.

Re: If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championsip ...

Postby Casey

I wouldn't say it was the greatest achievement ever. Higgins went 9 years between winning his 1st and 2nd.

Also Hendry's number 7 was pretty special, not only because of the players he had to beat but because of the pressure of breaking Davis' and Reardon's records.

Re: If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championsip ...

Postby Wildey

If O'Sullivan was to win it would be his Greatest Win but it wont even be the biggest achievmant this season That would have to go to John Higgins unless theres quite a few Comebacks in Ronnies WC Win.

Re: If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championsip ...

Postby Tubberlad

Case, can I ask how John Higgins winning a World Title nine years after his first is an achievement exactly? For me, that's a surprisingly long time for a player as good as Higgins to go between winning World titles, and not an achievement at all. When people look at the ten year gap between Alex Higgins winning a world title they don't say 'wow, what am achievement'. They dwell on how his talent should have seen him win more in the interim.

Re: If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championsip ...

Postby Wildey

Tubberlad wrote:Case, can I ask how John Higgins winning a World Title nine years after his first is an achievement exactly? For me, that's a surprisingly long time for a player as good as Higgins to go between winning World titles, and not an achievement at all. When people look at the ten year gap between Alex Higgins winning a world title they don't say 'wow, what am achievement'. They dwell on how his talent should have seen him win more in the interim.

good point <ok>

Re: If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championsip ...

Postby Wildey

Bourne wrote:I don't think anyone's actually reading the article properly. <doh>

would it be his greatest achievement ever ?


ive answered it and yes it would be.

Re: If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championsip ...

Postby Bourne

Wild wrote:
Bourne wrote:I don't think anyone's actually reading the article properly. <doh>

would it be his greatest achievement ever ?


ive answered it and yes it would be.

The only one but then for some reason you mentioned Higgins :chin:

Re: If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championsip ...

Postby Snooker Overdrive

Bourne wrote:... would it be his greatest achievement ever ?

It's worth asking since his form this season and generally for the last couple of years in ranking events has been so below-par. No ranking title since 2009 Shanghai, no ranking win since the 2010 World Open, he's fallen provisionally to 10 in the world, and will be set to fall lower depending how others below him do this week in China.

Add his draw into the equation (Dale/Murphy/Higgins/Williams/Robertson), and his general lack of confidence and positive demanour around the table, and one would imagine it unlikely he adds a 4th World crown to his already impressive haul of titles.


It would be and he also would end his main tour career on that night.

But he wasn't below-par the last "couple" of seasons. He has been terrible since the Premier League 2010. But only since, he wasn't world no. 1 and 2 for nothing. The season before he just got kicked out by amazing Higgins and Selby performances in the letter stages of some tournaments.

Dale is a great first round match for Ronnie. Trump, Day, Bingham would have been a lot worse.

I don't think Murphy would be that bad in the second round. Ronnies main problem this season were the first rounds which all could have been easier.

If Ronnie gets running in a tournament especially in the most important one he's very hard to stop. He hasn't forgotten how to play snooker since the Premier League.

Re: If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championsip ...

Postby Wildey

Bourne wrote:
Wild wrote:
Bourne wrote:I don't think anyone's actually reading the article properly. <doh>

would it be his greatest achievement ever ?


ive answered it and yes it would be.

The only one but then for some reason you mentioned Higgins :chin:

because others had gone off on one lol

Re: If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championsip ...

Postby Snooker Overdrive

Bourne wrote:I don't count exhos like the PL or Shootout when analysing his season, they are sideshows. <ok>


Please don't compare the Premier League with Shootout :no: .

The PL is a top class tournament with a world class line-up.
Just because your favourite players don't win or aren't able to cope with the advanced speed of the game make it a "exho".

Re: If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championsip ...

Postby Tubberlad

As quite an avid follower of Ronnie O'Sullivan, yes, the Premier League is an exhibition with a format that suits him far more than ire suits any other player in the world.

Re: If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championsip ...

Postby Snooker Overdrive

Tubberlad wrote:As quite an avid follower of Ronnie O'Sullivan, yes, the Premier League is an exhibition with a format that suits him far more than ire suits any other player in the world.


It's not an exhibition but a snooker discipline which Ronnie dominates like no one else.

There's no reason why Ronnie (for example today) can't play that well with unlimited time. Day didn't slow him down, neither did Allen or Bingham. It's a motivation problem.

Re: If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championsip ...

Postby Smart

Wild wrote:
Tubberlad wrote:Case, can I ask how John Higgins winning a World Title nine years after his first is an achievement exactly? For me, that's a surprisingly long time for a player as good as Higgins to go between winning World titles, and not an achievement at all. When people look at the ten year gap between Alex Higgins winning a world title they don't say 'wow, what am achievement'. They dwell on how his talent should have seen him win more in the interim.

good point <ok>


Disagree. The reason why there was a massive gap between Alex winning in 72 nd 82 was due to the lifestyle (which was very apparent to all) that he lead. So it was not surprising that he was not cleaning up all the titles and even less surprising that he only won the world champs twice with a 10 year gap between the 2 successes. JHs gap of 9 years is more remarkable due to his more settled lifestyle (though I think he did go on the booz e in his earlier days). That alone does not explain the 9 year gap IMO.

I would say it was case of stronger level of opposition across the board meaning that titles were being shared out more. :wave:

Re: If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championship ...

Postby Tubberlad

Okay Smart, but my main point is that its not an achievement to take nine years between winning a first and second world title as Case said it was in the case of John Higgins. I think that's a disappointment rather than an achievement, and certainly not one of the greatest achievement in snooker history <ok> if Ronnie somehow turned around and won this world title up against that draw in the form he's in, THAT would be an achievement, but it isn't going to happen.

Spot on with Hendry though Case, I think that ranks as the greatest achievement in snooker history.

Re: If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championship ...

Postby jojo

i still wouldnt rule ronnie out of winning the worlds this year bar the long pots he clearly has the all round game and lets face it his offensive game is still the best in the world

who knows if the fat bastard can beat higgins in the first round then the draw opens up for ronnie i think he more than capable of beating murphy in the second round murphy just hasnt got the tactical nouse and ive noticed on occasions he actually tries to play ronnie at his own game due to his extreme self confidence and that backfires

so you never know ronnie a one off i for one dont rule him out he still got a better chance than most and also the fact that his top 16 place is pretty secure that will take the pressure off him for the dale match or at least it wont put him under any unnecessary pressure i first thought his top 16 place was in danger but it isnt hes safe

the two players who i fear for ronnie if he plays them in this form is higgins and selby but as mentioned fat bastard might do us all a favour and get rid of higgins and ronnie and selby can only meet in the final

Re: If O'Sullivan won the 2011 World Championship ...

Postby Tubberlad

I'm really going to sound like a Higgins hata, and he is my least favourite admittedly, but that for me is an example of bigging Higgins up for the sake of it, like a lot of fans do with Ronnie. That kind of thing annoys me be it Higgins, Sullivan, Davis, Hendry...whoever

No, I don't think Ronnie will win it because he's playing rubbish and his draw is rubbish.

If anything, Id like to see Williams take it. He deserves to be on a par with the other two, and doesn't get half as much praise lavished on him despite being a truly outstanding player.