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Ronnie says most players "are not good enough"

Postby snooker_loopy

Quote:

"There are a lot of players I watch out there and they can't play. "That's no disrespect, they just can't play. They are never going to be good enough."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/38160821

No-one starts at the top of the rankings. He rose up the ranks very quickly due to his mega-talent, but if there were a top 16 or top 32 only you'd still need a mechanism to allow the few unknown new players to have a chance to prove their worth. Perhaps you could reduce snooker to a top 32 only and have a lower ranked division of 18 players all trying to break into the top 32. That would mean a total of 50 pro players, not 128.

I think the basic point about lower ranked players not good enough is true, although it's a harsh truth, and one that very few people within the game would admit to in interviews.

Re: Ronnie says most players "are not good enough"

Postby PoolBoy

Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao are two supremely talented young Chinese players who are sure to have a big future in the game.
Yet, neither are (yet) inside the top-64 in the World Rankings - but they've goy to start somewhere!

Re: Ronnie says most players "are not good enough"

Postby Cloud Strife

Good enough for what though? Be world champion? If that's the case Ronnie is right, the vast majority aren't good enough, and that has always been the case. Very few will ever win the world title, or any title for that matter.

There is still a need for them though. All sports require the jobbers, those guys who are there simply to make up the numbers and make the stars like Ronnie look good.

Re: Ronnie says most players "are not good enough"

Postby snooker_loopy

I suppose Ronnie's comment is just survival of the fittest. If you're good enough you'll win or reach enough semis and quarter finals to have a good or high level of income, if you're not good enough then tough. Go get another job.

It's a brutal way to look at the game but if 75 percent of players aren't that good - good enough to reach the last 16 of most events - then you could argue if you got rid of them the overall standard would be better. As I suggested, 50 professionals could be a new direction. 50 pros could improve the overall standard. Obviously players ranked below 50 would lose their income and jobs! But hey, it's a tough sport. Ronnie does speak out in a controversial way but you could argue his point of view has some merit.

Re: Ronnie says most players "are not good enough"

Postby TheRocket

mick745 wrote:Ronnie today saying the strength in depth on tour has never been as strong

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFxaTPSHUI0

From about 6 mins in.


I doubt, you can take that seriously. Thats just the political correct O'Sullivan. Unfortunately hes always talking like a bog-standard good hearted commentator in the Eurosport studio. Praising even the weakest journeyman. That's why I think, Hendry does a much better job as a pundit as he's always honest and says what he thinks.

But Ronnie looks like a completely different man and tries so hard to be some kind of a role model.

Re: Ronnie says most players "are not good enough"

Postby Cloud Strife

Hendry and Ronnie are two players that I never would've imagined doing punditry/commentary in a million years. They never struck me as guys who would take an interest in anything snooker related other than their own careers, and would disappear once retired.

And yet here they are, you can't keep them off the TV screen lol.

Re: Ronnie says most players "are not good enough"

Postby Pink Ball

Cloud Strife wrote:Hendry and Ronnie are two players that I never would've imagined doing punditry/commentary in a million years. They never struck me as guys who would take an interest in anything snooker related other than their own careers, and would disappear once retired.

And yet here they are, you can't keep them off the TV screen lol.

Totally agree. And more surprisingly, they're both very good at punditry too.

Re: Ronnie says most players "are not good enough"

Postby TheSaviour

PoolBoy wrote:Zhao Xintong and Yan Bingtao are two supremely talented young Chinese players who are sure to have a big future in the game.
Yet, neither are (yet) inside the top-64 in the World Rankings - but they've goy to start somewhere!


But talent itself means absolutely nothing. So far it seems China (or far-East) has failed to stamp their authority like they managed to stamp it in table-tennis. Or in badminton. Even when these days China has superior amounts of a hobby snooker players. For example now an on-going Welsh Open has a Quarter-final field where 5/8 of players are Englishmen. Which is perfectly a normal situation. Then there are 1 from Norway, 1 from Scotland and 1 from China. Don´t know. But these days England rules the game. If now thinking these 8 players, Stuart Carrington looks like someone who could have a slightly better results than he usually has. And I must admit I am slightly bored that Stuart Bingham and Barry Hawkins almost always are there.. Well they are both a really handy, but they could try to add something new or more.. But fair play anyway to Stuart and Barry that they managed to have that good results consistently. I just can´t see Barry Hawkins could continue to have a deep runs a much longer anymore. He will be in troubles in Sheffield. Obviously it depends what kind of a draw he gets. So many diffenrent options.

Re: Ronnie says most players "are not good enough"

Postby Andre147

It's quite simple really... The standard in the overall Tour has never been higher than it is today, however the standard in the Top 32 and especially Top 16/10 is nowehere near what it was between 98-2005.

The players lower down the rankings have never been better, but not the players in the upper echelons of the game.

Re: Ronnie says most players "are not good enough"

Postby Iranu

It's simple to rationalise: the lowest standard on tour is higher than it used to be, but the highest standard on tour is lower than it used to be.

Doesn't necessarily mean that's what he meant though.

Re: Ronnie says most players "are not good enough"

Postby The Herminator

Andre147 wrote:
The Herminator wrote:Maybe Hendry should come out of retirement then. Could he be competitive?


Top 32 material I reckon.


Maybe, but he'd need to put the hours in. Saw him against Steve Davis a year or two ago at Snooker Legends and he was struggling, even with those buckets. Davis on the other hand knocked in 3 consecutive centuries...

Re: Ronnie says most players "are not good enough"

Postby Andre147

Alex0paul wrote:If Hendry had continued to play I believe he would've won at least one event between 2012-now


We'll never know, he would have had to have a favourable draw. I could see him beat a top player in these shorter formats, but if he faces too many of them, he would lose at some point.

If guys like Hamilton, King can win them, there's no reason why Hendry couldn't, if, as I said, he had a fairly kind draw.

Re: Ronnie says most players "are not good enough"

Postby vodkadiet

O'Sullivan is right. The standard of play now is awful. King andHamilton winning events when they should be drawing their pension sums up the plight of snooker today.