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How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby Badsnookerplayer

I was thinking about whether Mark Selby can retain no.1 spot for a record amount of time as he seems peerless at the moment. I don't know what the record is for maintaining world no.1 spot, but is there anyone who can topple him before 2020?

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby TheSaviour

It seems he hasn´t took that many different "roles". He just plays with his own streghts. Which can´t be said considering many other top players. They can´t blame it would hurt the just one player because at the same time it would hurt the whole game! Sometimes they think they are Steve Davis´ of their own time, then suddenly they are Alex Higgins´ of their own time, then they are the next Ronnie O´Sullivans. They can´t blame or say it would hurt just Mark Selby. It would hurt the whole game. And perhaps it does, who knows. But it is a highly unlikely.

So Selby has a good prospects to keep on dominating. But that just a prospects. It only takes just a one espicially skilled player to really challenge him. Selby can play such a calculated slow pace cannons which no other can. And his playing rhytm is still a relatively slow. The fans have just forgot to reason and to see what there could better than him. There could, but at the moment it is unlikely.

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby sas6789

If Judd plays well, if Robbo get's his act together and drops the video game addiction and if Ronnie and Higgins find some form this season, Selby won't be dominating at all.

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby Badsnookerplayer

sas6789 wrote:If Judd plays well, if Robbo get's his act together and drops the video game addiction and if Ronnie and Higgins find some form this season, Selby won't be dominating at all.

I agree to an extent but it is frustrating that Trump & Robertson are not currently showing signs of upsetting him. I don't agree that Higgins or O'Sullivan can touch him though.

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby sas6789

Badsnookerplayer wrote:
sas6789 wrote:If Judd plays well, if Robbo get's his act together and drops the video game addiction and if Ronnie and Higgins find some form this season, Selby won't be dominating at all.

I agree to an extent but it is frustrating that Trump & Robertson are not currently showing signs of upsetting him. I don't agree that Higgins or O'Sullivan can touch him though.

Don't forget a past their peak Higgins and O'Sullivan did pretty well against him in the UK and World finals last season, and how could I forget Ding?? If he plays well he will definitely have something to say.

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby SnookerFan

sas6789 wrote:Don't forget a past their peak Higgins and O'Sullivan did pretty well against him in the UK and World finals last season, and how could I forget Ding?? If he plays well he will definitely have something to say.


Will he go on a rant, and call everyone; "bucking idiots" again?

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby Badsnookerplayer

sas6789 wrote:
Badsnookerplayer wrote:
sas6789 wrote:If Judd plays well, if Robbo get's his act together and drops the video game addiction and if Ronnie and Higgins find some form this season, Selby won't be dominating at all.

I agree to an extent but it is frustrating that Trump & Robertson are not currently showing signs of upsetting him. I don't agree that Higgins or O'Sullivan can touch him though.

Don't forget a past their peak Higgins and O'Sullivan did pretty well against him in the UK and World finals last season, and how could I forget Ding?? If he plays well he will definitely have something to say.

Fair point - especially Ding. I do think that Higgins will always have problems with Selby after losing that 10-4 lead.

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby Badsnookerplayer

SnookerFan wrote:
sas6789 wrote:Don't forget a past their peak Higgins and O'Sullivan did pretty well against him in the UK and World finals last season, and how could I forget Ding?? If he plays well he will definitely have something to say.


Will he go on a rant, and call everyone; "bucking idiots" again?

Did Ding do that or one of the others?

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby sas6789

Badsnookerplayer wrote:
sas6789 wrote:
Badsnookerplayer wrote:
sas6789 wrote:If Judd plays well, if Robbo get's his act together and drops the video game addiction and if Ronnie and Higgins find some form this season, Selby won't be dominating at all.

I agree to an extent but it is frustrating that Trump & Robertson are not currently showing signs of upsetting him. I don't agree that Higgins or O'Sullivan can touch him though.

Don't forget a past their peak Higgins and O'Sullivan did pretty well against him in the UK and World finals last season, and how could I forget Ding?? If he plays well he will definitely have something to say.

Fair point - especially Ding. I do think that Higgins will always have problems with Selby after losing that 10-4 lead.

Possibly but Higgins is one of the mentally toughest players of all time.

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby Badsnookerplayer

sas6789 wrote:
Badsnookerplayer wrote:
sas6789 wrote:
Badsnookerplayer wrote:
sas6789 wrote:If Judd plays well, if Robbo get's his act together and drops the video game addiction and if Ronnie and Higgins find some form this season, Selby won't be dominating at all.

I agree to an extent but it is frustrating that Trump & Robertson are not currently showing signs of upsetting him. I don't agree that Higgins or O'Sullivan can touch him though.

Don't forget a past their peak Higgins and O'Sullivan did pretty well against him in the UK and World finals last season, and how could I forget Ding?? If he plays well he will definitely have something to say.

Fair point - especially Ding. I do think that Higgins will always have problems with Selby after losing that 10-4 lead.

Possibly but Higgins is one of the mentally toughest players of all time.

Can't argue with you there SAS.

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby TheRocket

Its up to the likes of Ding,Trump and Robbo to stop Selbys dominance. As Higgins also rightly mentioned in his press conference after the world final.

O'Sullivan and Higgins are legends and still capable of beating Selby but they have declined too much to really threaten prime Selby consistently. Especially over the longer distance/multi session-matches.

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby Wildey

sas6789 wrote:
Badsnookerplayer wrote:
sas6789 wrote:If Judd plays well, if Robbo get's his act together and drops the video game addiction and if Ronnie and Higgins find some form this season, Selby won't be dominating at all.

I agree to an extent but it is frustrating that Trump & Robertson are not currently showing signs of upsetting him. I don't agree that Higgins or O'Sullivan can touch him though.

Don't forget a past their peak Higgins and O'Sullivan did pretty well against him in the UK and World finals last season, and how could I forget Ding?? If he plays well he will definitely have something to say.

Dont forget that a past peak Higgins and Ronnie sent the rest of the pack home so they couldnt face Selby in finals and Selby had too much for both legends

So on that evidence i cant really see anyone stopping him picking up majors any time soon.

you got to admire Selby tenacity lets be brutally honest who else would have overturned a 10-4 deficit against one of the greatest matchplayers ever in a world final to win 14-5 for the title.

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby Badsnookerplayer

That was one of the most incredible comebacks. At 10 4 he was getting battered but when he took the fifteenth frame you felt that he could do it. I cannot see anyone out there with the game to match him in a long format match

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby kolompar

Wildey wrote:you got to admire Selby tenacity lets be brutally honest who else would have overturned a 10-4 deficit against one of the greatest matchplayers ever in a world final to win 14-5 for the title.

I can't think of anyone who would have gone 10-4 down to a 42 year old Higgins in a world final. Let's be honest, Selby is not that good. It says enough that people think some 42 year olds will stop him from dominating.

If Trump and Ding finally start to play Selby won't win another ranker.

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby sas6789

kolompar wrote:
Wildey wrote:you got to admire Selby tenacity lets be brutally honest who else would have overturned a 10-4 deficit against one of the greatest matchplayers ever in a world final to win 14-5 for the title.
If Trump and Ding finally start to play Selby won't win another ranker.

Laughable statement, Ding can't play any better then he did in the world semi and Selby was still too strong.

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby SnookerEd25

sas6789 wrote:Ding can't play any better then he did in the world semi and Selby was still too strong.


Laughable statement. He can, and has, played a lot better.

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby sas6789

SnookerEd25 wrote:
sas6789 wrote:Ding can't play any better then he did in the world semi and Selby was still too strong.


Laughable statement. He can, and has, played a lot better.

Such as when?

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby SnookerEd25

Off the top of my head, the 2013 Shanghai Masters springs to mind. He was pretty dominant that week & scored heavily. Also the International championship not long after against Marco Fu; I think 7 centuries + 3 further 90something breaks in a thrilling final, Fu pushing him to the wire after he'd waltzed past most of his opposition that week.

I've been watching Ding since he was given a wildcard in the Masters in around 2005, and there have been times when he's been very impressive indeed; i didn't get that feeling watching the SF with Selby in the worlds, in fact there were certain chances he spurned when in good position, or by pushing the boat out too far & therein lies the reason Selby is able to maintain a grip on the majors, while not exactly dominating the overall picture like Davis in the 80s or Hendry in the 90s. He really gets himself up for the big ones, and prepares himself to grit his teeth and battle to the death when there's a big trophy on the line, while treating the lesser events as, effectively, just good solid match practice under tournament conditions. Trump & Ding (& others) play the same game all the time, pushing the boat out or chancing their arm once too often. Until they learn to really play the tactical (some call it good solid matchplay) game, they're always going to be found wanting when they come up against Selby, or anyone else who knows how to play the percentages, in a longer frame format.

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby Pink Ball

SnookerEd25 wrote:Off the top of my head, the 2013 Shanghai Masters springs to mind. He was pretty dominant that week & scored heavily. Also the International championship not long after against Marco Fu; I think 7 centuries + 3 further 90something breaks in a thrilling final, Fu pushing him to the wire after he'd waltzed past most of his opposition that week.

I've been watching Ding since he was given a wildcard in the Masters in around 2005, and there have been times when he's been very impressive indeed; i didn't get that feeling watching the SF with Selby in the worlds, in fact there were certain chances he spurned when in good position, or by pushing the boat out too far & therein lies the reason Selby is able to maintain a grip on the majors, while not exactly dominating the overall picture like Davis in the 80s or Hendry in the 90s. He really gets himself up for the big ones, and prepares himself to grit his teeth and battle to the death when there's a big trophy on the line, while treating the lesser events as, effectively, just good solid match practice under tournament conditions. Trump & Ding (& others) play the same game all the time, pushing the boat out or chancing their arm once too often. Until they learn to really play the tactical (some call it good solid matchplay) game, they're always going to be found wanting when they come up against Selby, or anyone else who knows how to play the percentages, in a longer frame format.

Even though it was ultimately a gutting defeat, I was hugely impressed by both Ding's attitude and tactical play in the semi-final against Selby. While I feel sick thinking of the match, it was one of the finest I've ever watched. Two fabulous players.

Re: How long will Mark Selby dominate?

Postby Badsnookerplayer

I agree - there was one session in particular (think it was the final one) which was unbelievable with both players scoring heavily and knocking in superb long pots.

I think Snookered25 makes a great point about Selby's ability to adapt his game depending on his opponent and the current situation. I don't think that all players can do that - Trump vs McLeod jumps to mind