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Best player under pressure

1. Mark Selby
6
22%
2. John Higgins
2
7%
3. Stephen Hendry
12
44%
4. Mark Williams
0
No votes
5. Ronnie O'Sullivan
5
19%
6. Steve Davis
0
No votes
7. Ray Reardon
2
7%
8. Other (please state)
0
No votes
 
Total votes : 27

Best pressure player of all time

Postby Johnny Bravo

If I'm not mistaken, Andre mentioned recently that ROS is one of the best when it comes to handling pressure. IMO ROS has improved a lot in this department since working with Steve Peters. However, even though he's very good in handling the pressure nowadays, I don't think he's the best at it.

For me, it's between Selbo and Higgo. It's a tough choice, but if I had to make it, Selbo might have a slight edge. And I say this as a ROS fan and as a man who can't bear watching Selbo grinding it out. But I have to give credit where it's due.

Some of u will say Hendry, but IMO he wasn't really challenged in the early 90's, so he's not no.1 in my view.
Soome will say Willo. For the fun of the topic, I've even added old legends like Steve Davis and Ray Reardon, even though I've never seen them play live.

But anyway, who do u guys think it is ? Who can handle the pressure better than anyone else ?
Please share your thoughts and opinions. :-D

Re: Best pressure player of all time

Postby Badsnookerplayer

Good poll <ok>

I was torn between Higgins and Selby and was going to go with Higgins as he is incredible under pressure. Then I thought of last year's WC final and that swung it to Selby for me. The pressure he must have felt through his comeback and in clinching the title was immense.

Re: Best pressure player of all time

Postby Johnny Bravo

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Good poll <ok>

I was torn between Higgins and Selby and was going to go with Higgins as he is incredible under pressure. Then I thought of last year's WC final and that swung it to Selby for me. The pressure he must have felt through his comeback and in clinching the title was immense.


Same here. Seeing Selbo turn it around tipped the scale in his favor.

Re: Best pressure player of all time

Postby Holden Chinaski

I voted for Ronnie just because of his longevity. Hes been in pressure situations so many times over the years and he's come out on top so many times.

Hendry was fantastic in his prime. Selby is great at times.... But only John Higgins comes close to the longevity Ronnie has, and still Ronnie has won more big titles than Higgins.

Just look at these stats:

Decider win percentage:

Mark Williams: 54,73%
John Higgins: 56,69%
Steve Davis: 58,85%
Mark Selby: 59,92%
Stephen Hendry: 60.09%
Ronnie O'Sullivan: 63,21%

Soon Ronnie will have won more ranking titles than anyone else ever, and that will prove without a doubt who's the best pressure player ever is in my opinion.

Re: Best pressure player of all time

Postby Andre147

Holden Chinaski wrote:I voted for Ronnie just because of his longevity. Hes been in pressure situations so many times over the years and he's come out on top so many times.

Hendry was fantastic in his prime. Selby is great at times.... But only John Higgins comes close to the longevity Ronnie has, and still Ronnie has won more big titles than Higgins.

Just look at these stats:

Decider win percentage:

Mark Williams: 54,73%
John Higgins: 56,69%
Steve Davis: 58,85%
Mark Selby: 59,92%
Stephen Hendry: 60.09%
Ronnie O'Sullivan: 63,21%

Soon Ronnie will have won more ranking titles than anyone else ever, and that will prove without a doubt who's the best pressure player ever is in my opinion.


Yes good call Holden!

Fully agree Ronnie will soon surpass Hendry's 36 rankers,might come next season the way he's playing, and that decider win percentage tells us something doesnt it...

Hendry and Higgins are/were both great under pressure, and so is Selby, those are the 3 I would put just behind Ronnie.

And even though Ronnie leads the deciders percentage, everytime Selby plays a deciding frame I just get that feeling he wont lose it, he' s got that decider aura around him lol...

Re: Best pressure player of all time

Postby Andre147

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Seriously - Ronnie under pressure!

You guys are either deluded or this fan-boy stuff is for real.


Ronnie O'Sullivan is the worst ever player under pressure, FACT!

Re: Best pressure player of all time

Postby Holden Chinaski

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Seriously? It's not who is the greatest ever player. I would vote ROS if it were.

This is about pressure. Ronnie is rubbish under pressure a lot of the time.

But he still has won 63% of every decider he's ever played. Players like Selby and Higgins score below 60%.

Re: Best pressure player of all time

Postby Andre147

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Seriously? It's not who is the greatest ever player. I would vote ROS if it were.

This is about pressure. Ronnie is rubbish under pressure a lot of the time.


If he's so rubbish under pressure, why does he have a better record in deciders than everybody else?

There's no more pressure than playing a deciding frame.

Re: Best pressure player of all time

Postby Cloud Strife

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Seriously? It's not who is the greatest ever player. I would vote ROS if it were.

This is about pressure. Ronnie is rubbish under pressure a lot of the time.


Ronnie's really not as bad under pressure as you are making him out to be. He's actually one of the best, if not the best.

I realise over the years he's had a few high profile blow-ups and I think that's clouded your view of him, and you're not alone in that. We remember his few blow-ups as opposed to the many times when he delivered under pressure.

Re: Best pressure player of all time

Postby eraserhead

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Eraserhead is the worst poster under pressure

I got the wrong thread. :emb:

Re: Best pressure player of all time

Postby Johnny Bravo

Badsnookerplayer wrote:Seriously? It's not who is the greatest ever player. I would vote ROS if it were.

This is about pressure. Ronnie is rubbish under pressure a lot of the time.


Completely agree with u, and I say this as a huge Ronnie fan. Although he has improved a lot in this area in the past years and he is undoubtedly one of the best atm, there is no way he is the best at it. He has crumbled under pressure many times. On the other hand, Selbo and Higgo haven't.
I know ROS's stats in deciders are very good, but that's not the best way to judge this. U can see Ronnie under pressure and not playing his normal attacking game whenever he plays Higgo. For this reason alone I cannot consider him the best pressure player of all time.