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Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby Monique

http://snookerscene.blogspot.com/2010/1 ... y-day.html?
UNHAPPY DAY
Why do players suddenly seem to lose all semblance of form?

It’s happened to a fair few over the years: one moment they are at the top of their game, the next they are plunging down the rankings.

The latest to suffer this fate is Ryan Day. Two years ago he was third in the provisional rankings after reaching the Grand Prix final.

Now he is 24th, will have to qualify for the UK Championship and won’t be at the Masters.

Day has lost his last eight matches on the tour and is badly in need of a run in a tournament to arrest an alarming slide.

Players, like anyone, have pressures away from their professions which may impact their form but snooker is a sport that cruelly exposes any mental frailties.

When a player is at the table it is up to them and if they are not feeling confident, doubts cloud their minds and cause mistakes.

Ryan Day has not forgotten how to play snooker overnight. But something is wrong and, as with Mark Williams a few years ago, turning the corner will not be easy.

The PTCs are, in theory, a good thing for a player struggling with confidence. If you lose early one week you have an immediate chance to make amends.

But the other side of that coin is that a series of swift exits one week after another can deplete self belief at a greater rate than if there were fewer events.

Last season, a player not performing could blame the paucity of tournaments. Not any more, though.

Day is a fine talent: a long potter and break builder of the modern style. In that 2008 Grand Prix he made an excellent 50-odd clearance in the decider against Mark Selby in the last 16 that proved he can compete under pressure.

But he has failed to win any of his three ranking finals thus far and so does not have that reservoir of success to tap into.

Day was ranked sixth last season. I’ve seen players reach such heady heights before and then struggle. I wonder if sometimes they look at their lofty position and think that the only way is down.

After all, they’ve spent years working hard to climb the rankings but, when they get there, they are no longer the hunter but the hunted.

Does this instil a mood of panic, particularly after a couple of disappointing defeats?

I don’t know why Day is struggling but I do know how highly he is rated by his fellow players.

They would expect him to turn the tide at some point, as would I, but professional snooker is cutthroat and nothing is guaranteed.


My perception of Ryan - who I've met and watched "live" a few times - is that he is more anxious by nature than most and he doesn't handle it very well. It's a shame really because when he's on song he has the game to win (and is a nice bloke). Maybe he needs some help in the psychology department. He's got nothing to lose to try it certainly.

Re: Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby Wildey

should we ban randam from commenting on this thread rofl

Re: Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby randam05

wildJONESEYE wrote:should we ban randam from commenting on this thread rofl


rofl no comment. not required.

Re: Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby Smart

I would agree that he seems to suffer with nerves in the arena, very much on edge. I have seen him twice at the Crucible LIVE and twice he has dissapointed me. He lost to Hendo in 2008, when he should in all honesty of won, and then more alarmingly I felt (but it might have been because I was closer to the action) against MC Davis. He missed a lot of balls, was fretting a helluva lot and miscued a blue to middle (from memory) and it is a shot that will remain in my mind - now associated to Day - till he does something really good. It was the sort of missed shot that creates a little bit of crowd snigger cos you would expect it down the pub, not at the Crucible.

I would like to see him recover his form. <ok>

Re: Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby randam05

I would like to see him recover his form. <ok>


....

:emu:

nah sorry I will keep away from here.

Re: Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby Eirebilly

Being that Dale is soon to be 39 i feel that its way too late for him to change any of his manerisms. I remeber a few yearsago he did a video diary for the Beeb, he seemed to have a very good nack at that. Maybe thats something he could do after he retires. I think that he has had a decent career when you look back at it. He may not have had the consistency but you cant take the titels he has earnt away from him <ok>

Re: Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby Smart

eirebilly wrote:Being that Dale is soon to be 39 i feel that its way too late for him to change any of his manerisms. I remeber a few yearsago he did a video diary for the Beeb, he seemed to have a very good nack at that. Maybe thats something he could do after he retires. I think that he has had a decent career when you look back at it. He may not have had the consistency but you cant take the titels he has earnt away from him <ok>

<laugh>

this is Day thread :wave:

Re: Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby Witz78

Weve seen it in recent years with many members of the elite who have hit a bad spell and .

White
Williams
Doherty
Dott
Perry

Some such as Williams, Dott and Doherty to a lesser extent have halted the slide whilst White has struggled to remain on tour and it remains to be seen how Perry will get on.

Every player has peaks and troughs, the way i see it every player can beat any player on there day, so the law of averages says that some players will end up on a run of a lot of consecutive defeats. The stronger mentally players will arrest this slump but the weaker mentally ones will let it play on thier mind.

I dont particularly rate Day, or like him to be honest and im safely going to predict we wont see him in the top 16 again.

Re: Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby Eirebilly

StalinESQ wrote:
eirebilly wrote:Being that Dale is soon to be 39 i feel that its way too late for him to change any of his manerisms. I remeber a few yearsago he did a video diary for the Beeb, he seemed to have a very good nack at that. Maybe thats something he could do after he retires. I think that he has had a decent career when you look back at it. He may not have had the consistency but you cant take the titels he has earnt away from him <ok>

<laugh>

this is Day thread :wave:


Lost the plot, my apologies <doh>

Re: Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby randam05

I dont particularly rate Day, or like him to be honest and im safely going to predict we wont see him in the top 16 again.


Me and witz agree on quite a few things.

Re: Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby Wildey

StalinESQ wrote:I would agree that he seems to suffer with nerves in the arena, very much on edge. I have seen him twice at the Crucible LIVE and twice he has dissapointed me. He lost to Hendo in 2008, when he should in all honesty of won, and then more alarmingly I felt (but it might have been because I was closer to the action) against MC Davis. He missed a lot of balls, was fretting a helluva lot and miscued a blue to middle (from memory) and it is a shot that will remain in my mind - now associated to Day - till he does something really good. It was the sort of missed shot that creates a little bit of crowd snigger cos you would expect it down the pub, not at the Crucible.

I would like to see him recover his form. <ok>

but in 2008 he did beat John Higgins in the previous Round so it could be a case of putting pressure on himself to beat players he should Beat and Having beaten the Defending World Champion it just hit him the damage he could do and he did not carry it on.

in PTC he should have beaten all but 1 hes lost to maybe he plays better against better players overall when he isn't the Favorite to win

Re: Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby Bourne

I always thought he stood out a bit when he was inside the top 8 and i'm not certain but I think he briefly flirted with a provisional top 5 ... but then now I think he stands out now he's ranked 25 so, for me, his true ranking is inbetween around 12 and 20 so I think without a doubt he'll be back in the top-16 at some stage, he's too good not to be.

Re: Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby Witz78

randam05 wrote:
I dont particularly rate Day, or like him to be honest and im safely going to predict we wont see him in the top 16 again.


Me and witz agree on quite a few things.


anyone with sense does <ok>

Re: Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby Sophie Hart

@wildJONESEYE: Really he did a great job in 2008; I remember that historical defeat of John Higgins by him. But things are quite different now.

Re: Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby Eirebilly

Bourne wrote:I always thought he stood out a bit when he was inside the top 8 and i'm not certain but I think he briefly flirted with a provisional top 5 ... but then now I think he stands out now he's ranked 25 so, for me, his true ranking is inbetween around 12 and 20 so I think without a doubt he'll be back in the top-16 at some stage, he's too good not to be.


Day will definately be in the top 16 again but i dont think that he will ever be a really top player though. He doesnt seem to have the dedication and focus to be so.

Re: Dave H ... on Ryan Day

Postby Chaarley

Personally Ryan Day is my favourite player but it annoys me that he has not achieved as much as he should, he is definitely capable of winning ranking events, he has a fantastic cue action which you can tell from all the great long pots. I think his main problem is that he tries to make the game more difficult than it has to be, his shot selection lets him down a lot, he really should concentrate on that and just allow his ability to show through rather than thinking too much. I also remember a comment he made on BBC saying that if he knew what was involved in being on the snooker circuit he would not have done it, bit silly that.