Another nice interview with the BBC this time

January 14, 2017January 13, 2017 Monique Interview, Media Interview, Media

Ronnie was speaking with Owens Phillips from BBC Sport

Masters 2017: Ronnie O’Sullivan wants to win with the style of Lionel Messi

By Owen Phillips

BBC Sport

Reigning Masters champion Ronnie O’Sullivan says entertaining fans is more important than titles and he wants to be the Lionel Messi of snooker.

World number 13 O’Sullivan begins his quest for a record-breaking seventh Masters crown against China’s Liang Wenbo in the first round on Sunday.

But the 41-year-old told BBC Sport: “I want to try to win playing an exciting, aggressive and attacking game.

“It is OK to win, but I want to win with style.”

O’Sullivan said he wanted fans to be able to say he doesn’t just win, but he “delivers entertainment as well”.

“I think I have done that over the over the last five or six years,” he added.

“I have put on some magnificent performances – performances I am very proud of.

“Sometimes people say you can’t play like that and win. Well, Michael van Gerwen has proved you can, Lionel Messi proves you can, Tiger Woods does, Roger Federer does. I want to try to be one of them.”

Victory for O’Sullivan at Alexandra Palace would move the 28-time ranking event winner clear of Stephen Hendry and see him retain the title he won by thrashing Barry Hawkins 10-1 in 2016.

“I still want to win tournaments – but for me it is about people coming to watch, people switching on their televisions wanting to see good entertainment,” he said.

“It would be great to get another Masters, not because it’s the seventh, but because it’s the Masters. I don’t think ‘I’ve got to break the record’, I just want to win another Masters.

“I want to win another Worlds and another Welsh and China Open. I just want to win more tournaments.”

Although he dominated a one-sided final against Hawkins last season, O’Sullivan said a back injury meant he struggled and feared for his career.

“I slipped a disc and I couldn’t get in the right position for my shots,” he said. “Fortunately I overcame that a couple of weeks after the Masters and it is not a problem now.

“But it was really hard mentally. I was struggling because I wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to play properly again because of my back.

“Winning the tournament is the main goal and that was a great box ticked, but my performance wasn’t great. I have played a lot better and lost tournaments. I think I got a bit lucky in some ways.”

This time around he is far happier with his fitness – and his form – after a difficult start to the season.

“The first two months of the season were difficult because I didn’t really practise going into the season,” the Essex man said. “I didn’t really play for three months.

“I lost matches early on and it wasn’t losing the matches that bothered me, it was how I was playing. I was struggling and getting to the last 16 was a good result.”

O’Sullivan reached finals at the European Open final in Romania as well as the Champion of Champions event in Coventry, before losing a high-quality UK Championship final to world number one Mark Selby.

“From mid-November to mid-December I had a really good month where I was happy with my form and I was enjoying it,” he said.

Mastering the Masters

The invitation tournament is one of snooker’s triple crown events and features the world’s top 16 players competing for a top prize of £200,000.

“Sometimes it’s the easiest one to win because you are playing against the best players,” said O’Sullivan.

“You know what they will do and what they will bring to the table; you know their what their best game is like, what their worst game is like and what their middle game is like. You know everything about their games.

“The tougher matches are sometimes guys that you don’t know; you don’t know their strengths and weaknesses.

“With the Masters you know what you are getting involved in.”

Ronnie and Mark Selby … je t’aime, moi aussi!

January 14, 2017January 13, 2017 Monique Interview, Media Interview, Media

Judging by this double interview by John Skilbeck in the Belfast Telegraph, long are gone the days when there was needle between Mark and Ronnie. Mutual respect and even friendship built up as they learned to know each other better.

Ronnie O’Sullivan: Mark Selby ‘is a good lad’

By John Skilbeck

Relationship between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Mark Selby has been strained in the past

Ronnie O’Sullivan has had a change of heart about Mark Selby after getting to know the man he labelled snooker’s “Torturer”.

Defending champion O’Sullivan begins his bid for a seventh Dafabet Masters title when he faces Liang Wenbo on Sunday.

The dream ticket for many snooker fans would be an Alexandra Palace final between O’Sullivan and Selby, after their gripping UK Championship title match.

Selby triumphed in York, taking an afternoon stranglehold on the final before resisting a brilliant O’Sullivan fightback by producing spectacular snooker of his own.

The relationship between O’Sullivan and Selby has been strained in the past, with O’Sullivan’s attacking playing style countered by Selby’s more pragmatic approach. It led O’Sullivan to reveal in a 2013 memoir his scathing nickname for a player previously better known as the ‘Jester from Leicester’.

Such tags can stick, but the torture O’Sullivan has felt at the hands of Selby has given way to a better understanding between the pair, after they spent time in each other’s company during a run of exhibition events last autumn.

“We did a few nights and I like his mindset. I know he’s in the game for the right reasons and he’s a good lad,” O’Sullivan said.

“I know he’s a fierce competitor on the table and I know that if he does sometimes get a bit slow and play long, drawn-out frames, that’s not because he’s playing me. That’s just sometimes how it can go for him.

“I know it’s not intentional, he’s just a tough match player.”

O’Sullivan has suffered more painful defeats at the hands of world number one Selby than the setback in York.

In the 2010 Masters final, Selby charged from 9-6 behind to beat O’Sullivan 10-9, and four years later at the Crucible it was a similar story, the hot favourite seeing a 10-5 lead slip away as Selby scooped his first World Championship title.

Their conflicting ways of thinking make each clash between Selby and O’Sullivan an occasion to savour.

“I hit them with everything I’ve got, it’s like a wall and I try to walk right through it,” O’Sullivan said.

“Mark will try to defend and defend and make it difficult for you at times.

“I just want to get in there and eat the balls.”

While touring Bulgaria with O’Sullivan in the autumn, playing to new audiences, Selby welcomed the opportunity to forge a bond.

Selby, 33, knew all about O’Sullivan’s dislike for his methodical play, and it was a chance to show another side to his character.

“When he was making his comments I didn’t really know him – I had never gone out for food with him or anything,” Selby said.

“Then I did some exhibitions and shows with him around Europe, spent time with him and he is a great guy and it’s great he is still playing.

“Up until the World Championship final in 2014 when I beat him I probably still didn’t have his respect. But to beat him over that distance I think he knew it wasn’t a fluke.

“Also to come from 8-3 down and 10-5, since then I think I have won his respect and I hope it stays that way.”

Selby has replaced O’Sullivan as the man to beat, and he heads to north London as the holder of the World and UK titles.

His own campaign begins on Wednesday, with Selby aspiring to add to the Masters titles he landed in 2008, 2010 and 2013.

“It would be nice but you get four tough matches there,” Selby said.

“I’ve got Mark Williams, one of my good friends on tour, in the first round.”

Selby, in a typically self-deprecating style, is playing down his trophy prospects.

“It’s going to be tough,” he said, “but if I’m playing like I have been I’ll have an outside chance.”

The Masters 2017 – Previews

January 13, 2017January 13, 2017 Monique Professional snooker tournament Professional snooker

Usually before a major tournament, the usual suspects … ehrr bloggers … seize their keyboard, dig into statistics and come up with a tournament preview. This time was no different and here are some of them:

Matt Huart preview on WPBSA

I won’t copy the whole thing here … just one excerpt and a picture of the arena (one I took last year). I also have put one paragraph I found particularly interesting in bold.

….

…

Heading the draw is of course defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan, who a year ago equalled Stephen Hendry’s record of six Masters titles with a dominant 10-1 victory against Barry Hawkins in the final.

The season so far has seen the Rocket reach three major finals, most recently at the UK Championship in York where he ran into an inspired performance from world number one Mark Selby at the Barbican Centre. Since he began his season at the Shanghai Masters in September, his game has appeared to become progressively sharper from tournament to tournament and both his relatively low ranking and lack of silverware stretching back to last season’s Welsh Open, mask a consistently high level of performance in recent events.

He begins his latest Masters campaign with a clash against China’s Liang Wenbo, who of course has lifted a trophy already this season at the English Open in Manchester and is up to a career-high 11th in the world rankings. Following his Masters début a year ago against John Higgins, his task is not any easier in 2017 as he faces another of snooker’s ‘class of 92’.

The head to head record between the two does not make pretty reading for Liang fans, who has won just one of their six meetings in major competitions and also surrendered a three frame lead against O’Sullivan to lose 5-4 in their last match in Shanghai last year, but their matches have generally been close and he will be hoping to tear up the form book in London.

…

Snookerbacker:

again an excerpt …

Ronnie O’Sullivan v Liang Wenbo – Sunday January 15, 1pm

In common with most players on the circuit Liang Wenbo’s head to head statistic against Ronnie doesn’t bode well for his chances here. Their matches of late have tended to be close though which tells me it’s usually getting over the line rather than ‘rabbit in the headlights’ syndrome that’s mostly to blame for Liang. His newly found winning formula can in part be attributed to his opponent here who seems somewhat intrigued by the bendy faced Chinese player, so much so that Ronnie decided to take him under his wing and give him a few tips. Watch this match closely in terms of body language, I’ve never seen Ronnie smile at anyone the way he smiles at Wenbo during play, it’s very unusual for him to show any emotion during a match these days in particular a smile. My guess is that Ronnie enjoys his match ups with this quirky ‘marmite’ type character, which is probably why he usually beats him and probably will again here.

Match Prediction: O’Sullivan 6-4

David Caulfield:

another excerpt …

Many will be hoping that the Leicester man and O’Sullivan, who have fought in three previous Masters finals since 2009, are on course for a repeat showdown following their thrilling encounter in York.

They are undeniably the two favourites for success next week but it would be foolish to write off any of the other pretenders in what is a stellar cast.

O’Sullivan’s first test comes against English Open champion Liang Wenbo, someone the 41 year-old is close to off the table.

On the baize all friendship will be put to one side and it comes as no surprise that O’Sullivan boasts a superior head-to-head record against the Chinese no.2.

Indeed, Liang has triumphed only once in seven previous meetings and let slip a 4-1 lead when the duo last clashed during the Shanghai Masters in September.

O’Sullivan has only lost in the last 16 three times since his debut in 1994 and has featured in an amazing eight out of the last 13 finals – plus he didn’t even compete in the 2013 Masters.

This will just be Liang’s second appearance in the Masters and it remains to be seen whether this enigmatic character will be able to live up to the pressure of a first round tie with the favourite on the opening afternoon, in front of what will surely be a boisterous crowd.

And finally my own thoughts …

First, it is worth to note that Stuart Bingham is possibly to withdraw from the tournament as his wife, Michelle, is about to give birth to a little Miss Bingham in the coming days and Stuart will want to be at her side. I’m wishing them all the best. Should Stuart indeed withdraw, he would be replaced by the next player in the rankings, Ricky Walden.

Now …

At the risk of attracting Adam’s wrath, there is no doubt in my mind that Mark Selby is the favourite coming into this tournament. He has dominated snooker during the last year in a way nobody did since the Stephen Hendry days – BTW Happy Birthday Stephen! – and he will have the extra motivation to have the opportunity to join a very exclusive group of players who held all three majors titles at the same time. The last who did it was Mark Williams in the early 2000th, and before him Stephen Hendry in the 90th and Steve Davis in the 80th. Ronnie never did, neither did John Higgins.

That said, Ronnie has his fair chance. This is his “home tournament”, and he has an incredible record in it: 11 finals, and 6 wins, in 20 participations. In fact, more impressively, 8 finals in his last 12 participations, with 5 wins. He loves the fact that he can go home after his matches, he loves the fact that it’s only 16 players and one table from the start and he usually has a close group of friends around him for support as well as the London crowd on his side. As Matt pointed out, and as himself told ES and Worldsnooker, his game is in much better shape than a few months ago.

What about the (some of) others?

Snookerbacker tips John Higgins to come out of his (and Ronnie’s) side of the draw. I don’t, for two main reasons: John has a relatively poor record at the Masters, and although I expect him to beat Mark Allen, he could be stopped in the QF where he is due to face the winner of Judd Trump v Marco Fu. The way Marco has been playing lately, I expect him to come out the winner of this match and he is typically the sort of player who could stop John. He’s calm, collected, methodical and deadly in the balls when on form. In fact I see Marco as a real contender for the title. He could face Ronnie in the SF … remember their match in the UK? That was far too close for comfort eh …

Another player who seems to play really well again and is very hard to beat when on form because he has an ultra-solid all-round game is Barry Hawkins, my dark horse. He’s very capable to tempt the all-attacking Shaun Murphy into taking a few pots too many and I expect Barry to win his first round match. Of course he’s due to run into Mark Selby in the QF … but this could be an interesting one. In my opinion, Mark will need to go on to the attack if he faces Barry, if both go the defensive paths, it’s a 50/50 game IMO.

Ding is a big unknown to me. I never know in what shape and mindset he will turn up. He will face the only debutant, Kyren Wilson. Kyren is a brilliant prospect, but it’s his first time in this very special arena and its heated atmosphere. It could be very intimidating.

Ronnie is looking forward to the Masters

January 12, 2017January 12, 2017 Monique Interview, Professional snooker tournament Interview, Professional snooker

The Masters 2017 starts on Sunday early afternoon, and Ronnie, the defending champion, is looking forward to the first event of the year. Here he is speaking to Worldsnooker and to Eurosport.

Ronnie speaks to Worldsnooker:

Thursday 12 Jan 2017 01:15PM

O’Sullivan thrashed Barry Hawkins 10-1 in the final last year

Ronnie O’Sullivan believes his form has sharpened over recent months as he looks ahead to snooker’s Dafabet Masters, which starts on Sunday.

Last year, O’Sullivan won snooker’s biggest invitation event for the sixth time to equal Stephen Hendry’s record, and he is now aiming for a seventh crown.

The tournament at Alexandra Palace in London runs from January 15 to 22 with the world’s top 16 players contesting the trophy and a top prize of £200,000.

Masters match schedule

O’Sullivan made a slow start to the current season but feels he has since got close to his best form, particularly at the UK Championship where he reached the final before losing a classic match 10-7 against Mark Selby.

“My game is a lot better now than it was in September and October,” said the Rocket. “That was one of the toughest periods I’ve had in snooker. I didn’t really practise going into the start of the season and I paid the price for that.

“I had to be patient and wait for my game to come, and it has improved over the last few tournaments. At the UK Championship I thought I played very well, I just came up short in the final.”

Chigwell’s 41-year-old O’Sullivan will face China’s Liang Wenbo in his opening match on Sunday at 1pm in front of a capacity crowd of 2,000, the session having sold out several weeks ago. He has traditionally received enthusiastic support from the London fans but O’Sullivan does not feel that gives him an advantage.

“It can go both ways,” he added. “If it’s not going for me then it can put more pressure on me to make something happen. If things are going my way then I can feed off the crowd’s momentum. I have won a lot of tournaments away from London so it’s not that big a factor – what’s more important is whether my game is strong enough for the week.”

Tickets and fantastic VIP packages are still available for certain sessions including the quarter-finals on Thursday January 19 and Friday January 20. But fans MUST ACT FAST TO BOOK SEATS.

A NEW RECORD has already been set for the most tickets sold prior to the Masters starting and this could lead to another record, by the end of the event, for the most tickets sold in the tournament’s history.

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And you can listen to the interview here:

… yes he has a cold.

And he also to Eurosport about his hopes and his approach to the new year:

Ronnie O’Sullivan:

‘What boosted my frame of mind ahead of Masters defence’

Ronnie O’Sullivan begins his bid for a record seventh Masters title against Liang Wenbo on Sunday at London’s Alexandra Palace. Here the defending champion explains to Desmond Kane why time spent away from home since September has been kind to him ahead of his bid to move ahead of Stephen Hendry as the most prolific winner of snooker’s biggest invitational event.

‘MASTERS IN LONDON A VERY SPECIAL TOURNAMENT’

I’m looking forward to the Masters in London as I always do. It will be tough, but that’s what makes it so special.

I’ve lowered my expectations since not focusing totally on snooker.

I now look to enjoy the events and if I win, great. If not it’s back to the pundit box, or doing some work on my new novels.

As Steve Davis has said, ‘don’t use that as an excuse if you don’t win’. That was a good bit of advice.

I don’t see myself as the favourite going there as there are top players doing better than me, and winning the big events.

Having said that, if my game comes together and I get a bit of luck, you never know.

‘GAME BACK TO WHERE IT SHOULD BE’

It was a good week for me at the UK Championship in York last month where I played some decent stuff in losing to Mark Selby in the final.

I’d say from the Northern Irish Open in Belfast in November onwards, my game has been back to where it should be.

I’ve still a few things to get right, but it’s not all bad. And it wasn’t just all good because of the snooker.

The main aim for me while I’ve been on the road, is it to find a way to make it fun and interesting. I’ve managed that. In some ways, it’s felt like an all-expenses paid holiday.

I met some great running friends in Belfast, and got some great runs in. That’s always a good thing for me to get done in my day.

It was the same in York when I met up with some nice people, talked a lot about running and enjoyed some amazing food.

The only drawback from York was that I missed Jimmy White and Neal Foulds in the studio, but I did get to spend time with the Eurosport guys in York, and we had a laugh.

Some of my friends from China came to York which was fantastic, too. They are the best.

‘I DON’T FEEL TRAPPED’

The weird thing is, I’ve only been home seven nights since September 8.

That’s seven nights in four months, and the only reason I’ve been able to hack it is because I’ve had other things to take my mind off the snooker.

The new book, my Eurosport ambassador work, the exhibitions and the snooker tournaments have been an add on.

I don’t feel trapped which is fantastic. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still highly competitive. But I believe I’m better when I have other things to take my mind off the pressure of having to perform to win events.

This way, I get to enjoy my time and what I do regardless of the results. It is a win-win situation I just hope we get to play in some more wonderful cities.

I’ve become more businesslike in my approach to what I do. And i suppose that is something that comes with age. I know my perspective has changed a lot from my early days, and I feel much better for it.

I’m really looking to the New Year, here’s hoping it is a good one for the sport and fans.

Irish Legends Cup 2017 – Team England wins the decider by 18-13

January 9, 2017November 22, 2019 Monique Snooker Legends event Snooker Legends

Team England won the “decider” in Goffs by 18-13. On the second day of the Cup, they steadily increased their lead, finishing session 3 on a 11-7 score, and bettering it to 16-10 after session 4. The Irish Team put on a gallant fight in the second part of the last session and in the black ball shootout out phase, but England needed on 2 more points by then, which Ronnie and Mark Selby provided!

With the line-up being all professional players this time, the quality of the snooker was very high, everyone played great. Jimmy White in particular played really, really well and if he can carry that to the professional competitions he has every chance to secure his professional status for the next two years through the one year list; he’s already well placed to do this. Mark Selby had the highest break, a 127 or 128 … not sure anymore. Everyone enjoyed themselves, the players as much as the crowd. The Irish crowd BTW was of course supporting their team, but showed great sporting spirit and appreciation for all the players performances.

Ronnie played well too, his safety game was outstanding at times. Only his long game wasn’t quite at its best level (yet). He won all but one of his single matches, and the one he lost probably provided the most exciting frame of the whole week-end. Ronnie had taken full advantage of Mark Allen’s weak-ish break-off and knocked in a long red followed by 8 other reds and 9 blacks. However, the split, from the 9th black, hadn’t really worked out that well and, although the balls were spread, he was on nothing easy, and in particular no red that would allow him to comfortably get back on the black next. He though long and hard about it, but, being the entertainer he is, eventually decided to attempt a difficult long red to the green bag, and to screw back for the black. He got the position, but not the pot. Mark Allen came to the table 72 behind, with 75 on … and cleared to win by 73-72. It was far from straightforward. In particular he didn’t land on the last pink as he wanted and had to go for a difficult pot, combined with a difficult positional shot. He made the pot but finished so close to the black it was nearly touching. He also thought long and hard and decided to try to pot the black anyway … and got it, prompting a massive roar from the crowd. Ronnie got his revenge when they met again in the next session, making no mistake this time and knocking in a 116 … Yes those events ARE competitive!

2017 Irish Legends Cup: Black ball shoot outs

Here are the pictures albums on facebook:

Session three

Session four (final session)

And here are some pictures of Ronnie in action:

Irish Legends Cup 2017 -England leads 7-5 at the end of day 1

January 8, 2017 Monique Snooker Legends event Snooker Legends

And it certainly didn’t look that way when they trailed 5-2 after the first double of the second session! Mark Selby and Kyren Wilson are both debutants in the Legends Cups and none of them two had ever played in Goffs. It’s a very intimidating venue, often compared to a bear pit, and both needed time to find their foot in there. Actually Mark had failed to pot a single ball during the first session! He got teased relentlessly about it by John Virgo and Dennis Taylor.

Ronnie played very well in the balls, but wouldn’t be happy with his long potting, nor with the odd lapse of concentration that cost him a black off the spot. But he won both his single matches.

So England starts today with a 2 points lead, but it means very little when the goal is to reach 18 and you’re on 7 … Plenty of twists, turns and drama in store!

Here are the pictures albums on Facebook:

The first session

The second session

And some images of Ronnie in action yesterday, with pen and cue.

Irish Legends Cup 2017 – a hectic day and a great night.

January 7, 2017January 7, 2017 Monique Snooker Legends event Snooker Legends

It was a very, very hectic and busy day for Jason Francis, who had to make sure everything was ready and perfect for the launch dinner: from ironing the players shirts to securing a prize for the possible maximum, a Fabergé egg worth 28K … I wonder what he will do if there are two 147 over the week-end

It was all the more hectic because, for some reason, a lot of flights were canceled or delayed at London airport. Mark Selby’s flight was canceled, but he managed to get another one in tome. Kyren Wilson’s flight was delayed too and Michaela Tabb only arrived minutes before the dinner’s launch. But Ronnie didn’t make it in time …

Ronnie had a launch event on the previous evening to promote the “American Hustle” and his timing was probably a bit too tight to accommodate any unexpected delay.

Anyway, he’s the loser here, as he missed a great evening, some excellent food, great live music provided by Fallen Empire, with Mark Selby performing as a special guest, a quiz, a raffle, the captains revealing their line-up for tomorrow’s first session and lots of laugher at the tables and on the dance floor …

Here is the pictures album on Facebook

Here is a small selection