Yesterday’s Eurosport vodcast was about the “Greatest of all times”.

Well, it’s between Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, and Ronnie, and eventually both Neal Foulds and Jimmy White went for Ronnie, basically for three reasons: he’s won most triple crowns, he’s been a top player for 28 years and counting and he’s done it despite the permanent challenge of the likes of Hendry (for about 20 years), Higgins and Williams. I agree, but it’s a bit of a pointless debate, because sports change over time, as do the conditions, and you can only try to be the best possible in your era, which all three above have done.

It wasn’t the best debate, IMO, with Jimmy insisting from the start that it was Ronnie and not really wanting to consider the others in some depth, adding that Hendry himself would tell them that Ronnie is the GOAT.

The only slightly less usual thing when it’s about the GOAT debate was that both Neal and Andy remarked that John Higgins would almost certainly be in that conversation had he not been in competition with Ronnie and Mark Williams during their entire career. In contrast, Hendry and Davis didn’t really have “close” competitors during their prime years.

The highlight of yesterday to me was provided by Stephen Hendry who had a long, enjoyable and very positive interview with Ronnie on Instagram.

Here are a few things that stayed with me

• Hendry duly introduced Ronnie as the GOAT, which made me smile because of the coincidence with Jimmy’s statement earlier in the day
• For the next two years, Ronnie is considering to play in every event he can possibly play and see if he can get back to his best level.
• Playing well is was gives him enjoyment, not necessarily winning. In contrast with Hendry for whom winning was everything. And also working with Steve Peters, of course, has helped him to cope with playing bad in a less destructive way than in the past.
• His greatest achievement is probably the 2012 World Championship. Why? Because he’s just had a very bad spell, on and off the table, had worked with Steve Peters for a few months, but wasn’t getting the results. He had started to doubt his own ability to win it again. He thought he was finished, and then he won the World for the fourth time. What Peters did fo him is to give him perspective, to get less hard on himself.
• The 1000th centuries… that’s something Hendry really admires.
• Ronnie doesn’t set goals. You just prepare and try your best. Winning tournaments is just a “by-product”.
• Best performance. A final, European Masters, in Le Touquet, where himself and Hendry played each other at the top of their games.
• No regrets about not playing at the Masters. Too close to home, with lots of people asking for tickets. And a lot of media work. Last year during the final the kept him for three hours doing filming and interviews after the SF.
• Preferred tournaments? The Chinese tournaments, because of the hospitality, the way the players are looked after. Shanghai is his favourite. But the travel part is a bit difficult.
• That led them to discuss the “old days” and the atmosphere there was backstage at tournaments and the hospitality. Now the standard of snooker is higher but there is no atmosphere at the tournaments anymore. (both players agreeing on that)
• Best 147? the one against Ding in the Welsh final. And “that” last red to black is probably his best ever shot. The feastest 147 was an “inspirational moment” but not a good break.
• He’d love to win another World. But his private life is/has been a bit complicated and been a “distraction” from snooker. But that’s not an excuse. But yes, he’d love to win another one.
• Not going vegan! Eating more veggies and fruit, yes, but no, not vegan.
• Worst loss. The Masters final against Higgins in 2006. That was hard to take.
• The 1000th century … he would have loved to do it at the Crucible. But, then the opportunity came in a great final, in Preston (the venue of his first title) and he went for it and it was great.
• Teaching, coaching? No, not really, it’s a different approach than playing, a different state of mind. Ronnie not sure he’s got that mindset.
• World Championship behind closed doors? As long as it’s safe … although a Crucible final in an empty arena is a terrible thought. But any type of World Championship would be better than no World Championship.
• No really regret to get to the Players Championship, although that series offers brilliant tournaments.
• Both wondered at the fact that they never played in a World final. Ronnie remembers the 1999 SF, a defeat that changed his approach to the game. It was a very good match, but he went on the defensive towards the end and it was his downfall. A lesson learned.
• Goals? Not really. At this stage of Ronnie’s career, it’s about enjoying it. that’s key to longevity.
• Country Ronnie would love to play in? Iran.
• Praising Trump. Currently, head and shoulder above anybody else. His brother Jack is a big factor in his success. They practice a lot together.
• Talent or hard work? Talent without work will get you nowhere. Hard work without talent, you may win a few, but never get to the highest level.

And they might do another one … so many questions still unanswered.

Here it is:

It was really enjoyable, very friendly and lost of respect between them. And Ronnie’s memory when it comes to his past matches is amazing. Hendry asked him three questions, inspired by Cuetracker,  about matches from the 90th and he got all three right.

And the daily “Crucible Gold” about the four  “other” maximum breaks at the Crucible.

For me, the highlight of the second “No Crucible” day is the vodcast that Andy Goldstein did with Ronnie.

Here is the report on this vodcast by Eurosport:

Ronnie exclusive: Trump can dominate snooker for the next 10 years

By Eurosport UK

Speaking on Eurosport’s new snooker vodcast, Ronnie O’Sullivan says that Judd Trump has the potential to dominate snooker for the next decade.

In a wide-ranging discussion with Andy Goldstein about the icons and rivals who have played a part in O’Sullivan’s great career, the five-time World Championship winner said that Trump is now in a position to pick up the baton from the ‘Class of 92’ – O’Sullivan, Mark Williams and John Higgins – and forge his own era of dominance.

….

Ronnie on Judd Trump carrying the torch for the next generation

Without a doubt, he plays a different game, he plays a brilliant game, the power play. He plays shots that no one else can play. He’s got the killer instinct, he’s hungry. He’s proven that after winning the World Championships. We all knew it wasn’t a fluke but there’s people out there saying “can he back it up?” He’s come in this season and he’s won six ranking events which is more than any other player has had to do. I know there’s more ranking events now than ever but still to win six is a fantastic achievement. So, for me, he’s a complete player now. He’s just going to get stronger and stronger. It’s like when Hendry came along, and he was pretty much head and shoulders above the rest. I think that Judd is head and shoulders above everybody else at the moment.

Ronnie on Trump’s chances of winning multiple World titles

Easy. In ten years, Judd will have a problem that I’m having now. There’ll be a few young ones come up behind him and he’ll have few battle scars and they’ll keep pushing up. Eventually, if you’re not mentally up for it or you’re just a little bit off you start to lose matches. So, he’s got the next seven to ten years to dominate really. I think it was a lot harder for Trump coming through than it was for Hendry coming through because Hendry didn’t really, apart from Davis, Jimmy on his day, there wasn’t anyone there that was going to frighten him really. Whereas with Trump when he came on you still had Hendry, you’ve got Higgins, Williams, me, Ding. It was hard to come in and dominate from that point on,but I think players have developed a little bit more slowly now. So, you learn your trade and every player gets ten years at 20-30 or 30-40. Judd’s started at 30 and I think he’ll go on to 40 playing some fantastic snooker.

Ronnie on Trump’s rivals

No one, no one. Well I mean if we played five times, I might win one, twice possibly, but he’s just going to get stronger and stronger and I think the best thing to happen to Judd is his brother. If he hadn’t had his brother there maybe Judd wouldn’t have made the changes that he’s made. He owes a lot to his brother and he’ll be the best thing to happen to Judd. I’m glad his brother came along now and not 10 years ago!

Ronnie on the influence of Davis, White and Hendry

Growing up I used to look at them and think they’re the best players around. You watch Steve Davis, he was like a robot, you never thought he was going to make a mistake. Jimmy White – the most exciting player you’ll ever see and could play every shot in the book. So, they were the two yardsticks, if you like, for me growing up. But if I was to watch them playing now in some of their matches, which I do sometimes, I look at it and just think the standard really wasn’t that high. So, it’s just all about perception and people raising the game to a higher level. But at the time, that was the highest level. But then this young Scottish guy Stephen Hendry came along, and he’s probably taken the game to as high… It would be hard to say that anyone has taken the game on further than Hendry. Hendry I still think if he was in his prime, we were all in our prime, he would still be winning many, many titles. So, you look at Davis and Jimmy, yeah fantastic players, but probably not good enough to stay with the current breed of players.

Ronnie on the ‘Class of ‘92′

I knew Mark WIlliams, we used to play each other quite a lot on the Pro-Am circuit. When we were 10, 11, 12,13 we used to go to Hemsby for junior tournaments,so we knew of each other. But the first time I’d seen John Higgins he was fourteen, so I hadn’t heard of him. The first I’d heard was that this Scottish kid had nearly had a 147 in the home internationals. So that was the buzz going round. I didn’t even know what John Higgins looked like but after we heard that we had to watch him play, and watching him play I thought this kid looks super, super good. Then from that moment on, I knew John Higgins was going to be a class, class player. So that was my first encounter with John Higgins but the rivalry from that day really has been on between the three of us. There was a lot of good players around, but we were hungry, we had the desire. We loved it, we wanted it. For a lot of snooker players, it was just a bit of a lifestyle, they used to go round there and have a bit of a laugh and a joke. But we took our business seriously. But I think it helped that the three of us came through together because I think we all motivated each other to try and do better. If one of us was doing well it would always spur the other one on to do well. So, it was a healthy rivalry really.

Ronnie on the added excitement of playing Williams or Higgins

Of course, we’ve been playing each other for nigh on thirty years. It’s always nice to see Nadal play Federer or Federer play Djokovic. Their careers, and their ages, and their statistics are so evenly matched that none of us have got anything to prove and the chances are that it’s nice to see greats play each other I suppose. So, I get why it’s exciting.

Ronnie on Mark Selby

I always thought Mark was a great match player. I watched him play and I could tell he was going to be a good player. But I see a lot of his faults, I had the same faults in my game that I think he had in his game and I knew how much of a struggle it was for me to try and play with those faults. One day you thought you were great and the next you were terrible, and that up-and-down inconsistency can mentally get to you. So, while I knew he was a fantastic player I never expected him to be able to go on and be as successful as he was. At one stage I said I didn’t think he’d ever win the world title because to win the world title you really can’t afford to have a bad session. But what Mark’s been able to do is that he’s able to play bad but he’s also able to make the other player play badly. I was never able to do that. If I played badly, balls were all there ready in the open and the opponent would just hoover them up. Whereas when Mark was playing badly there’d be balls on cushions, and you’d think where do I go from here? So, he was always able to play himself and stay in the matches. So, he found a way to still be able to win when you’re playing badly, and I never thought snooker could be played like that. I know Mark doesn’t like playing like that but if you sometimes have to do that to get the result and get to the next round you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do and no one in the history of the game has been better at that than Mark Selby. So, you have to take your hat off to him really.

Ronnie on his main rivals going forward

I don’t really put myself in to have a rival. You want them to be similar eras, it’s hard for me to be a rival with Ding or Trump because they’ve got 14 years on me. I just always think that I can still give Selby a game, I can still give Murphy a game, I still think I could probably give Neil Robertson a game because the age difference is not that different to me, John Higgins and Williams. But I just think when you look at the younger ones it’s a little bit harder because they’re so hungry and they’ve got so much desire. Every match that they play a John Higgins or a Mark Williams or a Shaun Murphy or a Neil Robertson, they might lose but it’s just a learning curve for them. So, it’s just making them stronger and stronger. Like me playing Hendry at the end of his career, I was getting a lot from it where it was doing him no good. I think eventually you get to the stage where it’s hard for you to keep battling away. So, for me my situation is just to keep playing for as long as I can really and hopefully, I can still win a few tournaments every now and again.

A very interesting interview. Of course, the written article puts the subject that is more likely to catch eyes first, although it’s the last one they discuss in the vodcast, but, really all are interesting.

One thing I feel listening to Ronnie out there is that he doesn’t have the hunger anymore that he had as a younger player, which, of course, is normal. However, that being the case, he will probably not win that much anymore and we, as fans, will have to accept that. Of course, he still has the desire, and the hunger might come back stronger in spells, and probably will. But he’s going to turn 45 this year, and his longevity has already been remarkable as it is. I hope, and believe, that he has more titles in him, although probably not a World title. We should just try to enjoy every match, and every victory while he is still playing, without putting too many expectations on him, and be grateful for everything he gave us over the years. It’s easier said than done… I know that only too well.

Ronnie said that he hasn’t really pot a ball for weeks. He’s not the only one. Higgins said the same. It’s hard to practice when there is no definite purpose and it’s even harder when you have been doing the job for nearly 30 years. When snooker comes back, be it in July or later, nobody will be match sharp. It could be interesting because it could well come about “how good enough is your bad/rusty game” rather than about “how good is your best game”.

Then the “Crucible Gold” on the day was about Hendry’s maximums

Incredibly, I was at the Crucible when the last one happened and I missed it because I was taking pictures on the other table. The curtain was down of course. By the time, I realised that something unusual was happening, it was too late. The “snapper box” on Hendry’s table was packed of course. I was just able to witness Hendry’s celebration on the TV screens in the media room. He was quite animated which was uncharacteristic. Of course, we came to understand Hendry’s unusual display of emotions a few days later when, heavily beaten by Stephen Maguire, he announced his retirement. He just came to the media room, sat down and quietly said: “I have played my last professional match”. For a few seconds, the media room went completely quiet, everyone was stunned. Hendry then calmly explained that he had taken the decision months before and had only spoken about it to a few chosen ones. He had given himself a season to see if he could get back near his best, he hadn’t, he didn’t want to continue to play if he wasn’t able to be a winner.

Also, this interview with Hazel Irvine was shared on social media.

It’s a short, but great piece. It was made last year just after the World Championship. Hazel is the ultimate professional, and yet, remains just very simple, friendly and approachable.

The BBC also reran the piece about Alex Higgins, “The People’s Champion”. I gave that one a miss. I understand how important the man is in the context of snooker and how he changed the perception the general public had of the game and made it popular. I can see why his daring style and swag fascinated. But, quite honestly, I can’t stand the person he was, and, sorry, mental health issues can’t the excuse for everything and anything. Reading his autobiography didn’t change my opinion. There were far too many episodes of violence, nastiness, selfishness and sheer dishonesty for my liking. He never accepted responsibility for his own faults and shortcomings, and too often spat in the face of those trying to help him.

Related to the last sentence above, there is an article by Jason Francis in the first issue of the Chalk, a new cuesports magazine, about his experience with Alex when he started the “Snooker Legends”.

This interview was conducted by Eurosport before the Christmas break.

Thank you for making it available to me.

And now for a bit of last 16 preview for what it’s worth… 

Judd Trump v Shaun Murphy

Judd Trump is the defending champion and, surely, he starts the tournament as favourite given how well he has played over the last year. In fact it was his 10-4 win over Ronnie in last year final that started it in earnest. That said he couldn’t really get a tougher opponent than Shaun Murphy in his first match. Shaun had a nightmare season in 2018/19 but is playing much better this season. Judd hasn’t been at his best just before the holidays break, he’s lost to Nigel Bond of all people in York and failed to qualify for the European Masters. Now, he was probably very tired and in need of a break. Yesterday, he won Group 6 in the Championship League Snooker. He looked in good form but CLS form doesn’t mean much: in 2010 Ronnie and Mark Selby played in Group 2, just before the Masters, finished 6th and 7th of the group, both relegated, only to meet in the Final of the Masters the next week. Shaun has been very solid this season, making it to three big finals, winning one. However, one of the finals he lost was a 10-3 defeat to Judd. I expect Judd to win, but the match to be close, probably 6-4 or 6-5. 

Ding Junhui v Joe Perry

I can see only one winner here and it’s Ding. Ding has won the 2019 UK Championship last month, playing really well. He also qualified for both the 2020 European Masters and the 2020 German Masters. During the last month of 2019 he has beaten Ali Carter, Ronnie, Yan Bingtao, Stephen Maguire, Matthew Stevens and Peter Ebdon (never easy). In fact, over the last two months he’s lost just one match. Joe Perry on the other hand has had an indifferent season so far, and was dreadful in the CLS over the last two days. His only hope is that Ding has gone off the boil completely during the holidays break. My prediction: a comfortable win for Ding: 6-2 or 6-3.

Mark Selby v Ali Carter

Mark Selby has been a bit in and out so far this season, as he has been since mid 2017, but he still won two ranking events over the last months, including the last one of  2019, the Scottish Open. He has also qualified for both the 2020 European Masters and the 2020 German Masters. He should feel reasonably confident again. Ali Carter hasn’t got past the quarter finals in any event this season so far, and that only quarter final came at the six-reds World Championship. Add to that the fact that when things don’t go his way, he’s prone to getting frustrated and throwing his toys out of his pram. I can see only one winner, Mark Selby. I won’t predict a score. Depending on Mark’s form it could be close or totally one-sided.

John Higgins v Barry Hawkins

Neither players have been at their best so far this season. John Higgins though has reached a semi final twice, where he lost to Judd Trump both times, Also, he hasn’t lost to any low ranked player all season: the only players out of the top 16 who beat him were Graeme Dott, Kurt Maflin and Yan Bingtao. Barry Hawkins is going through a terrible season. He won the 2019 Paul Hunter Classic, but other than that he didn’t go past the QF in any event, and he only reached that stage twice, in the 2019 Shanghai Masters and in the 2019 China Championship, rather early in the season. Their head-to-head is pretty close: it’s 9 wins to Higgins for 8 to Barry, and Barry actually won the last of their encounters, and the only one that was played this season. So it’s hard to call. John Higgins has got slightly better results this season, but his record at the Masters is not great. I will go for 6-4 either way.

Neil Robertson v Stephen Maguire

Both Neil Robertson and Stephen Maguire have blown hot and cold this season. Neil won the 2019 Champion of Champions, beating Judd Trump by 10-9 in the final, and Ronnie by 6-5 in the semi final, both very high quality matches. He’s also reached the semi finals in the 2019 Shanghai Masters where Ronnie beat him by 10-6, but in the ranking events he hasn’t got past the last 16. Stephen Maguire has won the 2010 six-reds World Championship, and was runner-up in the 2019 UK Championship but other than that hasn’t gone past the last 16 in any event. So, this match is very hard to predict. Neil Robertson though is coming to Ally Pally with a goal…

A very honourable goal. I believe that this will motivate him big time. Because of that, and because he’s been doing really well in invitational events so far, I will go for a 6-4 or 6-3 win for Neil.

Mark Allen v David Gilbert

Mark Allen has got a very strange season so far. He’s reached the semi finals 6 times out of 11 tournaments he’s played in. In the others he lost in the last 64 twice, in the last 32 twice and in the last 16 once. David Gilbert’s season has been just as bizarre: he’s made it to one final, one semi final, 4 quarter finals … but also lost in the first round 5 times.  The main factors in this match will probably be, one, that this is David Gilbert first ever Masters and the London crowd is usually quite animated and loud, and two, that Mark Allen was bitterly disappointed by his performance last year and will want to redeem himself. The rowdy atmosphere should suit him. Prediction: 6-3 or 6-2 to Mark Allen. 

Kyren Wilson v Jack Lisowski

If one forgets the Paul Hunter Classic, Kyren Wilson’s season has been rather poor: one semi final at the 2019 World Open, one quarter final at the 2019 Shanghai Masters and a couple of last 16. Jack Lisowski’s season has been similar: a final at the 2019 Scottish Open, a quarter final at the 2019 Shanghai Masters and a couple of last 16. It’s also Jack’s first Masters and, in my opinion, Jack tends to be a bit overawed when facing a big stage for the first time. This is a very big stage with a unique atmosphere. Because of this I expect a comfortable win for Kyren: 6-1 or 6-2. Now I wish I’m wrong here.

Mark Williams v Stuart Bingham

Now this one promises to be hard fough match, but not necessarily high quality. Mark Williams season hasn’t been great but there were signs in the recent months that he is back practising and playing well again. He lost to Shaun Murphy by 10-9 at the 2019 China Championship, and won 6 matches out of 6 in the round-robin phase of CLS Group 5 earlier this week. The problem with Williams is that he doesn’t seem to be able, or find the necessary motivation, to do it consistently. Stuart Bingham hasn’t got past the quarter finals in any event, and reached that stage only twice, one being at the six-reds World Championship. Not great. I expect Mark Williams to win by 6-3 or 6-4.

That’s for the first round. What about a winner? Ronnie goes for Ding; it’s a prediction he does with his heart I’m sure but I genuinely believe that Ding has a good chance. Actually, should they both win, he will face Judd Trump in the quarter finals, which is better than facing him in the final. I expect the winner of that QF to go and win the title. Other than those two, I think that Mark Selby and Neil Robertson are serious contenders.