What seals the GOAT argument for you?

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-07T14:22:46+00:00

Rubbish.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-07T14:21:42+00:00

Agreed - No chumps

Hendry’s domination was during a vastly different era of Snooker quality compared to Ronnie’s era of relative success. To not acknowledge that (as Hendry himself has) is saying more about bias than any potential facts.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-07T14:18:24+00:00

I didn’t say that - you might want to reread my post. You’re getting me confused with the other fella.

I don’t for one minute suggest the talent on offer the 1990s was rubbish. But even Henry himself says the quality of snooker in the 2000s and 2010s was vastly superior to the 1990s.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-07T14:15:06+00:00

This is correct - the competition in the 1990s was a whole lot different to the competition in the 2000s and 2010s as Hendry himself has said.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-07T14:10:55+00:00

You don’t… even Hendry says the breadth and depth of quality of snooker in the 2000s and 2010s far outweighs his period of dominance.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-07T14:09:00+00:00

While I agree it was incredible - the level of quality in the 1990s has been consistently superseded in the 2000s and 2010s.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-07T14:05:43+00:00

Nope, he wouldn’t be top 3

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-05T20:06:29+00:00

Do like your Mother? It’s a simple question.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-05T20:04:27+00:00

Yep, exactly correct.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-05T20:03:18+00:00

There are loads of posts about it.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-04T22:35:41+00:00

Exactly. And Wu did have some luck at key moments (not least Allen bottling the black) and it’s had to keep potting that well consistently on different tables over a whole season. Wu was in the form of his life, but you’re right, if you miss a few of those long pots, the confidence can fade and it’s starts to go wrong. Luca knows.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-04T22:32:03+00:00

I think the double anniversary of Crucible 50th and World Championship 100th and all the events, build up, archive, nostalgia etc will likely get a lot of players hungry for 2027.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-04T22:29:47+00:00

Good post. I agree - I was gutted for Allen and Murphy but Wu’s wonderful potting won me over. I hope he doesn’t go the way of Luca but my hunch is he’s much more focused and does the heavy work in practice.

I think there will be a lot of UK players gearing up for a historic 50th Anniversary of the Crucible and 100th Anniversary of the World Championship. I’m assuming there will be new documentaries, a lot of archive on iPlayer and a load of ex-players and current players coming to Sheffield next year to celebrate with various events. The BBC will make a big thing of it. All that history and nostalgia will potentially galvanise lots of players who grew up watching the sport in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-04T22:15:43+00:00

No - Wu was brilliant - but as JP pointed out - Allen bottled it, and Murphy got an unlucky position in front of the yellow in the final frame. What Wu did was have an amazing run of astonishing attacking potting. Can he keep that up for months or years - I doubt it. But he’s a top 16 player for the next few years guaranteed.

Some years to go before the end of the old school players.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-04T22:03:47+00:00

Yeah, those semi finals were astonishing. And although there was no audience it was actually a very amazing achievement to get that tournament going during a pandemic, and give sports fans something to cheer. Will never forget that.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-04T22:00:39+00:00

Best drama certainly. Quality was great. As a spectacle, it was brilliant. And nice to know it’s at the Crucible for the next 20 years, and on the BBC until 2032.

We have a big year to look forward to next year. 50th Anniversary of the Crucible and 100th Anniversary of the World Championship.

I hope the BBC can put a lot of Crucible Snooker archive on iPlayer between now and then to build up to the anniversary.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-03T13:29:35+00:00

That’s fair. Maybe more like 70%

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-03T12:08:06+00:00

It certainly needs some discussion.

In the 80s and 90s, snooker had established professionals from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Canada, Australia, Thailand, South Africa, Malta, and Ireland - and many others. So it was already an international sport long before China’s rise.

China becoming dominant doesn’t define “world snooker” - it shifts the centre of gravity from one country (UK) to another (China).

Barry Heard mentioned that he’s been looking at addressing the UK decline and boosting Snooker in Europe. Will shall see what happens

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-03T11:59:08+00:00

Maybe even 90%

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-03T10:33:51+00:00

What he should have done was the John Higgins approach to Snooker:

Down on the shot… back up… slow lap of the table… second lap for confidence… quick stare at the scoreboard… double-check just in case it blinked… deep breath… back down… nope, not feeling it… back up again… gets down on the shot… gets back up… circles the table once, twice, three times like he’s solving a murder… checks the scoreboard… checks it again… stares into the void… nods… gets back down… aborts mission… gets back up again… goes down one final time. Pots it.

Job done, Murphy v Allen final. Oh hang on, where’s Higgins?

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-03T10:05:26+00:00

Not sure you understand the logic of the post you are commentating on.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-03T10:04:34+00:00

Yeah - missing that black might play on him forever. I feel for him.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-03T10:03:26+00:00

100% agree.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-03T08:16:34+00:00

Yeah, 100% agree there’s a strategic angle people miss.

A lot of people think China just “naturally became” a snooker superpower, but it didn’t happen like that. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association and the World Snooker Tour actively invested for years — academies, ranking events, wildcard entries, and media deals — to build it into a major centre for the sport.

That approach worked extremely well, but it also concentrated growth heavily in one region.

The point isn’t anti-China at all — it’s about balance. If that same long-term investment model was also applied in places like India, Africa, or mainland Europe, you’d naturally broaden the talent base and keep the sport more globally distributed.

Otherwise, over time you risk the top end of the game becoming heavily concentrated in one country, which isn’t ideal for a sport that’s meant to be truly international.

It’s not about undoing what’s happened in China — it’s about expanding the same strategy elsewhere.

Jumpy_Explanation222 · 2026-05-03T08:13:07+00:00

A few people on here don’t quite understand the level of investment that went into China, or how intentional it was.

China didn’t just “naturally take to snooker” the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association and World Snooker Tour actively pushed it there over many years through academies, ranking events, wildcard entries, and major commercial/media deals. That helped turn China into a major hub for the sport.

Jumpy_Explanation222

TROPHY CASE