JPB, Not really, I would watch it, like I said, would give Snooker a bit more of a buzz for a rank outsider to win it. Like in the Grand National for instance.

I would defo want a ticket. 1 because I've never been before the Crucible and 2 because it would (like I said) be good to give one of them 2 the support of trying to win it.

Probably not. But it was too easy to predict back then. It's too Realistic to have shocks, if we were living in a reality world, no chance, but, as unfortunate (at times) as it is, we aren't.

I think that is all about Sport.

8bit - when you watched it at the time, did you not think it was a bit inappropriate ?

inappropriate to who?

If that's your view fine, but I don't think it's a fair anology. For one thing, racing enthusiasts are not very pleased if an outsider comes in in a big race. They follow these horses all season and thelast thing you want is some 100/1 shot stealing the race against all reasonable expectations. I don't think it's any different with other sports. If you've got a ticket to the FA Cup final, you don't want Doncaster Rovers to get there. Im not saying I wouldn't go if I had a ticket just because someone like Hawkins got to the final, but there's no doubt at all I would either want to be watching 2 established greats, or one great and a new star kid. It would be the same for 95% of fans I would have thought.

inappropriate to who?
===================

I don't know what that means to be honest.

Are you saying that when you watched it you didn't find it inappropriate ?

As in who would be offended by it, Reardon or his opponent? I just thought it was pretty funny.

Nah. I'd say a 50-50 split IMO. 95% of fans wouldn't want to go to a game with a potential shock on the cards. That is just how Sport works and it will only increase more now I think.

Anyway, it's one POV against another.

Disappointing from Ding!

I blame Hendry & Doherty for saying he was fav.
They should have keep their mout shut (lol)

Whoever wins between Ronnie & Trump will win the World Championship.

For Barry & Ricky - Its a whole new ball game.

Nah. I'd say a 50-50 split IMO. 95% of fans wouldn't want to go to a game with a potential shock on the cards. That is just how Sport works
========================

what do you mean by "that's how sport works" ?

Which sports are you talking about where 50% going to a final, would want one of the finalists to be a middlaged career jounrneyman, who has got through a weak draw ?

Boxing ? No
Football ? No
Cricket ? No
Tennis ? No
Snooker ? No

I can't think of any sports where a significant number of fans would want someone like that to reach a final they were going to watch.

Unless people have a particular affiliation with a particular competitor, then they want to watch the best against the best. All the biggest sporting events are the best against the best, and it's for a reason - because it's what people want to watch. It's the way it always has been, and it's the way it always will be.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=false+teeth+ronnie+o'sullivan+images&hl=en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=in2BUafzAsWn0wWOs4GwDQ&ved=0CC0QsAQ&biw=1518&bih=748#imgrc=OSzEXasXTWwaCM%3A%3BaRYPKFakrdicQM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fimg.thesun.co.uk%252Fmultimedia%252Farchive%252F00048%252Fa_48490a.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.thesun.co.uk%252Fsol%252Fhomepage%252Fsport%252F131343%252FRonnies-world-chomp.html%3B300%3B210

what kind of a collects his trophy in front of the guy who has just lost, wearing false teeth like that ? it was blatantly inappropriate and disrespectful at the time, and even looking at it I would still say the same thing, whether he was deliberately taking the pissss out of Dott or not. Watching it at the time, it looked like he was, but as I say either way, it was out of order - IMO.

I doubt Dott was bothered, don't see the big deal personally.

maybe you're right. dott's probably to stupid to be bothered anyway tbh.

It put me right off Ronnie anyway personally. Ive got a lot of respect for Stephen Hendry, and im surprised that he seems to like Ronnie because Ronnie strikes me as a slippery piece of work tbh. Don't get me wrong, I love watching him play, I just don't like him based on what little I know of him.

From what I remember he was in the middle of his celebrations and just put them on for a few seconds. I was a massive Hendry fan growing up but Ronnie plays on a different level to him and anyone else, pure genius but very flawed. For a few years he acted like a total idiot but he seems to have turned himself around. When he's in the right frame of mind he is as close to unbeatable as you can get imo.

Think Ronnie is one of those characters that you either love him or hate him. Regardless of what anyone says about his personality, he's still the best player in the world.

As his walk on intro suggests, the most naturally gifted player ever to grace the modern game. How about to grace the game ever?

Disappointed Ding lost I believed this could have very well have been his year. Judd vs Ronnie will be an intriguing game. I'm hoping Judd can beat him and go on to win the World Championship Judd will send Ronnie back to his boring life in Essex

Ronnie is also not the best player in the world I would say top 4 of all time. Hendry is the greatest.

Im not sure Ronnie played on a different level to Hendry either tbh with you. At his best, Hendry was unbeatable too. Hendry was well passed his best by the end of his career. I remember one best of 19 final they played where it was 9 all and Hendry hit a 147 in the decider

Ronnie has hinted (yet again) at retiring. Only came back for "a bit of money" to quote him directly.

Says snooker isn't for him. Personally think this time he'll finish for good. After this tournament of course.

Here's their heads to heads :

http://www.cuetracker.net/pages/h2h.php?ID1=18&ID2=10

At the end of the 1999 (Hendry's last WC win), Hendry was 13-11 up.

1997 Charity Challenge
Final Stephen Hendry 9 (17) 8 Ronnie O'Sullivan
Scores: 110-25(110); 59-31; 129-0(129); 67-46; 10-107(106); 129-9; 136-0(136); 23-66; 82-1; 88-0; 20-106; 1-137(137); 16-124(124); 37-91; 9-87; 0-72; 147-0(147)

Centuries: Hendry: 136, 129, 110, 147,
O'Sullivan: 106, 137, 124,

I watched Hendry throughout his peak years and he was almost unbeatable, Ronnie at his peak was better imo but Hendry produced it far more consistenty and over a much longer period. Ronnie is definitely more naturally gifted but nobody and even Davis had the consistency and dominance over an era.

Hendry not nobody..

I also admit that I am very biased as a Hendry fan

Hendry said Ronnie is the best player ever

Ronnie also said Hendry is the best ever

Hendry :

World Nr 1 for 9 years
11 147s
775 century breaks
36 ranking event wins
8 times world champion

Ronnie :

11 147s
678 centuries
24 ranking event wins
4 times world champion

Most of Hendry's achievements were in the first 15 years of his career. Ronnie has been playing for 21 years.