2021 Scottish Open, Llandudno

Joe_ Public

Maguire handed it to him in the end anyway. McGill pretty scathing about table conditions.

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118298865#Comment_118298865

He’s playing well again but the number of pots he’s missed where he’s getting cover by luck as opposed to design.

eric hoone

Higgins is granite this season

ifeelstupid

Can anyone explain to me why commentators are so wet for John Higgins......or is it just me that's hanging on to his cheating scandal. I get that he's a good player but I don't know that there's another player that they fawn over so much!!

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118298934#Comment_118298934

I've often thought that. You can see him mumbling to himself when he misses a shot and I'd say his self-talk is abysmal. He could really use a psychologist if anyone could.

He seems good but very flimsy. Psychology is the weakest aspect of his game.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118303271#Comment_118303271

If Russian gangsters old me to do something, all my principles would go out the fcuking window. How would you behave?

Poor Dave.. losing under pressure becoming a habit... 3 frames to the good, and he shouldn't have been under any kind of pressure at all.

Ronnie's favourite to beat Higgo today, and I hope he wins, but it's a poor record he has against John in recent times.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118303271#Comment_118303271

Because he’s in the all time top 3 greatest players, behind Hendry and Ronnie. The guy is unbelievable.

he didn’t actually cheat either. He said whatever he could to get out of a room.

eric hoone

Higgins getting a nice run of the balls

The Nal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118305570#Comment_118305570

Ronnie getting thumped here. Higgins is so solid.

Joe_ Public

If Higgins hadn't missed a simple red in F4, we'd be looking at another Ronnie whitewash there. Safety was shockingly loose today, among other things.

Chronic by Ronnie's standards there ☹️

Joe_ Public

I think the chances of Ronnie beating Higgins with anything much less than his A game are receding rapidly these days. He just doesn't seem to want to dig in and scrap and once Higgins is solid and efficient, as he usually is at a minimum, he won't get half the chances he gets against most other players.

Brian?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118305782#Comment_118305782

Higgins is on serious form. Ronnie is fading badly. I can’t see Ronnie winning anything the way he’s playing.

Strumms

“I don’t care – if I win it, great, and if I don’t, it will have no impact on my life and what I do. If anything I’d rather be sitting with Jimmy (White), having a laugh.”

thats great Ronnie, but the fact that people pay their hard earned money to watch you play snooker, especially during a pandemic ? Invest time supporting you, enjoying competitive competition ? £20 entry, and transport and food... but ‘ I don’t care, I’d rather be sitting with Jimmy White having a laugh ‘... probably he thinks he’s some rock and roll snooker rebel coming out with that guff but...

Imagine a musician you were into said.... “ yeah , I don’t care, if I play well, it will have no impact on my life and what I do. If anything I’d rather be sitting with X person having a laugh.”...

hes just such a fûckin dislikable individual .....bizarre the absolute adoration he received / receives , ok, unbelievable player but as a person and sportsman, ughhhh.

Sandor Clegane

Love him or hate him, Higgins is up there as one of the best of all time, I'd have him top 3 with Ronnie and Hendry.

I have to say I'm starting to find Ronnie a bit insufferable, anyone who buys into him saying he just plays for fun and doesn't care is delusional imo, I think he is a bit on the decline it has to be said and he uses these excuses to insulate himself from pressure and loses.

bokale

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118306023#Comment_118306023

He gets the adoration because he's an unbelievable player.

eric hoone

I saw one interview where Ronnie said he's like an aging boxer who still has a big punch. Probably on the decline but he'll still knock out 90% of the opposition

waynescales1

Two woeful shots from McGill in that frame, missed yellow and the pink in off.

From t'lampshades! - great red..

eric hoone

Sound is out of sync, annoying

Sandor Clegane

Anyone else experiencing a bit of lag on Eurosport?

I thought light travelled quicker than sound 😊 Am hearing shots before I see em 😒

Seems to be rectified now...

Sandor Clegane

Shocking stuff from McGill.

Strumms

McGill has been pure dreadful..looks very uneasy out there. McGill misses another sitter, Jesus that’s a desperate shot..

Brecel on the most part excellent

Sandor Clegane

They're being very kind to McGill, he's been unlucky at times with the run of the balls sure, but he's been shocking when he's been in, he's had his chances.

Luca's name is surely on trophy :)

Joe_ Public

Have to say fair play to Brecel, a player I've been rudely dismissive of over the years, but he's doing the business early doors here and backing up his performance from last week. Still a long way to go, mind. Think he needs to keep his nose in front or doubts will begin to creep in.

Joe_ Public

Not much luck for Higgins there and Brecel takes advantage. 5-1 is a pretty substantial lead. I notice Luca seems to be very much in the Maguire school when it comes to escapes from snookers.

Joe_ Public

Really good session from luca, probably had the run but well worth his 6-2 lead. Can't write a player like John Higgins off but 7 of evening 9 frames is a tall order for even the best of them.

Joe_ Public

No doubt about it now, higgins taking a rare pasting here. No answers to this brecel onslaught at all. Some of Lucas shot making is awesome, where has this player been hiding for past 5 years?

waynescales1

Awfully quiet in here for a final, wonder why! Switched on at 8-2, glad Higgins is making a go of this. Wouldn’t mind a few frames of snooker to help calm me down after today’s excitement.

Brecel awesome overall..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118311800#Comment_118311800

Awfully quiet in here for a final, 😁

Sometimes we just like to watch the quality fare on show. 😊

Mon Luca

Sandor Clegane

Could be in for a late night, but tbf its a big ask, Brecel would need to implode and Higgins would need to be almost perfect.

Some worrying signs for Brecel though, that green was a crazy shot at this stage of the match.

Like them in the studio, I was hoping Luca wouldn't go for that green... "take your medicine" is the apt expression, as Angles mentioned.

Great safety on blue by Luca 😃

Joe_ Public

One more and it definitely starts to get interesting. Not quite SB time yet, but getting there!

nice soft cannon into reds.. that's all he needed to do.. all there!!

Arthur Daley

Good for Luca. One week on from the UK defeat

WD LUCA!!!

Loved how composed he is/was during last session - takes his time, unrushed, and picks out right shot.. Great century there to finish it out!!! 😁

Joe_ Public

Played a great safety shot to earn that chance. Been really impressed all match how consistently he's been able to find the balk cushion, never knew he had that in his arsenal. Good on him, two good weeks of snooker and results.

Arthur Daley

Certainly Higgins, Ronnie, Trump and Selby having it put up to them this season. There's the strength in depth that's been talked about.

Brian?

Fair play to Luca. He was close to folding and came back with a brilliant clearance.

2 years ago there were " 'no young players' coming through ".... a few 'false dawns' with Jackpot, and the young Chinese not doing a lot.. and now, there's 3 of them 😊 2 Chinese fellahs - Zhou and Bingtao, plus Luca finally fulfilling his early promise..

Must agree re his safety play - was fabulous by Luca throughout.

And fair play to John for pointing out the fact that he's not in The Masters... Can't say I agree - I think Jimmy summed it up best in mid-session interval, when he said it needs to be decided well in advance who can qualify, and when, as there's lots of things in play.. be strange to leave it in flux by going with 'wildcards' and the like; in the unlikely event a talented superstar hits a purple patch in the 4th? and 3rd? last ranking tourneys before the top 16 head to the ally pally....

Great thing about Luca and Zhou is their fabulous potting - should be interesting for the future, as a lot of the big names will be worried by them, and, apart from Ronnie and John, of the rest of the 'big names' - Robbo, Trump , Wilson , Selby - , they've pretty much all been underperforming lately.. The door is more than ajar for the youngsters..