2024 World Championships

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122063192#Comment_122063192

The people advocating the move need to make the case, not me . Managed to elicit the arguments eventually after all the cliches.

Anyway to summarise:

Cramped arena (true)

Outdated facilities (if true)

Seating capacity (true)

Money presumably, according to hearn

Arthur Daley

Even this cramped arena arguement has a fair touch of the Diana Ross about it. I can imagine saying some of this stuff to men like Ray Reardon or Doug Mountjoy. Miners.

JIdontknow

Robert Milkins seems to have his emotions well in control in his match!

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122065461#Comment_122065461

Well, the man in charge wants to move it, so it's very much on those who want it to stay, to make the case.

Do you think you could make the case for it staying* or is it too difficult?

*without clichés, but I don't need to tell you that.

ArmaniJeanss

Just to put some 'rough bones' on the money aspect.

Based on an average price of £50 a ticket, a potential extra 1500 people per session and 47 total sessions over the 17 days.

That's £3.5M a year which a bigger arena brings in. I've been conservative with £50 there. Cheapest first round prices are £44 afaik, so the average is probably closer to £65. The total potential then is an extra £4.5M a year.

So to take the midpoint, there's £4M being thrown away by the venue size. That's not all profit obviously, the extra people brings extra costs at every level, though also opens extra revenue streams.

Personally I don't think Saudi or China are serious alternatives - I think they are being used as convenient Swords of Damocles to wield in the direction of Sheffield. An alternative venue in the UK is far more realistic. It'd be sad to see it go, but I think we'd get over it if the right venue was found.

El_Duderino 09

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122065712#Comment_122065712

I wondered about that. Hearn said he wanted the crucible to he rebuilt to show they're serious about wanting to keep the snooker. Obviously that isn't realistic as the economics in post-industrial cities in the North of England wouldn't allow it. And if they even did a major refurbishment and extension, it would likely be out of action for a world championship or two.

So we're talking about where it moves to rather than whether it moves. A bigger venue in the UK is a much better option than Saudi. China would be inconvenient for us but probably makes sense too. I presume their market is much bigger than the European market combined, by virtue of its massive population.

I hope it can stay in the UK. I was at a qualification round in Barnsley a few years ago by sheer accident as I was there for work and saw a load of Chinese lads at breakfast in dickie bows. The Marshall arena is huge and there are dozens of similar huge arenas around the UK - in better locations than Barnsley.

mewso

If they move it to a venue in a country with enough fans of the sport to actually fill said venue then fair enough. Sadly that would qualify the likes of China which to my mind is just one step below Saudi Arabia in how egregious it would be. Saudi would have empty venues and the cash would be the only motivator. My ideal scenario if it has to move is for it to stay in Sheffield in a newly built venue (or existing if there is anything there bigger than the Crucible) but this is the UK and the idea that a northern city in England would be able to find the money for that seems unlikely. At the very least keep it in the north if possible. Would be sad to see the likes of London getting it.

loyatemu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122065461#Comment_122065461

From Hearn's perspective it's

Money

Money

Money

Money

Whatever about moving it to China where the sport is fairly popular; there isn't one Saudi professional player and there is no interest in the sport there.

drury..

I don't see SI winning now from 5-2

Spiderpig92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122066006#Comment_122066006

In a first to 13??!

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122066026#Comment_122066026

My bad forgot that

Still though I don't think he's the comeback type , a little fragile mentally

I would like to be proven wrong

Spiderpig92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122066035#Comment_122066035

I don't think so - he was 9-7 and 0-69 down in the Qualifiers needing a snooker and has lived to tell the tale….

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122066035#Comment_122066035

Under pressure . This is R2

El_Duderino 09

When it cones to replacing the white ball, I always wonder why the ref doesn't gave an ipad to see the images that we see. The one where the before image is laid on the live feed so they can do it themselves. Relying on a second ref to direct them blind seems very old fashioned and not very efficient.

Is there a good reason they don't find a better way or just reluctant to modernise?

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122066753#Comment_122066753

It makes the game look silly the methods they're using to replace balls atm

A bit left a bit right

Surely the tech is there to assist in this

You wouldn't believe the tech in some of the manufacturing processes these days .

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122064222#Comment_122064222

You think 90s Hendry would clean up?

I must check, but usually when you go back snooker , darts etc the standard is noticeably lower

Remember that jimmy white was at the same level as Hendry in their world finals except for temperament

Do you think 90s jimmy white "would run through this field without blinking " ?

AllForIt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122066753#Comment_122066753

There was a tournament in China a few weeks back and they were using a better system. From what I vaguely remember it involved a circle graphic of where the ball should go overlaid on the live image of the table. Seemed a bit more advanced at least.

Spiderpig92

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122067053#Comment_122067053

To be fair - the closest Jimmy got Hendry was playing with a broken arm. Hendry was in a league of his own back then.

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122067073#Comment_122067073

Not the way I remember it

Jimmy had the better of him in some finals and temperant let him down

I thought he was his equal in the playing department in world finals i remember

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122067065#Comment_122067065

Ya they're in the stone age with the method used currently

No surprise the Chinese have stepped it up

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122067053#Comment_122067053

Standard is relative. Bring that Hendry up to the standards and improvements of the modern game, and he'd be better again.

Unless that is, you believe in some sort of fallacy that todays players are inherently more talented all of a sudden?

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122064520#Comment_122064520

Fine, "top tier". Yes Higgins would be regarded as a top tier player, and I even said was years past his best. Again, it just further backs up how poor the field it. Ryan Day is still knocking about ffs.

Of course they're all top players, but this just isnt a generation of particularly great top players

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122067142#Comment_122067142

You're saying something different now , bringing Hendry up to new standards and improvements

You stated the 90s Hendry would clean up which is the point I argued

Your last point is nonsense

Standards evolve and improve across the board in sports

The Golden Miller

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122067168#Comment_122067168

It's implied surely? I'd hardly argue Borg would be successful in tennis today, is he was plucked straight from the past. The assumption is, when all else is eqaul, yes Hendry would run through the field without blinking.

Standards evolve and improve yes. Williams makes more centuries now than he did in his prime. Did he become more talaneted all of a sudden? Standards may have improved somewhat for a variety of reasons, but the talent is badly lacking in this field

drury..

It would be interesting to hear if there's a consensus that 90s Hendry "would run through this field without blinking " as Golden Miller states ?

Happy to accept the consensus view

Say Your Number

He wouldn't go through Trump that easily the way he's playing.

drury..

Trump would beat him

drury..

O'Sullivan at his best right now would surely beat 90s Hendry

I don't see how that can be in dispute

drury..

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122066133#Comment_122066133

I've underestimated him. Forgot his run last year

sligeach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122067218#Comment_122067218

Yes, he would. I wouldn't say without blinking, but I've often thought before he'd have walked some of these WC tournaments. The COVID year with no spectators was shocking.

You've the same old faces year in year out because a lot of youngsters would rather play other sports. And those who do play, don't have the same commitment to practise it would seem. Some, like a few of the Chinese players would rather cheat on betting than put the graft in.