Centralscrutinizer
Well-known member
Blimey
Snooker Selby v Brecel
- Thread starter Nobby_Barnes
- Start date
Nobby_Barnes
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Great drama, Brecel one away.....
Corcaigh_the_Cat
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Couple of unexpected misses there from Selby.
Corcaigh_the_Cat
Well-known member
Game over.
Nobby_Barnes
Well-known member
Selby gracious in defeat, top class 
Anton_Berg
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Is snooker the only sport where you can make a fair comparison between players from different eras?
Centralscrutinizer
Well-known member
Much more accurate cues these days
Zoophonic
Well-known member
Yes indeed. We cant argue that the tables were muddier and the balls heavier. Players are fitter. No Bill Werbeniuks and chain smoking Higgins' anymore.
Always been a fan of Selby, he gets his critics because he isn't as aggressive as a Ronnie or Brecel but he plays his game and to be him in a final is some achievement.
Brecel was fantastic, so much risk in the way he plays but when its going his way he makes Snooker look like such an easy game.
Great final and hope to see Brecel kick on from here now.
Brecel was fantastic, so much risk in the way he plays but when its going his way he makes Snooker look like such an easy game.
Great final and hope to see Brecel kick on from here now.
Malaguena
Well-known member
Yes, but the fact Joe Davis is the best snooker player in history doesn't go down will the the Barry Hearns of this age so we have to ignore that and recognise that the current players ARE THE BEST EVER
Rofesleg
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I'm not a big follower of snooker (since the 80s anyway), but I am interested in how you assess Joe Davis as the best snooker player in history? A pioneer and inspirational, but how do you compare him to more recent players?
Ex Footy Legs
Well-known member
Quite a few references to Selby's wife being ill. She has been a rock for him over the years with his mental health issues....anyone know what the issue is with her...?????
It doesn't sound good...even Brecel mentioned her in his speech....stating ' stay strong' Mark & Vicky....
sherlock
Well-known member
How do you define ‘best’?
Rofesleg
Well-known member
Did you reply to me by mistake? That was my question.
Andy_W
Well-known member
It's got to be one of the closest sports, that's for sure.
The only change to now, that I can really think of, is that there are probably a lot more snooker players, or a lot more playing at a high level, and thus competition has got harder, and so the best are just maybe better.
The below seems to back this up.
Malaguena
Well-known member
"Turning his attention to snooker in the 1920s, he helped organise the first World Championship in 1927 .......... He beat Tom Dennis 20-10 in the final, winning the princely sum of six pounds and 10 shillings. Davis went on to win the World title every year until 1940, and then again in 1946. He then retired from the event, so never lost a match in the World Championship."
"His younger brother, Fred Davis was the only person to defeat Joe Davis in a competitive snooker match without receiving a start"
Not bothered how you define "best" @sherlock1969 but that looks pretty good to me
sherlock
Well-known member
It does, but there are so many variables too.
What was the competition like? Were they all full time players who didn't have other jobs? etc. For example, 10 players in total entered in 1927. There is also match length to consider which made some of those games more of an endurance test (David won the 1946 final 78 - 67!!)
It's not an easy thing to determine really. I'd say with confidence that Alex Higgins was the most talented player I've ever seen but due to a lot of factors in his personal life, he never achieved the level of success his talent deserved. Same goes for Jimmy White to a lesser extent.
Impossible to definitively say one player was the 'best' of all time.