Hendry & Davis Reveal Their World Championship Winner!

Steve Davis joins Stephen at the Winter Garden in Sheffield ahead of the World Championship to discuss who they think will be the standout players in this year’s tournament.
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okay we’re in the Winter Gardens Steve and I are going to play a frame uh heavily disguised as plain snooker tournament starts tomorrow we’re really excited you excited yes the buzz around Sheffield is fantastic yeah and but obviously not as excited as if you were playing tomorrow morning a different you you You’ be in bed by now would you I’d have all the butterflies and you got you’ve never used my before and you’ve not got you can’t see you’re not wearing your glasses quite disrespectful but actually got lucky so tomorrow morning first match Luca brael Crucible curse is there such a thing Suppose there is until someone breaks it so if you look at the history of the people that have nearly broken The Crucible curse yeah is Ken and Joe Johnson yeah they both got to the final yeah yeah Joe Johnson hadn’t won a match up until the time that he won the World Championship at The Crucible okay nor had Luca brassell if anybody’s going to go one step further than Joe Johnson yeah could it be Luca BR well he’s this kind of character that won’t pay attention to anything [Applause] so this I’ve always wanted to do that do you think he’s going to have a good a good Championship then look I no idea how Luca is going to play I mean is he going to is he Fant I mean is he going to hit the ball as well as that I mean I don’t think he could I’ve promoted the brown I think with Luca it’s like there’s no difference between him supp sorry there’s no difference between him actually winning it right and losing 10- n in the first round I think he’s got the whole gamut things within him well you You’ know about you lost 101 FR round didn’t you as defending Champion it’s tough as defending Champion but I don’t think LC is the same animal as me no so therefore don’t think the same thing applies I’m just going through the draw why didn’t you actually playing the qualifiers because uh based based on this why didn’t you play in the qualifiers cuz I I I didn’t have time to prepare I think that’s my excuse because I play Shots like that first rubbish shot CU I play Shots like that I’m going down the draw there I’m trying to pick out some think luk has got you know if anybody’s going to do it that type of person could do it but I don’t feel it but you never know Steve Maguire Ali Carter what a match great match I think uh Steve Maguire’s done brilliantly to get here cuz it’s tough to keep it going I think Ali Carter is actually a force in this tourament yeah yeah he’s been to the final cson distance not winner but got there well he’s he’s not won this season do you think it’s important to come with this Championship with a win under your belt I think he’s General standards good enough really yeah he’s a he’s a falce for anybody and he’s got some attitude I always love that you dare a it’s perfect honestly why didn’t you enter the qualifier that’s good I mean I could clear up here I could clear up here you know we’re here to talk about the World Champ not about me much as I would love us to talk about me for the whole episode talk about about you here’s a question for you mark Selby versus Joe Conor do you want to commentate on that match okay so there’s a possibility there going to be some nose bleeds that’s that’s possible but I think Joe Conor’s uh he’s playing great um old you going to say Can can Mark sby win this he’s not he’s I mean he said the last the last tour the Tour Championship he lost and he said this might be his last World Championship he said if he gets beat and plays bad he may retire nobody knows what’s going for any player’s brain when you get here you’re having good times and bad times within your life within your form right but I think players that are going to do well here yeah have to play with check side like that that’s beautiful no sorry it’s Beau honestly that was beautiful okay before you go any further right just just can we edit that and move that about like like that cuz that’s good okay so uh before you play this shot right okay an important part thing the players that I feel are going to win this year right and this we don’t know yeah are players that play with rhythm Luca brel Ron O Sullivan okay the players that have rhythm I think have a benefit over the players at a stop start if Mark Selby plays with rhythm yeah yes right if he goes two stop start I think he gets powered over by the new Rhythm players and that’s I think cuz Joe Conor is not the the quickest player in the world and I think Mar might get drawn into drawn into a match because he doesn’t really want to play that way it’s going to be a grind and it might affect him for the rest of the tournament even if he wins Nice Shot well it wasn’t but you know so the top half we’ve got I’m thinking of potential winners I I don’t think brell’s playing well enough the season to win we’ve got hold on you say car’s a potential winner hold on right was he playing well enough before it to win it yeah but I know I just think this is like do you think do you think he’s that blase that you won’t feel the pressure of being defending Champion that’s something you you don’t know until it happens what the pressure of that is because it’s like Monumental yeah the expectation level is something you can’t really quantify and actually and it’s going to hit him tomorrow morning yeah and you’re a different person yeah yeah so odds are he can’t defend yeah odds are nobody ever in the history of snooker defends the first world championship but but you’re right he’s a sort of character that you would it wouldn’t surprise anybody was if anybody’s going to do it he would do it absolutely here’s the thing okay before you go any further it’s it’s I mean it’s my chan he just keeps interrupting me go on then well I was I was going to have a channel on my own but I I thought I can’t just going be DJing instead go on let’s get to some a really important Mark Allen right credible world championship winner I I’m not sure I think he I think he’s he’s in a way that S I think sometimes he tends to get bogged down and and and he almost to me sometimes it doesn’t look like he knows which type of snooker to play cuz he admits that when he’s not confident in playing well he reverts to the other game where it’s up to win to get the win in that respect yeah of course you can win because anyone that can win when are not the best has got a chance cuz you’re going to have sessions aren’t you we are not playing great we all off sessions you can’t go through the from start to finish play bro all the time but I just think he just gets a little bit too bogged down I think you were talking about flowing players he needs to yeah he’s another one exactly he needs to flow needs to score but like I I’m here I’m in the flow you’ve interruped me I’m flowing that’s just just lovely you’re finished right you’re right you’re fin what Earth are you bothering to bought these anyway on this subject Neil Robertson amazing player didn’t qualify incredible a bit of a stop start player okay so all of a sudden Mark Allen’s gone down a road where he slowed up and got success yeah but we all feel that Rhythm and flow is a very important part of Sno there’s not well how can you equate the two there’s not been a player in history that doesn’t benefit from playing quicker exactly and so slowing down is not the way but he’s had as you say he’s had success how can you argue with someone who’s winning how can you say that’s wrong if he’s winning but I just he’s not as good a player something to watch and he’s not it’s not his not his natural game I don’t think so in that respect if he’s going to be chopping and changing between shall I be aggressive today shall I be negative today but I don’t know if that works maybe maybe I don’t know I don’t know that’s my opinion you’re ignoring it John Higgins at times this season he looked brilliant but he’s he he he’s he’s lost the he’s lost the the spark to win you know we talked about the class of 92 Ronnie’s still winning Williams is still winning Higgins isn’t still winning why well um I think it’s hard to try and work out how how and when a player starts to dissolve wor shot you’ve played this season right so go on then this is a nice quue who made this John Paris okay so um go just try and put that pink in the middle no I don’t want to it’s more important things to talk about it’s the world championship John Higgins because here’s the thing here’s the thing with the the fascination the maab fascination of which one of the three of the class 92 are going to crack up first first yeah yeah at the moment it looks like John and so so at the moment it looks like John so here I think is’s a really fascinating part of this right because they are so good yeah and they’ve been so good for so long that they’ve given us the opportunity to enjoy which one of them is going to crap up crack up first if you were talking about other Mortals right this wouldn’t be an issue these three are Immortal beings within the snooker world and actually it’s a joy to work out which one and whichever one cracks up first we nobody will criticize thems there’ll still be gods just saying that’s it I’m I’m done yeah or you or they just can’t win a match and they just just gone either way they either bail out yeah like I did like I did yeah well not as bad as you but certain baile right or they they get beaten to the point where they’re non-existent and they drop off the tour okay which one of those three at the moment it looks like John you’d have to say because because he just he hasn’t got that to me one thing I see in John is he follows one bad shot with another one whereas I think when you’re still conf you you don’t follow one bad shot with another you get you forget it and you get on the next shot to me he’s holding on to bad shots and thing bad things that are happening Williams never does he’s just unbelievable well well I agree in in one respect the the the reason why it could be John out of the three of them is the he’s the most normal human being because Ron Sal no Ron O Sullivan and Mark Williams are really exceptional weird people yeah is is less weird and more of a normal competitor style right okay but the other two are en enigmas yeah you can’t understand Ron O Sullivan you can’t understand Mark Williams how is he still winning it’s unbelievable it’s stupid it is unbelievable yeah no you’re right you’re right who knows you’re right so yes I agree it’s maybe John but not because of ability just the fact because sometimes season he’s been scoring as highly as ever but but he just as I say he it just seems to be holding on to bad things longer than the other two Wills never holds on to anything which is which is his greatest strength oh he’s going the old Loop sorry sorry right I’m going to PO the balls cuz you clearly clearly mind your hand oh it’s not going to reach is it yeah it is right let’s get to the other half of the draw then Jud Trump hosen VF what a match what a match Jud Trump if he’s not if he’s not careful and he’s not on it it could easily lose that match winner of five tournaments yep has only won one world title he’s been in one final do you think he needs to win World titles to become regarded as a great I quite like jud’s attitude that it’s not all just about the world championship right well for for us it was right for us it was yeah and it’s been for a while because we’ve only got one major I think maybe the future for snooker is just winning is is just winning and also there there’s going to be more majors and the world championship is just one of many I think that’s where golf succeeds in as F there is no World Championship golf right snooker’s got a problem with that once everybody go agrees that it’s just based on performance over the season and the world championship is just another event right then the equation changes okay so I think jud’s on the right track for this right it’s about consistency of winning more than anything else and we put so much emphasis on the world championship it’s unfair on the players yeah and actually on how you judge people would you be worried if cuz I was speaking to Jud earlier and he he says he prefers one to8 tournaments because jenu has a soft first or two rounds gets him into it here well he’s not going to have here did did you B I said it’s about the first round is just about winning right it’s not about playing well did you did you exactly bother about first rounds if he didn’t play well I didn’t I didn’t worry if I lo as long as I got through yeah I wasn’t it wasn’t about how well you played it was just the worry of the first round so if Jud gets through the first round then he’s another person yeah I think everybody’s a different person in the first round oh I M that was so unlucky well it was a bad shot really if I was in commentary and someone played I say it was a bad shot you’d say that was unlucky would you was unlucky you got around the back of it I’m not judging whether it was a good shot or not that was a good jot I got to say right you should have entered the stop talking about that he stopped saying I should have entered the world you’re still so good amazing wow I know I know I know instead looking down the draw here he’s looking the scores to make sure he wins okay can Ronnie win an eighth this year who Ronnie oh Ronnie okay so um I am of the opinion that if he doesn’t do it this year he might not do it are you’re going on that road yeah and and he when he was in the Tour Championship he said he’s he’s got Steve Peters working with Steve Peters again um is he putting everything in place to give it one big push this time I think he is um the the weird thing is well that was a very unlucky to take that was unlucky right yeah it was I mean you’ll never know but it was okay so the weird thing is that I tend to think he will win the World Championship this year I’m putting it out there you think so yes I think he will win it and I’ve thought it for I’ve thought it all year the general sort of feeling when you talk to people on the street is I’m sure you’ve had this as well is it depends which run is turning up yeah I don’t think they really understand that he’s a great player that that doesn’t have this Ronny right so he’s much more in the zone than people think he could be nice try bit unlucky but oh come on come on I’ll try and pop that right he as well as as we all know yeah there’s so many good players around you can’t just switch the switch Yeah I think he’s pretty philosophical about things as well yeah I think he can sometimes s quite nicely deflect stuff to take the heat off the situation there’s obviously going to he knows you know he’s going to break records if he does it his friends and family knows this thing but I think he’s in a situation where he’s got enough experience to be able to deflect that and the end result is he’s got a really great chance yeah I think he’s got a few more years left in him yeah I think he’s going to I think he’s going to he’s got another five seven eight years but I just I just wonder whether this may be this may be a jump too far CU it’s there’s an enormity to it yeah but I I think within the next three years he’s got a great chance because nobody’s out playing him that’s true but you nobody’s out playing look his real Great Performances they’re they’re fewer and F further between than they used to be but he’s he’s get he’s winning a lot of matches cuz people can’t beat him now cuz he’s set the standards so high that people even even even Jud hasn’t it’s not it’s not just it’s not and the reason is not just because he can perform Under Pressure one of the reasons I think that maybe is missed by people is how CLE how clever he is so everybody sort talks of crafty Ken yeah yeah yeah John Higgins Me Maybe yeah okay players that are clever enough to maybe change the equation of a match oh there’s never been anyone like him he’s a genius the safety play as well too so that cleverness will stand him not in good stead as well let alone the fact he’s fit and unable physically to do it yeah I I think um I think I mean I think what people are you know what the public are saying you know who can beat Ronnie maybe Ronnie that’s that’s maybe that’s the only person you can beat him if he’s not if he’s not loot Bridge again oh look at that is there side on it no say evaporate the reason why it didn’t evaporate I was actually trying to miss Q over the top just for thanks my oh yeah thanks very much cheers so um yellow in the middle and uh careful everyone yeah why don’t it go for a straight blue let’s see oops could could you just look at the middle pocket just in case this goes in right and I’m going to put right hand side on to try and get on the red could you just take this all in one second how many times you going to hit the CU B three oh well I mean that was just I’m I’m play I think you should stop now after that maybe put that in a glass case now [Laughter] yeah let’s look at let’s have another look at this draw I actually thought it would be a very nice thing if um we played in a doubles event and we chose to sort of play with each other which would be really funny right I’m going to choice of all the players and we could just rip the out of each other I’m going to I’m going to be serious here every shot you played wrong and nobody could really argue with it it would be good fun that actually okay Carry On I’m going to be I’m just going to I’m going to move ahead right and and see I don’t know can you see that without your glasses at draw at all no because I wanted you to try and pick out the four semi-finalists I’m looking at just a blur right so this half we’ve got we’ve got the quarterfinals this half no I’m not sure you have got the quarterfinals this half no no okay you tell me so we’ve got Jud Trump Jose ma winner plays Tom Ford Ricky Walden honestly I think first round is is an absolute Lottery y so therefore you don’t know what the Carnage is going to be [Applause] all right narrow it down then who’s in the final narrow it down who’s in the final I haven’t got my glasses on who’s in the final then go on then that’s I went in that why why are you asking me I’m just asking who you think is going to be in the final because you’re the one that’s here talking about it do you think my view is any more relevant though no I think you’re taking us far too seriously Steve who would you like to see in the final that’s less serious Me Maybe you maybe that’s a really um I’d love to see like the likes of Ron O Sullivan Jud Trump h v the players that are yeah C we again yeah yeah players that are inspiring or have a story line yeah um i’ also love to see like you know players Stuart Bingham and Ali Carter have a real good run you know because that would be great because they’ve been there and seen get got to the final and I think um also you’ve got the unknown quantities yeah like a c we coming through again or maybe another Chinese player that you know has no hasn’t had too much exposure in the UK yeah I think the great thing I got from the last two or three years the story lines right are really unfolding that you nobody knows what’s going to happen and all of a sudden you get you kind of go through the first week and just yeah you have no idea in the first week it’s the second week where the story line unfolds and that’s where I think the beauty of it is because a new hero a new star was born and the world championship is a great venue for that to happen CJ wi what story how did he not get to the final unbelievable look atel unbelievable last year I think was the most astonishing World Championship if you get anything similar to that yeah it’s going to be brilliant do you they tell that finish last simple questions do you still get excited coming to cheffield this time of year yeah because all of a sudden while we’re talking about it we all we start to know no I I I do ien to late or remember the journey the car Journey it’s just like it is and that’s and for that reason I mean you know if it ever leaves Sheffield it’s going to be sad day isn’t it I mean it will going be sad day well is going to be a sad day but actually it was a question that was asked quite often in some interviews beforehand that you you we all do yeah when you drive past it it’s such a small it’s such a small Arena yeah 900 people it’s becoming an exclusive ticket there’s going to be a time when we need to outdo say the Masters our only event at Ali Pali yeah 2,000 CA yeah should the world championship be the biggest venue should it be do you throw away you throw away your history lightly but do you go okay it’s only nostalgia in history I don’t know I know Rob Walker came up with quite an interesting thing he said that what if the world championship we the Tour Championship Manchester big venue great crowds what if they swapped and had a Tour Championship in The Crucible and the world championship in a bigger venue it’s a it’s it’s a possibility but I don’t know so it’s not it’s not wimon yeah it’s the world championship right at The Crucible right that that that depends on a few other nothing nothing will ever replace the atmosphere of of final night there and in one table in The Crucible how do you know you’re you’re of your era who’s to say that if you had a 3,000 4,000 seat sneer venue in the future possibly that the people of that time when that is the most amazing and they went back to watch The Crucible and thought it was all right but not like this right okay you never know possibly shall we um do this again maybe before the final and see if we were right on the predictions and maybe yeah another one yeah absolutely maybe should maybe shouldn’t let us with a Que in a and know we’ll see but um but yeah thanks for your input it’s been honestly enlightening and thanks for breaking up whatever you were doing to to come and speak to us off [Music]