DEATH KNELL FOR SNOOKER

Game of chicken going on. I'm 1,000,000% positive Barry Hearn does not want the worlds to move from Sheffield but if the city doesn't intervene and make some commitment to fund an expanded crucible or new venue nearby, then the threats to move it will intensify. If it comes that that pr!ck Eddie is calling the shots, then anything is certainly possible.

Agree with you about E.H. What an odious twerp he is.

i love the world champs, but wont be interested at all if it moves from sheffield, went there about 7 years back for quarters  paid around £20 quid for tickets superb view , this is when the same folks used to go every year, youd see them every session on tv , BUT  hearn put a stop to it, noticed same seats now go for  around 400 quid  vip .  ETC ETC for the q finals

great history...great venue.. but if snooker has any hope of keeping pace it needs to move..not to Saudi or China but certainly to a venue that can house more fans for it's absolute pinnacle..

the cruce is an iconic venue, all the greats have played there, move to a different venue you change the fabric of the whole event
big mistake

I'm sure augusta would like more space, you reckon they are building a new course somewhere else or moving the masters ffs

hearn jnr, o'sullivan et al...vile sellout merchants, happily take out what they can & won't give 2 phucks when the ship goes down

World Championships were played long before they went to the crucible...

no reason you can't create great history elsewhere..by the time all dignitaries and privileged types are given tickets to the final you're only getting about 900 snooker fans in... I think that's a shame personally..

couldn't give a f*** about Augusta that's always been a beacon for privilege and  exclusivity.

O'Sullivans so disgusting in every way,hanging out with the Saudis everything has to revolve arund him ,the games dying as it is and now that idiot and co want to make it even more Mickey Mouse...

moving this fantastic sporting event would be on a par to the derby run at newmarket , the crucible like epsom is the ultimate test, oh please dont ever leave sheffield

Didn't hear it but apparently there was a WS podcast done in front of a crowd last night and Hendry was loudly booed when he spoke about the crucible being jettisoned. Luca supposedly pulled out claiming to be "unwell" though I'd be surprised if that was anything other than an excuse to get out of it. Think Dave could take him regardless.

Second thoughts Luca may not have been faking anything

https://x.com/DailyStar_Sport/status/1781431690516148436

Apr 19, 2024 -- 6:48PM, wondersobright wrote:

hearn jnr, o'sullivan et al...vile sellout merchants, happily take out what they can & won't give 2 phucks when the ship goes down

THIS ^^

It's about time that more people start to wake up to what Ronnie's really about.  He's shown a lot more of his true colours this season, IMHO, and it ain't pretty.

So...Ronnie shows up with WS last week to promote the Saudis getting a slice of the world championships pie

At the same time...Ronnie is part of the Jason Francis axis that is suing WS over competition issues and apparently (though I'll believe it when i see it) ready to announce some sort of breakaway tour.

I wouldn't be buying a used car off the bloke anyway

Apr 19, 2024 -- 10:12PM, elisjohn wrote:

moving this fantastic sporting event would be on a par to the derby run at newmarket , the crucible like epsom is the ultimate test, oh please dont ever leave sheffield

spot on elis
...the masters @ augusta etc

and yep spot on lats

The Crucible is on limited time. For viewing and suspense it is unbeatable, proper seats as well, not like the plastic ones in most venues. But snooker has moved on and is rightly now trying to expand around the world. A crowd of less than a 1,000 for the World's greatest event is surely not the way forward/ Hopefully it will go to China before Qatar or Saudi, just for atmosphere and interest.

Snooker's problem at the moment is that most of the events, in what is gradually becoming more of a world sport, are held in a very narrow region in the UK. The qualifiers are either at Leicester, Sheffield or occasionally Barnsley. The main events are at Sheffield, York, Manchester, Bolton, Leicester and Llandudno. A very close knit area. More events are needed in China, Europe, southern England or Wales and Middle East. This will grow the sport and prolong it's life.

As a tradition it is ideal to keep the Crucible but for world development there has to be more tournaments in other places.

The prize money in comparison to many other sports is derisory.

Winner £500K
Runner up £200K
Semi-finalists £100K

This is their premier event and you bust your balls all year, get to say the semis and lose. Your slice of the cake is £100K before tax and the yearly expenses.

So basically you just about cover yourself and keep a roof over your head for you and your family. Jimmy White spoke about this last year I think it was and said that professional snooker players working the circuit is a lonely and soul destroying existence and I can well believe that 100%.

Who could blame them for chasing the bucks and going further afield in China, S.A. etc?

Not me for sure, things move on.

I doubt I'll watch the WC if it's not at the crucible. I like its intimacy.
Large echoey arenas with boozed up barrackers in the crowd you can have anywhere.

Higgins telling BBC Sport: "I think it's inevitable. The landscape of the snooker world will have changed in three years.

"I'm just lucky that I've won it here. It will be sad to leave, it's been a massive part of my life.

I hardly watch any of it now,once 3/4 players go out that i prefer to watch i just stop watching,add in this p1le of sh1t enabled by rainman O'Sullivan then thaputts the final nail in..Snooker a niche sport,it'll never be huge world wide,pools taking over it's huge everywhere and you can play someone fir 50k eveey weekend oif you want and they aren't even pros..

cheapest seats now are around 50 quid a session x 1000 crowd , its always sold out , 3 seessions a day thats  150,000 grand plus most seats go for around a ton , eg making at least 200, 000 grand a day over 16 days , at least    3 million , with vip seats and century club id make it£ 4 to 5 million tickets sales alone

Have to feel sorry for Hearn. Sheffield council refusing to build a new arena. Fans nagging him because they cant get a ticket. Players are struggling to eat. They are all stuffing them Saudi notes into his pockets and theres nothing he can do about it. Poor bloke

just watched today's hearn interview on BBC, he is a despicable james blunt

core fanbase & players are from UK & china, so you can forget all this global game bs

how many years has he had to "grow the game" ffs
10 years plus & we've got a calendar full of tinpot events, a gimmick exhibition event in saudi a la other sports, all the mugs accomodated with 128 & uber bucket pockets

that's hearn's legacy