THE CONCRETE ROUNDABOUT (TCR)

Well done on getting tickets. Ive tried on numerous occasions and got no where near getting any. It will be a loss if the Crucible is no longer used but by all accounts, its a bit of a shithole and doesnt hold enough spectators, hence the difficulty in getting tickets. They can smarten the place up a bit, thats no big deal but making it bigger is more or less a no starter so its no surprise that moving it is seeming inevitable. I would rather it didnt go to Saudi but there must be comparable venues available? The new coop Live in Manchester for instance.

It's felt like the long term intent for some time has been to try and get interest in Asia and then sell / move the sport there. Barry Hearn's a pretty ruthless businessman anyway, and Eddie Hearn has said how Boxing is his sport, and Snooker's much more his dad's thing.

If the long term aim was to keep it in UK, then I'd have expected much more of a vocal concern / active push from them over the years to try and address the declining Snooker clubs here. Instead, most of the push has been about getting it taking off more and more in Asia.

Allowing Saudi Arabia to just 'buy' a new 4th Major - that was previously the much coveted Triple Crown events that had history and prestige - signalled exactly what Barry Hearn outright confirmed in his interview at this years World Championship: that money talks, and way outweighs history and tradition. And how the Asia market want to buy the biggest events straight away, and why shouldn't they when they're investing the big money, etc? He freely stated all this and dismissed any suggestions otherwise from the likes of Davis and Doherty (I think it was). So getting the World Championship away from Sheffield is the hard thing from a PR point of view - once they've done that, I doubt they'll move it to another UK venue. It'll just be the inevitable moving of it to China or Saudi Arabia that's been on the cards for ages.

I can imagine it's like being in the noisy end of a football stadium

Is there an option at darts for a quieter but like in football?

If not I think I'll continue enjoying it on telly where the drunken noise adds to the telly experience but doesn't annoy me (like it would.in person)

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Rebuild, repair recharge ....COYD

Littler vs humphries is box office! Luke littler has hit 4 9 darters this season. Astonishing.

The darts last night was fantastic! They are clearly the two to beat at the moment

Absolutely brilliant. The pub went mad when the 9 darter went in.

And to think I said the PL would be too much for him.

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"You bought a bank out of social embarrassment? I sometimes buy the Big Issue out of social embarrassment. I don't buy a fucking bank!"

You weren't alone in that view. I still think he needs careful management and guidance in the next couple of years to avoid any potential burn out, leading to n Adrian Lewis style fall away from the top, but it looks like he has that support network in place. If he's that good at 17, how many of Phil Taylor's records could he potentially break if he has the motivation to keep playing and keep winning titles?

The fatigue will ensure he doesn't beat Taylor's WC, Grand Prix and Matchplay records for me. The distances and events he's already doing is far more than the Taylor years.

Plus the competing standard and what's likely coming up in future years.

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Decided to come back.