In the second of my “Conversations With CoR” series, I chat with Phil Robinson (@PhiltheRenegade). Phil is currently studying for a Masters degree in Forensic Psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University and runs his own blog called M18 Snooker Blog. You can find its website and Twitter account by clicking on the relevant hyperlinks.
We chat about how Phil’s fascination with snooker started, the Snooker Shoot-Out’s ranking status, betting sponsorship and Pukka Pies.
We had a lovely chat on Sunday 7th February 2021 (occasionally interrupted by his Dalmatian Frankie and cat Castiel) and our interview is underneath. Enjoy!
Interview – Phil Robinson
The Snooker Shoot-Out
CoR: Have you been catching up on the Shoot-Out recently?
Phil Robinson: Yeah, I’ve been watching a lot of it! I know it shouldn’t be a ranking event, but on the other hand, it is a great opportunity for some of the lower players.
CoR: I agree. I’ve been to the Shoot-Out last year and I had such a good time but it should never been a ranking event. I cannot understand how you can win £50,000 worth of ranking points by winning seven frames. You could win the same amount by winning seven matches at the Riga Masters!
Phil Robinson: It does seem a bit daft. But outside the Triple Crown, the Shoot-Out is the event I look forward to most. I don’t mind the crowd – it’s certainly different!
CoR: Matthew Stevens has won one ranking event and that would be the same as someone who won the Shoot-Out once! That doesn’t sit right with me.
Phil Robinson: Incidentally, how on earth has Matthew Stevens got such a legacy in the game and has only won one ranking event???
CoR: It is nuts, considering he has won the Masters as well.
Phil Robinson: Did you see Peter Devlin’s rapping on Eurosport?
CoR: I did, it was alright! I didn’t like that Andy Goldstein put him on the spot and that Ronnie looked confused throughout. It’s nice to see more players to come out of their more often like Dechawat Poomjaeng.
Phil Robinson: Definitely, it’s good to see some personality and get some publicity. Jamie Wilson’s definitely got something but he seems too fast for his own good.
Crucible Memories
CoR: So what got you into snooker in the first place?
Phil Robinson: I don’t particularly know! I remember watching Ronnie O’Sullivan play Paul Hunter in the 2004 Masters final. My parents used to watch it and I guess it was on at the right time. I know my mother was a big Ronnie fan. From then on I just liked Paul Hunter – I was only 8 or 9 at the time so I can’t remember why. One of my earlier memories was the 2005 World final when Shaun Murphy won the title. I trying to watch that final on Youtube at the moment, just to get that wave of nostalgia.
CoR: What venues have you been to already?
Phil Robinson: Do qualifiers count? I’ve been to three: the English Institute of Sport for the World qualifiers, the Barbican in York and the Crucible. I was hoping to go for the second time last year, but obviously, that got postponed.
That trip got cancelled twice! The first was due to COVID and the second was when the government changed the rules on crowds at sporting events after the first day.
CoR: What matches did you see at the Crucible then?
Phil Robinson: It was 2019. I saw the first session between Luca Brecel and Gary Wilson (I was there for the normal session!) and the afternoon session, I saw Neil Robertson and Michael Georgiou.
CoR: Ah. So two completely different matches.
Phil Robinson: The Robertson match was the least competitive match I’d ever seen!
CoR: Robertson was just too good. I remember when he raced to a 4-0 lead, Georgiou had only potted nine balls. He wasn’t even allowed to play. The Brecel vs. Wilson match must’ve been brilliant to watch.
Phil Robinson: Yeah, the first session was pretty good, though I didn’t have a good view of it because I booked a seat pretty high up. But it was still pretty good. I saw the evening session on television, including the famous frame that lasted about three weeks!
CoR: That frame was worth it though. Wilson’s escapes were among the best then.
Phil Robinson: It was one of those frames where you didn’t want either player to lose.
Picking His Favourites
CoR: Do you support any players in particular? I know from your Twitter feed you have some favourites and other you aren’t so particular keen on.
Phil Robinson: Obviously Kurt Maflin, because I made a #MaflinMafia for him! I like Michael White and I can’t wait to see him back on tour soon. I enjoy Matthew Stevens because of how honest he is – particular his interview after beating Michael Holt in the Shoot-Out. He said he’s playing better at that event because he’s not drunk so he can see the balls!
CoR: I also remember Stevens saying earlier that he’s got a good chance to win in the Shoot-Out because he wasn’t steaming!
Phil Robinson: Usually he would be joining in with the crowd drinking!
CoR: I would think he would be the sort of chap you would like to have a pint with – I reckon you can name a number of snooker players like that. Big Bill Werbeniuk was an absolute animal.
Phil Robinson: My memory of Werbeniuk was of him peeking around the divider to watch Cliff Thorburn’s 147 in 1983. He just wanted to watch but didn’t want to put him off!
Phil Goes All-In
CoR: Do you have any issues with how snooker is being run at the moment? Is there anything in snooker you would like to implement if it were up to you?
Phil Robinson: There are two things. One is significantly bigger than the other. They started to do something about this but I don’t like that there are so many tournaments sponsored by betting firms.
The thing is I do have an occasional bet on some snooker, but I can’t understand why they can’t find any other company other than betting to do this.
CoR: It largely depends what kind of companies want to be associated with snooker. Look at the list of betting sponsors over the past decade already: BildBet. Dafabet. CaesarsCasino. Coral. William Hill. BetVictor. Betfred. 19.com. Jojobet. 888.com. Betfair. Betway. 888casino. PartyPoker. ManBetX. Totesport. Ladbrokes. 188BET. It’s quite dominant.
What type of companies would you want to sponsor a snooker tournament?
Phil Robinson: I’m tempted to say anything that isn’t a betting company! I know betting companies bring a lot of money but would it kill them to find someone else? At least they found Cazoo to replace Coral to do the Players Championship and the rest though.
CoR: It makes a nice change. I can only think of Kaspersky Lab at the Riga Masters being the other different one.
Phil Robinson: It would cool to see Pukka Pies again. I remember they sponsored the UK Championships at one point.
CoR: I think everyone wants Pukka Pies back just to see Ding Junhui surrounded by pies again!
Phil Robinson: Hahaha!
CoR: Haha! I wonder if Ding has ever ate a pie in his life!
Phil Robinson: Come on, he lives in Sheffield now, of course he’ll had a pie!
CoR: It’s a great culture clash. But those betting companies do provide a lot of financial support. Football is a brilliant example.
Phil Robinson: Absolutely. There are betting laws but they allow betting companies to sponsor everything – of course people are going to have a bet on.
Get The Attention Away From China
Phil Robinson: The other thing I wish to change on the circuit is to have fewer events in China. Nothing to do with what’s been happening in the past year. In the first half of the season, there seems to be a lot of Chinese events that are so poorly attended. It looks terrible on television. I think the International Championship is the worst offender because the stands are virtually empty until the semi-finals.
CoR: Which events would you get rid of and replace with?
Phil Robinson: The International Championship is one. I would like to see the World Open being staged around the world rather than just China. I know the World Championships are stuck in one place, but that’s at the home of snooker.
CoR: Where would you see the World Open go?
Phil Robinson: I think it would be cool to have a tournament somewhere like Norway sometime. There are quite a few promising players in the Nordic countries and would love to see King Kurt get an ovation in his home country.
I do miss the Australian Goldfields Open because they always seem well supported.
CoR: Goodness, that’s ages ago.
Phil Robinson: I would like to see an event back in Manchester again. There was only the 2016 English Open and then it got moved.
CoR: Yeah. Somehow, I doubt it will return to Crawley. Ronnie O’Sullivan has made his feelings clear about Crawley..
Phil Robinson: Oh, but Ronnie has to have an opinion on everything though…
Life As A Snooker Blogger
CoR: How’s your M18 Snooker Blog coming along by the way?
Phil Robinson: It’s going well, thank you. I’m organising an article on the most underrated players in snooker at the moment, excluding the World Championship winners.
I’ve always wanted to talk about my passion for snooker and the blog is just somewhere where I can do it. I called it M18 because it’s the first half of my postcode – I’ve only ever lived in one place! I saw a WordPress advert and the idea just came to me. It’s just the case of writing it and I hope people will like it!
CoR: What sort of things do you like writing about?
Phil Robinson: Mainly doing predictions for big events and I’ve always done opinion pieces. The ‘underrated players’ idea will be my first ‘listed’ article. I wish I can write more but my Masters course takes up a lot of my time.
CoR: Countdowns are always fun to write. Everyone likes a list!
Acknowledgments
Many thanks go to Phil Robinsonfor taking his time out to be interviewed by me.
I take no credit for the photos used in this interview. WST, Eurosport, Live Snooker and the Sheffield Telegraph are the owners of some of the photographic material.
All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of content is expressly prohibited without the written consent of the author (Cluster of Reds Snooker Blog).
