INTERVIEW: Robbie Williams talks all things snooker

With 128 players going to the world championship qualifiers over the next week to try and take one of the 16 coveted spots at the Crucible, it is going to be another exciting qualifying event with so many names that could make it through. One of those that has showed huge quality by making it through in each of the last three years is Robbie Williams, and he will be hoping to keep that run going.

“My game is in decent shape at the moment, could be better, could be worse. That's probably been the story of my season so far. I've had a couple of decent runs this season but then haven't backed it up which has been disappointing. With the World Championships just around the corner, that always gives me a bit of a lift". 

Back in 2014 he completed four wins to make it through to the main stages of the world championships, beating Fergal O’Brien 10-9 on a re-spotted black in the final round. In 2015 the format changed so that all players had to play three qualifying matches, from the amateur invites to the highest seeds who failed to qualify automatically as a member of the top 16. That was no problem for Williams though as he overcame Michael Holt on the way to the Crucible. Last season it was another tense finish last year when he saw off Anthony Hamilton 10-9 to remain undefeated at Ponds Forge.

“I've always enjoyed Ponds Forge as a venue and I've always felt most comfortable playing there. That's a big help when you're playing because you can just focus on the snooker. All three final round matches I've played in, I've fancied winning. I don't really think it matters who you play, knowing you're so close to the crucible is what your focus is on".

Despite pulling out of the China Open last week due to illness, he is still looking forward to the world championship and excited for the prospect of making it four successive years of qualifying for the biggest event on the calendar.

“This is my favourite time of the season. The build up to the World Championship is always an exciting few weeks and this year is no different. I love everything about it. The venue, the format, being in Sheffield, everything”.

Williams withdrawal from China was down to illness and hopefully he will be fighting fit when the qualifiers begin. However, in the three years he has qualified for the Crucible, he had not qualified for Beijing the week before, giving him the extra time to prepare.

“I think not qualifying for Beijing in the past has been a massive help for my prep for the Worlds. The flights to and from China take a lot out of you and I always seem to come back ill from long haul flights so it's certainly a bit of a worry. I still don't understand how we can have big gaps in the calendar and the China Open finishes three days before World qualifiers, it’s bonkers”.

Williams, who is in the middle section of the rankings as the 50^th seed for this year, is someone who may benefit from the format change of 2015, with all players playing three matches to make it a level playing field for everyone involved.

“I prefer the current system just because you can win more money for fewer matches. Who doesn’t want that? It's a little tough on number 17 I suppose. The first time I qualified for the crucible, we had to play four qualifiers with numbers 17 to 32 seeded through to the final round. That's not a bad compromise and I wouldn't mind having to do that". 

While he has qualified for the Crucible three years in the row, the first round at the main event is as far as he has ever been able to get. In 2014 he lost to the century machine that was Neil Robertson, while in 2015 Stuart Bingham managed to recover from losing the first session to see off Williams and then go on to win the whole tournament. Last year was by far the closest he has come to victory at the Crucible, losing 10-8 to Ricky Walden, though he was very hard on himself following such a narrow loss.

“I remember saying in my press conference after the Walden match that I never want to feel like that again, I guess qualifying for the Crucible shows I've got a bit of bottle, but when you play on the big stage you soon see how much bottle you have, and to be quite honest, I've not shown much. I would put that down to the TV table conditions being so different to the qualifying conditions". 

While the re-spotted black to qualify in 2014 must have been a nerve wracking experience, Williams does not compare to the nerves felt at the Crucible and in front of the big crowds on TV.

“The most nervous I've been playing snooker would have to be at the shootout, closely followed by the crucible. A black ball re-spot at the qualifiers is nothing compared to those two tournaments. Dealing with the nerves gets easier the more you play at the Crucible, but it will always be a difficult place to play. Some players take to it straight away. You only have to look at the likes of Michael Wasley or Anthony McGill in recent years to see it can be done”.

For a number of players, it is not just the thought of playing at the Crucible that will make them nervous, but there is a lot of pressure on those hovering just above and below the top 64 in the world to have a good run in the qualifiers and retain their tour cards. While this is not an issue for Williams this year, his run through to the Crucible in 2014 was enough to ensure he survived relegation from the tour.

“I knew if I qualified, I would get into the top 64, but I think even if I lost to Fergal, I'd have still retained my place via the PTC list so I didn't have the pressure of tour survival on my shoulders. I think that's another reason why the qualifiers are such a buzz. Although I'm a player, I'm still a big snooker fan and I always keep an eye on other results to see who's managed to stay on tour. The prize money is massive for a first round win, it could be the difference between retaining your tour card, or having to fight your way through Q-School. It's good to go and watch some of those matches. You can't beat a good twitch fest”.

For those that complete the three-game slog to qualify next Wednesday, it may be a short turnaround for some who will have to play on the opening Saturday or Sunday. Some players will be able to carry the momentum and match sharpness forward, but a couple of days will still not give players long to re-charge the batteries.

“In a way the quick turnaround is not a bad thing because you're still on a high. The feeling of getting through qualifying is almost like winning a tournament. But once you've realised you've made it through and you do the press interviews and then the video graphics for the BBC, you get handed a player’s information sheet and realise you're back in the first round again. That's when the tiredness hits you, knowing you've got to do it all again and then some. Ding proved last year that coming through qualifying and then getting to the final, that it can be an advantage to have a week’s match practice and tiredness doesn't play too much of a part if you've prepared properly”.

On paper, Williams has made the last 16 at the Paul Hunter Classic and the Welsh Open as his best finishes of the 2016/2017 season, but in reality, he has been a little underwhelmed by his efforts. Though he is happy with how is game is moving on, which is key before such a big event.

“It's been an uneventful season so far. Like you say, a couple of good runs but nothing special. On the plus side I feel like I'm getting slightly more consistent with my performances and have been slowly moving up the rankings so overall I'm fairly satisfied with the season so far”.

When all is said and done though, Williams is quite a quiet character and certainly not someone you hear a lot about in terms of causing trouble or controversy. That is why it was a surprise to see the comments that were made about his playing style by Joe Perry, after the 30-year-old beat Perry in the 2015 UK Championships.

“At the press conference after the match, there was an unusually high number of press surrounding the table I was about to sit at. The interviewer hinted that Joe had said something about me but it wasn't until I got back to the hotel that I read what he had said. To be honest, some of what he said was fair play. No-one wants to watch boring slow snooker but what people need to remember is the money on offer to win was massive for me. I didn't go into that match to try an upset him or anger him in any way, I was simply trying my hardest to win. I hadn't won a TV game apart from a couple of shootout matches before that so I just wanted to put everything into that match”.

While he may say that some of Perry’s comments about slow play were fair play, it was still not something that Williams liked to hear or something that he expected to be said by a player of Perry’s stature.

“I found the majority of what he said pretty disrespectful. I would never say that about another player and to be on the receiving end was disappointing. Anyone who knows me personally knows I'm quite shy and like to keep myself to myself. Snooker has helped me with my confidence playing in big arenas and doing interviews but just walking out there onto the main stage is a big deal for me. So for another pro to have a go at me like that under the circumstances, wasn't a nice feeling, particularly when it's a popular and top player like Joe. I lost to Matt Selt in the next round. The comments were in the back of my mind but they didn't affect the result. Matt was simply the better player on the day”.

Having said that, the player nicknamed the ‘Gentleman’ did come out some while after on social media, and apologise for his comments.

“Someone showed me the tweet he put out, apologising. As far as I was concerned, that was the end of the matter. He didn't apologise to me personally but I didn't need him too. After the tournament it was all forgotten about anyway”.

Other peoples comments are not what you want to be thinking about in high stakes competition, so erasing it from the memory was probably best for Williams. Meanwhile, one of the most controversial things on the snooker tour as a whole in recent times, has been the playing of the one frame ‘Snooker Shoot-Out’ as a full ranking event. The players have since had a vote on whether it should remain a ranking event or be removed from the calendar, and while not agreeing with it himself, the Wirral potter can understand why the players voted for it to stay. 

“I think what Barry Hearn has done for the game has been immense. The money and the number of tournaments on the calendar is fantastic and he deserves every credit. But making the Shootout a ranking event is ludicrous. Safe to say I voted to scrap it as I don't like the event anyway and probably won't play in it again unless I desperately need the ranking points to stay on tour or something. I've got no problem with the event as a bit of fun and I think there is a place on the calendar for it but not for ranking points. The vote was completely pointless. It was always going to be saved as it's a great way for lower ranked players to earn money quickly and shoot up the rankings, and fair play to them, I'd have voted the same in their position”.

Every pound is vital now that the rankings are based on a prize money ranking list, but another great debate on the circuit and on social media has been whether prize money in snooker should be more evenly spread, so that more professionals can make a good living from the game.

“I think you need to be minimum top 32 to make decent money. Careers don't last long so when you win any money it's important to start thinking how to invest it wisely. I'm in a position where I'm comfortable and don't have the pressure of trying to raise money to enter the next tournament but I am thinking maybe I've got 15 years left on the tour, what do I do then? Barry has talked about spreading the money lower down and I think it's not a bad idea. He says sport should be brutal and I get what he means but surely you'd want to help as many players earn as much money as they can or why bother having so many on tour?”

While on the subject of big snooker debates, talk of the amateur game began and whether amateurs should be given wildcards into events. It is something that has been happening in Chinese events for a number of years, while two host nation players were invited to each event on the home nations series, and subsequently the qualifiers for the World Championship this week. 

“I don't mind amateurs getting wild cards but only if there is a space in the last 128 draw. I'd use Jackson Page as an example at the Welsh Open. The exposure he got was great for him and it's important up and coming players get opportunities like that and he took his with both hands. No-one likes the wild cards in China however. You've already won a match to get there, then a few players have to play a Chinese amateur before round two, and they’re normally very good”.

Again it seems as though most of the up and coming young players are coming from the far east in the last couple of years. Yan Bingtao and Zhou Yuelong have been an example of that over the last year or two and it is a trend that may continue now that the European Tour is no longer, and European amateurs do not have as many opportunities to test themselves against the best.

“I think amateurs, particularly in this country and across Europe have a bit of a raw deal at the moment. There is simply not enough playing opportunities and the standard has fallen because of this. When I was coming through as a junior we had English knockouts at all age levels, English junior tour, Golden waistcoat tour, English amateur, English open tour, Pontins Star of the future, Pontins u21 tour not to mention all the local tournaments. Something needs to be done as there is still the interest at amateur level but if nothing is done, that interest will only fall away”.

What the future holds for Williams is a different question. Having continued to climb up the rankings in the last year, that is a trend he would like to continue, but as for specific hopes and goals Williams is a player who is able to put his into perspective.

“I've never been one to set too many goals for the future. Obviously it would be nice to win a ranking event but if it doesn't happen, it won't matter. I want to fulfil my potential as much as the next player but sometimes it's easy to forget why we're all professional. We all love playing the game, whether it's in the club or at the Crucible and I realise how lucky I am to be in this position. As long as I enjoy playing, I'll continue to make the most of it and see what happens”.

Bringing things back to the world championships, there has been a lot of talk about who will win the big one at the Crucible on social media, as there always is. Williams says that Selby and O’Sullivan are two players who can never be ruled out, but feels that Trump is the favourite.

“I'd like to see Ding Junhui or Judd Trump win though as they're too good not to win the World Championships at least once”, Williams concludes.

Robbie Williams will be hoping to be one of the 16 qualifiers with their names in the hat when the draw for the final stages of the world championships takes place prior to the start at the Crucible on Saturday April 15.

Before that there is the small matter of winning the three qualifying matches, and the actions gets underway at Ponds Forge in Sheffield on Wednesday morning, with Williams drawn to play James Cahill in the first round, with both sessions of their match taking place on Friday.