Ken Doherty

But yeah, it'd be very silly little things like that.

30 years later, yeah.

Well, I used to actually play with him.

I mean, his father used to send a taxi for me to go and practice with him at the bottom of his house when he was just 12 years of age, you know.

So I know him like 40 years almost.

Yeah, six years older than him, yeah.

So I know him, I saw him play when he was, the first time I saw him play when he was only 10 and, you know, he was knocking in centuries in pro-ams even then, you know, I was just, you know, 17, yes, I would have been 16, 17, yeah, but yeah, he was incredible even then.

You knew, you could see the talent so early, you know, and he's, well, I mean, it's, you know, he's the greatest player that's ever played the game.

I can't see any difference in his technique.

I mean, he has changed his technique over the years, but I haven't seen any difference in his technique

this championship uh to like previous years you know but I know I know he is very technical orientated he's had so many different coaches he likes to experiment and uh he likes to uh you know try and you know experiment with his cue action and see what he can do with it you know but uh

And he likes to experiment with different cues as well.

I mean, I think he had two or three different cues at this World Championship that he was going to play with.

And he did play with, you know, and he came out and played with a different cue in the second session against Guo Chang than he did in the fourth session, even though he won like seven of the nine frames.

Yeah, of course, but it probably invigorates him, you know, because of his personality that he probably needs things like that to try and keep himself interested and invigorated and keep himself loving the game, wanting to play the game, you know, because he thinks that maybe this cue action or if I do something, a tweak here or there, I'm going to play even better, you know.

I still am I love the game you know I do love the game but I'm sort of on a slippery slope you know as far as like as far as like playing but yeah I'll always love the game you know I always enjoy playing and if I get to play Ronnie on Friday that would be pretty good but I don't think he'd be quaking in his boots somehow you know

He might have 30 years ago, but not now, I don't think.

What's slipping?

I think people have different sort of...

you know, and people like these guys who, you know, are quite incredible even at the age of 50 that can still produce great snooker, you know, that is, I don't know whether we'll see the likes of them again, you know, as regards our sport that they could play to such a high level.