James Maddison On His Snooker Obsession, Beckham & Life At Spurs

Spurs midfielder James Maddison joins Stephen for a couple of frames and a fascinating chat where he discusses his love of snooker, his return from injury and friendship with Judd Trump
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Welcome to the Q-tips YouTube channel and tonight I’m delighted to have England Tottenham hot sport footballer James Madison thank you for having me one of the best players in the league and apparently not a bad snooker player so let’s see the break off oh God I’m I’m nervous I’m nervous don’t yeah don’t

That out break off and I’m going to I’m going to have first first have a go with you about something nothing to do with your game nice so you got this beautiful room beautiful table I got to teach you how to it I can see it are it’s not a car you

Want it’s like I didn’t really to be fair I didn’t know there was an act I mean it’s very clean don’t get me wrong but it’s you need to do it in in straight lines do because see the nap the nap of the cloth if you’re going

Like that it’s like bringing it up so it’s never going to be as fast as it as it should be so straight lines that’s the first lesson I spent an hour and a half brushing it as well for the first thing you Ted me for is the actual brush

Of it but I mean what what the break offs I’ve left you one though I well you’ve not you’ve not got the cushion no not far away so often you spend up here oh at the minute a lot to be honest yeah just because i’ I’ve only

Recently got the table and you know like obviously the Masters are so good I’ve got the snooker BG at the minute so uh so did you play pool first or was it always snooker yeah more just natural is it you normally play pool first as a younger kid right play against my dad

And stuff and then as I got a little bit older dad used to take me to the local Riley’s and right okay and we just played from there yeah what’s your highest break oh that’s Prett good shot um 46 is my highest break yeah not in here that wasn’t but I

Haven’t managed to get to that half century yet right that’s my aim though that’s the next goal so keep the Q-tips coming and I I get there saying I bet the table Fitters weren’t coming up up these stairs and everything up to bring the table tough I don’t know

If you’re going to see on the video how you get up here but I was had a pool table on the top floor of a house an American pool table and they they screamed about that they said we can’t get up these stairs like yeah it was

Tough from there’s a video of the six Lads bringing the slates up yeah and six of them six took six of them yeah shot I was I’ve been excited too far just to see you play up close honestly you ever played in like cuz you’re quite

Friends with Jud AR you yeah very close with Jud and we spoke about having a game sometimes but we never got around to it you just see him in nightclubs in London nor normally in Lively restaurants yeah sh oh look at that for a double kiss that’s amazing deserve them seven

Time J so you beat obviously an injury have you sp injured for a while have you been spending more up time up here or more yeah to be fair like you obviously have different schedules to the lads and and different days off and stuff so you’re not you’re never really on the

Schedule with the other boys so the one benefit of being injured I think is I’ve had a lot more time with my family and time to myself when we have away games and stuff like that and you play especially over the Christmas period when you’re playing every 3 days and you

Might have two you’re never home so like the the silver how long have you been off I was off for about 10 weeks away from the squad so it’s been about three months now but I’m back now I came on against Man City the other night

And shut if you’re andur do you have to still go and watch the games you you there’s no rule in the contract you for for all the home games you would go just because you want to be that support the lads but it must must be worse there

It’s horrible man like I get so nervous watching the team compared to like how I feel when I’m playing oh that was bad just like the ner I just when I’m watching I just get a bit of an like you know nervous I want team but when you’re down there and you

Can affect the game and you’re in it you don’t it’s weird you get the same sort of feeling the only thing I ever had like that was the the team team snooker with me John Higgins and Alan mcmanis and yeah I hated good shot I hated watching because as you say like you

They might play Shots you don’t play and and and it’s just yes yeah that’s the big difference betweener and it like the individual of it and well yeah I mean commentating and stuff because everyone plays differently what you playing here Canon and this one yeah well I’m going

To just honestly I’d just try and go into the pack and hope to fall on a red I wouldn’t well I mean this yeah they’re quite open anyway but obviously this Canon this one here it give you a choice of this one these two or that one in

There so you’re always looking to leave yourself an area give most [Applause] options a bit harder than bit harder than you’ve got you’ve got the finger twitch though the professional finger Twitch in the bridge I don’t know why that is that’s no one does it deliberately yeah no one does it deliberately [Applause]

Yeah lovely how many tournaments have you been watching I see you at the Masters this year I went to the Masters this year that was the first time I went to there I’ve been to The Crucible two or three times now right yeah I where I met you first time when I

Came with my dad and that’s true honestly I remember yeah in in the lounge couple two or three years ago that was I think was when when Ronnie went but yeah that was that was amazing the Cru it was different watching the Masters the other day well the they’re

Just like two completely different tournaments the on edge feel at The Crucible like I’m scared to even like yeah very my beard you know what I mean like cuz it’s so so intense yeah like you said and I’ve heard the players talk about it as well like the difference

Between the Masters and the The Crucible what age did you think what age did you first play or see or even watch snooker on TV well my dad was a big snooker fan he was uh he was a big fan he used to love I think he loved Jimmy

White I was going to say he loved you I think he loved Jimmy a little bit more but uh that’s what most that’s that’s what most people say but but yeah so it was kind of a knockdown from that are you from leester no I’m from centry so

Just just down the m69 okay I was going to say if you from list if your dad knew Willie Thorne because obviously he’s famous and yeah Wily Thor wiie Thorn actually used to put his dogs in the same like Dog Hotel was I don’t know it’s called a dog Hotel these days but

Same kennel as as what I put my dogs in that’s all I’m told I haven’t been keeping score or anything but I don’t know what this you’re playing quite well aren you to I’ve watched a fair few as well and you’re playing pretty well yeah it’s some some days are better than

Others but this is uh yeah this is quite impressive at the moment I’m impressing myself so any other the guys on the team play snooker none of the lads in my in Sp Spurs no frustratingly because I’ve got this now I’m so close I just want to

Come and cuz I I come up and I practice sometimes I do the line up and but it’s not the same as playing against someone like I’ve got a couple of friends from centry who um who are decent as well similar level to me kind of so uh we have good games

But so you never went to um Rico then to watch CU we had we had tourament there quite a while no I never went to the right what what tournament was there that was a champion of champions I think that was oh I’ve never seen that I

Didn’t even know it was there to be fair tell you a little fact about the RICO though I uh I played against I played poker once there in Casino there against Ken doy when I was yeah we used to go in there every night for the the champ CH

He got a poker table here well that might have been why he was there I it probably was then CU it was a long time ago now it was when I was at cry are you any good what a poker yeah I I think I’m

Pretty good I enjoy it I love it yeah so so do I I love it but I’m I’m not and I’m not as good as Ken But Ken is the luckiest player that you’ve ever want to play I mean he’s just he’s unbeli I said

I said to him I said just I just like want to be in your shoes one night cuz he just plays he’s just he’s oh I saw him at the Ali P the other day for the Masters and and he and he brought up he reminded me

Actually we we played in Leicester um two or three nights when we were there last week for the Grand Prix went to the casino and uh and I just kept on losing I get no cards all night and he just SKS on winning and I said to the guys at the

Table I say look give it leave now I give you a chance leave now cuz he’ll he’ll have everyone’s money and he did you see you’re just back playing you just like yeah Co spring are you just yeah I don’t know obviously when this video is going to go out kind of thing

But we just we just played against manity in the FA Cup just good to be back out there you know like it’s so tough when you’re injured man like it’s it’s quite unexplainable to people they just think like you’re just going to pick up your money and and and you’re happy to do

That but it’s just not it’s just when you love the game and you love I love football yeah so much like I always have done and like nothing can ever you You’ give all the money in the world to not be injured you know what I mean every

Penny so um Spurs where the physio room is at Spurs right got the big glass see-through windows so as you’re on the bed every day getting your treatment on your injury and doing all the you’re just watching the lad’s train and it must be that I don’t know if it was purp

That design fault but it must be horrendous are you fully fit now or will it take a few games to get back or well yeah it will take a few games to get up to speed and get back to the level that I was at before the injury but Fitness

Wise I’m I’m good to go look at this Sten collecting the balls in my own house what is this so what’s what’s the the AIM now CU is that you’re out the comp the cup competition is it top four now is the aim for the season for the I don’t I I

Wouldn’t put even put anything on it really yeah I just think anything can happen in the Premier League we’ve got such a good such a good squad and we’ve got um a great manager who’s who’s obviously new to the Premier League but people have talked to him and we’ve

Talked to him and all the stuff I hear and like because I listen to talks Sport and stuff like that and everyone’s like raving about SPS like we we’ve been a bit unlucky with injuries as well I know a lot of clubs will probably say that

But we we we’ve lost key players and and had suspensions at the wrong time we’ve got a few key players that are at the in watch shot International tournaments at the minute which are mid-season the African C of Nations and the Asian cup so we lose basuma Sonny our captain so

It’s not it’s been a bit of a stop start season but um I still think there’s something in the air at Spurs at the minute like something’s Brewing you know shot we going have to have two frames you know that if I so who what other footballers have you

Played at snooker any left not in your team have you played because we’ve done Matty cash in who was pretty good JT was pretty good yeah although I played the worst table in the world against him it went it like a Blue Table in it it was a

Shot shocker I mean they the carpet here would have been quicker I think than the CL but he’s but he’s he’s pretty decent as well you cuz when you were at Leicester when he was there he was the coach yeah we didn’t ever go for a game

Golf we played golf yeah he’s a absolute Bandit JT a he well I mean he’s I’m playing with him tomorrow at gol but he’s just I’ve seen him go around we played with a pro Ross fiser once at went from the west and he was getting 12

Shots I think he was playing off seven or something 7.5 he went level par he tried he’s never ever ever ever been close to a 7.5 I had I had charity golf day I asked you to play didn’t I you you were in Scotland I think at the dunh

Hill links because it was similar sort of time but JT said I text him and said like I was said to the lads like watch what JT comes back with the year cuz we’re doing the handicaps for for the day and uh I’ve said all right and what

You playing off like be honest because I know what you like and he’s gone eight at the minute or something like that 7.58 and I’m like you are you there’s no chance but he stuck to it and he and he he said that was it so I couldn’t really argue

And I to play safety shot St yeah so who who who wins snooker you and your dad me at the minute right me I play a lot more than him right and he’s getting a bit older the eyesight’s but he’s good no he’s good we still have a good game

We played the other day I think we played like five frames or something I won 3-2 so it’s fairly tight so it’s probably Fair say what Juds your favorite player Ronnie to watch at the minute do you watch a I watch a lot of TV I watch it all right

There ain’t anything I miss I hear your your voes on regular um on the worst double in the world yeah you say that a lot actually didn’t you I watch it all to be honest even watching like it was in Leicester last week wasn’t it so we had the master

Straight into the um the Grand Prix Grand Prix that was it so that was a good watch but I watch it all yeah even your YouTube channel I’m a regular nice to hear well the red doesn’t go so I don’t know what we can’t even see the

Black at least I want to see put the black quite to be fair the these these pockets are actually for for for an amateur they’re quite tight no if you went to like the local snooker club and played like we used to when I was at Leicester with a few of

The lads who played you’d find these are these are a bit nippier another thing going back to like brushing the table um you if you’re brushing this down like properly the right way it actually it’ll make the pockets easier as well cuz you’re brushing the nap into the into the

Cushion the nap of the cloth got so it’ll actually um it if you seen how I’ve been brushing it then you you’d have it honestly criminal offense yeah it’s just something as a snooker play like as soon as I walked in I went I thought i’ I was like a groundsman on a

Football pitch would I leaving like different shades that’s how you feel if you walked on a pitch and squiggly Lanes I’m we’ll just finish off anyway I want to yeah get some table time Jesus Christ see I left that green in front of you the white for you good

Shot what did you start playing football as soon as I can walk really really for some reason I my first memory of football you obviously get asked that question interviews and stuff like is the I was born in 96 and was the 99 European Cup Final when United went

Against B Munich so went it later on I just remember that in the living room my dad in the dark and then picking me up and running around our table we had this really small house in comry but I remember that so I was three I would

Have been three so like feel old I don’t know yeah I don’t know why I remember that but like I do and I was playing football as soon as I could yeah yeah just loved it thin this one [Applause] CH my hero when I first started playing

Great shot was H Jimmy Jimmy white when I first started playing what’s who was your football I supported United growing up actually right so in the early stages it was beex just cuz he was like Becks wouldn’t he yeah yeah yeah did you watch his documentary did just just bought

Back so many like childhood feelings that did um so Beck’s into kind of like Cristiano when he was at United okay yeah I’d probably say Beck Beck is the one that stands out if people ask me love Rooney as well I think what stands out with Beckham and stuff documentary dedication

As well how hard he worked at it as well as I think it’s I think people don’t see that in lots of sports they think even people Ronnie says oh he doesn’t practice does he just the thing he just turns up and plays like that he doesn’t

Practice as much as he used to but of course you got to you got to work and with Ronnie like people talk about him and stuff when you’re there and you’re watching like at the um at the Masters when I come and watch I was watching him

I was watching him closely CU I was I was fascinated by like his character and and he was zoned in he wanted to win he was desperate to win absolutely he says after he’s not bothered and stuff I’m not sure I love it I’m just not sure how

Much I’m buying that you know no well I mean you only have to look at how he played in the first session of the Masters when he was 5-3 down he was going for everything it was like an exhibition and then at night because Ali Carter played so well in the afternoon

And he couldn’t play that way again he realized he had to play properly and that’s how much he playing well was Ali car he he like in the tournament in general like he was playing great I think he had eight or nine centuries in the tournament was a good watch actually CU

There’s obviously a bit of needle wasn’t there between the two and it always makes it a bit bit watch I know football you must have so so many rivalries in football there obviously yeah snook is just that the the individual of snook is just good shot yeah I only played one one Grudge

Match in my whole career I think and that was that was Ronny semi 2002 semifinals of the world and um before I was going out to play the match that morning my road manager came in I said have you seen the papers as I went now

And he said uh you seen what Ronnie said and I said no what was he said so on the paper said um I’m going to send Steven back to his sad little life um I’ve never liked him and uh I’m going to like you know all this and I think just like

But because he’d been he’d been with nasim’s Nasim Hamed’s okay and and his brother so I think they sort of said oh like a boxing match Stoke it up a bit yeah yeah and I just like oh my God that’s it that’s all I needed and that’s

What probably the last proper match I played at The Crucible actually that’s nowhere near yeah but he he’s he’s obviously uh a bit you can tell he he’s in admiration in admiration with you as well the Q-tips you did with him the video I just found that amazing

That was the one we all wanted to see as as much as I love Jud I kind of like I know Jud so I W you know when you when when you put on your Instagram that you had Ronnie on yeah yeah I was like yeah I’m looking looking forward to this one

It was obviously the one that ever wanted to see and the one that we obviously wanted on as well because he just won the seventh World title was it was after that was it after that so um yeah it was uh very cool cuz I mean

You know as as I’ve said to me he’s I just I just love watching them play even even as a player myself and I think most snooker players it’s it’s my breaking most snooker players would say the same you know just he’d be the one that you

Know they’d sit down and watch yeah yeah cuz we don’t are you are you mad Watcher football as well even I am to be fair any football well any sport really to be fair I just love right a lot of the lads you actually grow up and you kind of realize actually

When you get family and stuff it kind of dies down a little bit I probably don’t watch as much as like I did when I was 20 I used to watch every game any League any foot that was on i’ be watching kind of thing yeah but um now I still watch

It as much as I can but obviously I’ve got three children now so yeah sometimes it’s not always possible but do you still love the game as much as you did Stephen that’s snooker is all I know and I love I I do the commentary work and the punet stuff and it’s it

It’s it’s great you get the odd match it’s pretty boring to to commentate and stuff and you find it hard to say but yeah generally I still love being around around the game it’s it’s all I know basically MH um playing wise I just I’ll always play but I just can’t prati I

Can’t practice enough to make you golf too much didn’t you well yeah I mean that that definitely that’s one of the main reasons I mean obviously I’m busy doing doing this stuff as well the channel and um I’ll be going to China a lot more probably this year and next

Year but um I I love I love I love playing I mean yeah I’ve seen some of your stuff the day you had a game day didn’t you was it for the wild show was that yeah yeah I played a guy called Ross mure and I actually played I felt

All right because I’ve had this queue you’ve got John Paris as well haven’t you I have yeah how how long did you have to wait for it a while or no not that long actually cuz when we did the thing there was some some waiting list

Of like 3 four 5 years oh no I I think it was a couple of months yeah oh perfect so thanks Jonathan I thought there but yeah so I’m I’m really liking the queue yeah cuz I’ve seen some clips on on socials of of you of of you from the

Match yeah and uh it looked like you played well there’s a couple of good breaks in there I played lot I i’ played lots of good shots I just missed too many easy ones I saw you missing easy black actually oh honestly it kills me oh I mean I say in commentary

Unforgivable a black office SP that at that level and and it’s always the easy shots that that cost you what is that you reckon just lap in concentration or just like it is it’s like it’s concentration it’s a bit of with me a way bit of nerves that I never had

Before when I was playing properly and winning I never had nerves like that but now it’s like it’s almost like oh God don’t miss this or there’s a chance to get this red to get there and it’s a bit of sort of anxiousness creeps in but again that’s that comes from not

Practicing mhm cuz I don’t know I I don’t know about you if like I mean do you practice like free kicks or penalties or anything with technique yeah I’ve always been a set peac taker so I’ve always and obviously like I just said about Becks he was like

The best it so I kind of loved practicing free kicks and and dead ball situations cuz so then when you’ve got in the match then you don’t have to think yes so much yeah like a free kick is the only thing that I can probably relate to any individual sport kind of

Like know golf or snooker it’s like it’s still it’s it’s repetition and it’s just you like whereas in a game you have training which is that you can never just Train by yourself and replicate like a team sport kind of thing but set pieces is one that you can so right so

Would you stay there longer than everyone else when everyone else is gone yeah yeah it’s about it’s about just when you get on the like I used to when I used to practice five six seven hours so when you’re get in a match it’s just automatic you just do what you’ve been

Doing in the practice you’re not practicing you got nothing to pull back on and then like it’s left me in good stad cuz I’ve scored a few free kicks like in my career I scored quite a few like I haven’t scored one actually in a I scored a couple last season but I

Hav’t scored on spur and I’ve only played like 10 games but I’m quite critical how do you take is is it like placing them or is it power or n I’m Precision Precision right on Precision just because yeah my technique’s very whippy like I like to

The Ronaldo one where he sort goes like that hits the top of it and goes no no the knuckle ball that’s right that’s out of my wheelhouse that uh did he invent that he was the first one I saw to do I don’t know he he might nicked it up off

Someone else himself but that straight foot kind of where the the footballs would wobble and impossible for goalkeepers and I loved Cristiano growing up as I just the United thing I used to watch his on YouTube like every day it’s cool I’m talking to you too much you’re

Not getting a good shot I mean he’s another one strikes me he’s just ruthless just wants to be there and do ever he needs to be to be the best I mean still no like his attitude towards just being the best is just it’s incredible admirable I think like we

Played against I played against him last year because he came back to United didn’t he that’s right yeah and it was like I love obviously as you can see I love collecting shirts but I said I text this first time i’ ever text someone before a game I text Harry McGuire and

Said listen keep Cristiano shirt aside for me today please because and he I managed to get it thankfully so yeah right I’m going to not talk you there a chance to score a you here you know fany one the cushion though for the black uh I normally go on the side of

Safy and caution stepen you you you just play a bit of top bit of top to come off the cushion for the back and you played a shot in the first frame it was good it’s almost like Top Spin stun kind of you can play it two ways yeah yeah there’s too much

Angle to go two cushions yeah that’s just a much more difficult part I think and it’s a more difficult pot but the position’s easier the position is more difficult but I always think with that one if I focus on the pot I might I’ll probably have a bol color anyway for

Someone who’s not as confident as an amateur no that’s true and it’s a good tip actually because for people that you know for land you see in the TV people L the short and the blue if you think I’ll go oh too hard then you’re always going to have these

Yeah I can’t believe I’ve just turned down advice from Stephen [Laughter] Andrew no sorry I I put you off the shot you wanted to play out oh so with the your European championships coming out you were hoping to get yeah in the team for that yeah

Yeah yeah so I’ve been out the squad for like a couple of years actually right from when I first went in kind of thing and then um got back in for the World Cup in in 22 right and I’ve been in I’ve been in since kind of thing my form’s

Been pretty good got good relationship with the manager and the lads and there’s a lot of competition your position there seems to be a lot of players Ving for your type of position not many good ones just Belling them and that um I mean I mean he’s he’s he’s

Unbelievable right ridiculous yeah so good he’s a great lad as well Jude yeah I absolutely love him he’s he’s he’s like a proper top boy like for such a young kid is like mentality is that of like a well I remember the World Cup when when Harry Kane missed that penalty

He was the first one to him consoling him yeah which for like was he 19 at the time or 18 it was like incredible yeah he’s just got a mentality of and and he loves footy right you know you know you just know someone loves football and

Like that’s why me and him get on so well and we just sit and we can talk football and he’s just obsessed with the game and I I love that about him you know like I can relate to it like and he’s a top player and I love training

Minutes to be fair sometimes like when I mean I don’t I don’t sort of socialize with Ronnie I don’t obious he lives doesn’t live near me he doesn’t really socialize anyway with players and stuff but they like if I’m doing exhibitions or spend any time it’s I do talk quite a

Lot of snooker like technical stuff and it’s quite cool to talk to someone about that sort yeah that and that’s the stuff I love like from from your channel and what I what I pick up from you talking with the other players good shot is the the detail of

The game and yeah I’m like I got quite an addictive personality you know like so whether it’s golf or snooker like once I’m in I’m kind of like you know what I mean I got a bit of snooker B and I got I needed to get a table you

Know at that oh a bad shot that’s a if I was in commentary with top players I’d be slagging them off with that that’s bad but I’m lucky cuz I’ve still got how do you feel like as a comment like you’re quite harsh or do you think

You’re right or I said I mean I got some of them when I think I was probably more I was harsher when I started probably I still like to say what I see you know if it play shot I want I want to say that

Was a shot or it was a great shot I say it’s a great shot but um Joe Perry called me a pantomine villain so did Ali Carter recently as well it’s like but it’s like what else you got to but just just say what you

See yeah and that’s what we want to hear that’s what we want to hear is neutral s old J John Paris Power Shot honestly this Q so much more power with this Q the last one but yeah Williams gives me stick he says you’re too harsh he says you forget how difficult

The game is I says I know how difficult the game is I says but as I say I get paid you made it look easy though didn’t you I get paid to say like the same comment on what I’ve seen and see from when you played yeah to now yeah like

You’re talking about the queue and that and the table are they like are they like different like is the speed of the table a lot quicker now like because if you look at footy like even over the last however long good shot yeah yeah they had yeah there was there was fast

Tables back in the day but not not like they are the cloths are different you cannot you know side affects the CQ ball so much now on these cloths and the slightest bit of unwanted side of C balls all over the place so so I’m getting caught out as well qualifying

Because I’m going to these tables I’m not playing on and they so difficult to no know when I came to The Crucible I had a little hit on the practice tables and stuff and I was honestly ridiculous like how you can control that’s the same with football

Right you watch football from the 70s put on mud mud muddy pies and stuff now they’re absolutely perfect I know sometimes I catch myself like the other day I had a little moan about there was one little B tiny tiny bubbling training I’m thinking you just remember where you

Come from James you know like you can just put it little bit more didn’t it needed a little bit more but you you must watch some of them old videos of football and thinking like cuz for someone like like like yourself pling of a bumpy pitch and

Would it be a nightmare would and like if you ever get like a these days pitches like in the premier League are just like ridiculous and if you ever get like a lower lower draw in the FA Cup and you got to go to like a league two

CL you quickly like brought back down to earth cuz I can imagine like the slightest Bobble commit just looks stupid can it yeah yeah and like it just makes it more difficult you know what I mean it’s like I watched yesterday man united played Newport didn’t they in the FA Cup

And like you just forget like that’s the beauty and that’s where it came from I came through a centry in League one so like you just kind of like I don’t know you get a bit caught up in the Premier League and how good it is and stuff and

You find like I said moaning about like a little tiny thing on the training perfect yeah the players now I mean as I say the tables are just beautiful now and and they used to be they used to be change a bit from from tournament to tournament there wasn’t

Consistent but now pretty much consistently the tables are always they look Immaculate but as soon as anything goes right the players are oh my God yeah you know I mean i’ bet J Li he yeah well the biggest say is like Ronnie will still use the old

Chalk which get which gets kicks and um bounces in the cushion I don’t know why he wouldn’t use a new one stubbornness I don’t know but all the other players use the new chalk which just just you just I mean you you would never get any you

Never get any marks on the table you you watch the old snooker matches from the 80s it be like chalk marks yeah yeah everywhere you get kicks all the time I love watching Jud at the it though he just well he just plays shots that no one else can play I know I

Absolutely love it when he’s wrapped a frame up yeah and I just know some something crazy is coming you know what I mean sby I like as well I like sby just because he was he’s an absolute he’s like he doesn’t Grant it is he that’s what you say in it in the

Commentary and he’s someone that I would hate to have played I mean I played him a few times obviously when when I was still playing but the game that he plays is just yeah I would I would really struggle and he doesn’t get the credit that he deserves yeah because he’s an

Unbelievable snooker player yeah he is but because obviously he’s in the ERA with the likes of Jud and Ronnie and you know but he used to have that flare a bit and he’s kind of sort of rained it in a little bit Yeah W the

Titles because of it oh yeah we as like a watcher like a neutral I kind of especially like way commentators and pundit talk about him is I just think he’s like solid you know like yeah yeah yeah I don’t really I would never think of him like that purely just because of

Like he gets like called granite and solid a lot don’t he like you know he’s to play Lads don’t like playing him and yeah he I mean he’s it’s it’s what you would call I don’t know Tournament winning snooker but he I mean he knows all the shots

Everyone knows and he’s got as much flare if he wants to do but as I say kind of reins it in a bit so here’s this red you should have put it earlier see no problem good shot that was a good stroke what’s your golf handicap because I’ve had the injury I

Haven’t actually played in a while but it was about like honest I’m an honest I’m not I’m not a JT it was about I think it was like 9.8 on okay on the thingy you love your golf don’t you I heard you say that I’m obsessed by golf

It is addicting though is it like yeah really am are you allowed to play golf yeah we’re allowed like it’s just hurrian really good as well yeah yeah yeah he’s he’s my partner to be fair whenever we go away to England and we get a day an afternoon fre we we’ll go

And play there’s a good oh there’s a good few of us who play in England in the England squad yeah normally me and H Kane versus uh Maguire and pford we’ve had a couple of good games actually and in preseason obviously Harry hadn’t gone

To Bayern yet so we we had a oh so he was still there when you got sign when you were signing yeah yeah yeah it quite yeah it was one of them like you thought I’m going to be providing him a little bit Yeah but uh no I wasn’t naive enough

To think that he might not leave like we kind of had a little chat in the summer in the England Camp cuz he kind of said like you’re going to yeah come to Spurs kind of thing right got away with that one yeah go put you don’t have to do

That put some balls I’ll take it though I’ll need it I think but yeah so like I want I want I was desperate to play with him you know like cuz he’s top player play England but obviously it was time for him to move on and that’s absolutely

Fine have you been on the uh the golf life with with Bullard yet I haven’t yet he’s no he’s been trying to get me on for a while he but um he’s been on he’s been on this well he’s not well he was upset cuz people people said he said he’

Done sentury breaks and then I think a couple people comment that there’s no way no way he had I’d beat him I’m you can have that as a challenge if you want Jimmy but I watched it and thought the exact same might need to get some some double snooker games on

Here take Q-tips to the next level get some games F to touched the BR s i lot Mark Williams as well yeah yeah cuz he’s got a bit of character is he yeah he is I like I like seeing that like as a watcher on yeah well he’s

Probably my best mate that I had when I was when I was playing still got on I play we play a lot of golf he’s another Bandit who is your best friend like in in the circuit in the snooker World probably probably is Mark um but I

I get on more OB all the guys I work with on TV and stuff I mean like Steve and I mean Steve Steve and I when we were competing never used to speak to each other at all yeah he was quite known for that would he Steve Davis he used to like

Used to walk by him venue wouldn’t even look at you yeah um and I I sort of learned that as well because as I say Ronnie’s the same he doesn’t mix and it’s like especially in individual sport you want to keep yourself a bit aloof a

Bit away from the mhm competition I mean do you speak in the tunnel to the opposite team before you go out no no I wouldn’t speak to themel does that he talks to his opponents and I’m like I’m like cuz Roy Keen screams about it doesn’t he and I’m the same as snook

Says what are they doing their chat what are they doing if you see clips of Roy Keane in the tel in the past it’s not quite like that these days I’ll if if if I’m know someone or I’m good friends with someone I’ll maybe give them a handshake before in the

Tunnel but I’ll never stop and have a conversation I’m in game mode at that point yeah it’s not it’s not oh look at that run of the ball he’s had it for years when I quot Willie Thorne once said was used to accuse Steve Davis in

The 80s of getting all the luck he said why are you all so lucky and Steve you should say well I play more frames bully so I’m going to get more fls at the table more yeah people say that don’t they but like I’ve heard I’ve heard good shot

People say that about you as well about like how you had that kind of element as well yeah parrots always moaning oh the L you used to get but he say well you play more matches you’re going to get more foots Steve Davis now I obviously

Don’t know Steve but he’s still a little bit cold now like when I when I’ve met him a couple of times he’s heard was like I don’t mind I love that he was like that as a player see how big these pockets are pretty tight it was never in it was

Never in played Cheers Cheers thank you that was fun cheers