It has to be said, this Milano Cortina Winter Olympics is a total delight.
I honestly wondered if I had lost some of my love for the Winter Games over the last decade or so, but can see now it was down to some odd hosts.
Best Winter Games since Vancouver 2010 for me.
Happy New Year everyone
The Talking Snooker podcast will return for our first episode of 2026 on Wednesday, when one of snooker’s great voices Neal Foulds will join Phil Haigh and I to preview the Masters.
Your views would be most welcome - message here or email talkingsnooker@yahoo.com
Here's our Snooker Podcast Christmas Special, as Phil and I from Talking Snooker join up with Jennie and Chloe from The Wine Rack.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
We very much appreciate your company throughout 2025 on Talking Snooker. We'll be back with lots more in the new year.
#Snooker
I also do think, as a firm believer in rehabilitation and second chances, that there is a time to move on and talk about the past less. I suspect that time is about now.
Thank you for giving me such a fulsome and well thought out response too - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
I said in 'the other place' (Twitter) recently that it would have all been far better if:
*Zhao had apologised properly - it seemed like Zhao and his team just wanted to forget it
*People were far more sensible with their language - showering him with compliments felt misplaced
You said I was more fixated and upset than anyone else. I write and talk about snooker more than most. But plenty are upset.
I didn't think the bans were really long enough and said so. But also, it honestly was a timing thing for me. Had Zhao won in 26 or 27, I wouldn't have been as bothered.
Nah. ‘Skirt around ’ was me being polite because it’s Christmas - one of Britain’s biggest journalists called the BBC approach ‘cowardly’ here:
www.telegraph.co.uk/snooker/2025...
Note my link to Richard Mann in the column too, with his ‘sense of sadness’.
Loads of people were gutted with timing.
I feel I must report to you that Spotify - with their very useful labelling of different parts of my broadcasts - refers to the Tempodrom as the ‘Temper Drome’.
#Tempodrom #Templedrum #TemperDrome
#RadioSnooker #Snooker #147sf
I've just recorded my final Radio Snooker broadcast of the year, and here it is.
Memories of the year here, from me and you. Some philosophy too.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/c...
Many thanks for listening to Radio Snooker throughout this year. It's been great to have you for company.
Here's my review of the snooker year for Sporting Life:
www.sportinglife.com/snooker/news...
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my readers.
Even if you don't read me, I wish you a nice Christmas too.
#SportingLife #Snooker
“I'm firmly in the camp that believes snooker will be just fine when O'Sullivan hangs up his cue, but that doesn't mean we won't miss him immensely when he's gone. Of course we will.”
Well said, Nick. 🥰
Here’s my special piece for Sporting Life on Ronnie O’Sullivan as the seven times world champion turns 50.
www.sportinglife.com/snooker/news...
#Snooker
Neil Robertson tells Radio Snooker, ‘when balls are missed they still go in’ at the International Championship.
But he says pockets this season have overall been ‘very good’.
WST: ‘Our table fitters work tirelessly in delivering best possible conditions.’
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/r...
Neil Robertson tells Radio Snooker with Nick Metcalfe that the pockets at the International Championship in Nanjing have been ‘very disappointing’ and says the table fitters have ‘cut them wrong’.
Here’s an exclusive from me:
open.spotify.com/episode/5lMQ...
#RadioSnooker
Radio Snooker is back on the air and I’m delighted to be joined again by @kathi.break-off.com to reflect on the WST Steve Dawson interview.
There’s plenty of chat here about a number of key issues and your reaction would be welcome - radiosnooker@mail.com
open.spotify.com/episode/6pMM...
#147sf
Love how I am blaming WST for rogue pigeons and @nickmetcalfe1974.bsky.social beautifully puts things back into perspective 😁😇 #147sf
Wow, that might be the funniest , most explosive and most non-controversial conversation I'll ever listen to. (When I'm back at home.)
#Snooker #147sf #WeLoveSnooker
Radio Snooker is back on the air and I’m delighted to be joined again by @kathi.break-off.com to reflect on the WST Steve Dawson interview.
There’s plenty of chat here about a number of key issues and your reaction would be welcome - radiosnooker@mail.com
open.spotify.com/episode/6pMM...
#147sf
'Man of the people' image for Williams is relatively new - and it serves the Welsh great brilliantly
Here's a new Sporting Life column from me on Mark Williams, as he becomes snooker's oldest ever ranking event winner.
www.sportinglife.com/snooker/news...
#SportingLife #Snooker
I tell you what the Matchroom documentary reminds me off - when the Fowlers went to Ireland in EastEnders.
It was the most unfair and dated portrayal of Ireland possible - goats on every street, not a single person in the pubs sober. That’s how Matchroom sold snooker.
‘Why didn’t we see the Crucible? Or at least Ally Pally for the Masters. To me we saw none of the things that make snooker a great advert and all the things that don’t.’
We’re talking about the Matchroom documentary on @TalkingSnooker:
youtu.be/wz7wXchA_uc?...
#TalkingSnooker
Well, if a 21-year old can win a trophy out of nowhere last season, possibly another player can do the same again. Why not?
The ages of our last 3 world champions: 28, 32, 28.
Snooker is not like tennis, I can't see the early twens dominating, but I think the change of the guard is happening.
I'll be saying that there's no reason snooker's young stars can't win trophies... starting immediately.
A new column is on the way and I'd be interested in your views. Is it just too competitive in snooker now for the younger players to win silver? Or is it time for a proper changing of the guard?
'It feels like we've been sucked into some kind of strange vortex where we've become conditioned to think only experienced, battle-hardened competitors can pick up the trophies in snooker. We need to get out of it frankly.'
My new Sporting Life snooker column, coming soon.
Snooker fans are having their say after Kathi Hartinger talked to me on Radio Snooker about the loss of events in mainland Europe.
I’ll be recording a new broadcast soon and you can be part of it. Message me here or email radiosnooker@mail.com
#RadioSnooker
Radio Snooker returns and I've been joined by a really terrific guest, @kathi.break-off.com from the Total Clearance podcast.
So much great stuff here from Kathi on the state of snooker in Germany, the loss of events in mainland Europe and Saudi.
open.spotify.com/episode/2faO...
#RadioSnooker
🤣 The Food! I can literally hear @nickmetcalfe1974.bsky.social rolling his eyes.
(But they have a point, though.)
#Snooker #147sf #WeLoveSnooker
thank you so much for the question and for the nice feedback 😊 hope to see you in Berlin!! 😊
Thank you for all the kind words about the latest broadcast on Radio Snooker. I have to say Kathi was truly excellent value and she deserves all the compliments coming her way.
#RadioSnooker
