The Eurosport studio coverage is a bit ott

Why do they have to chat all over the session intro yapping on about social media..urgh.

Not too many signs of nerves there to be fair.

Robertson in big bother.

Forest 7-3 Chelsea. Oh yeah baby 😎

What happened?

Hellooooo! I've missed you all. I do watch snooker all year, honest! I just forget about this thread without fail, every single year.

I can't believe Neil is losing, dammit. I've been at work and missed it all, just got back now, so fingers crossed he'll buck his ideas up.

Mann miscued for the second time on the colours, Allen got a kick, nearly went in off, stuck the pink up....ooh, a bit of everything 😛

The last frame lasted about 40 minutes, it was pretty dull for the first 25 too, but ended with a catalogue of errors. Mann was 26 ahead with 22 left on the table after potting the green but he miscued when tight against the cushion and missed the brown completely. This meant that Allen could tie with the last 4 colours which were all in good positions. He potted the brown then the blue but the cue ball got a massive bounce off the top cushion and ran almost parallel to the pink making the pot very difficult. Allen missed it so a bit of chasing the pink around the table for 10 minutes before Mann, once again, miscued and missed the ball completely. Allen could win with both colours. Mark Allen played a safety shot on the pink but got the mother of all kicks which didn't put the pink safe at all so Mann potted it and won the frame. Expect Mark Allen to have a few words about the table

Robbo now 4-7.. shared opening two, expect him to comeback in the end

Thanks TC and Darren. Much appreciated.

Neil Robertson going 8-4 down to Michael Holt now

This would be the biggest shock so far for me...

I only remembered the thread today as well lol

Absolutely - no one in their right mind would have bet on a Holt win!

he hasnt cracked yet and Robbo needs to step it up right now, sharing the frames is no good for him

9-4 !!!

The shock-o'clock is ticking loudly now !

The thunder 9-4 down at the brink of no return quite literaly!

Holt leads 9-4!

Going to need to be a hell of a choke even by his standards to lose from here! Sadly for him he's got the interval now to think about it too much!

Robertsons a gonner, 9-4 down

Feel a bit for Robbo actually, he's not done a lot wrong and hasn't had the best of running. Needs to take a leaf out of his fellow vegan Ebbo's book and stage the mother of all comebacks like Peter did in qualifying from 3-9 to Greene!

I think quite a few people thought Robertson would dominate the game for the next few years after that great season where he did a hundred centuries in one season and being World number one, but he looks like he not as good as everyone thought he was

Could be Ronnie's year if Neil goes out here.

I hope it's not all the contenders fall early and Ronnie strolls to win hammering an unlikely finalist type year again

Some break this

Neil Robertson is a lovely player to watch, He has the full game ..... so many players are weak at safety play and laying snookers.

Robertson seems to have endless touch and accuracy. It would be a shame to see him exit so early, leaving the top half of the draw very open with the seeds being rather decimated.

I still fancy Judd Trump to win it

John Virgo: Clear up and lose the frame by 8.


Steve Davis: If he pots two more balls, I'm going home!!

This is really compelling stuff, could Neil pull off the impossible?

We will see.