Shaun Murphy is a big fan of Hossein Vafaei’s ability to talk a big game and build up interest in a match, calling for more snooker players to head down that path.
Vafaei memorably rustled up a rivalry with Ronnie O’Sullivan, claiming that it was time for the Rocket to retire before both men traded barbs at the World Championship this year.
The Rocket warned the Prince of Persia not to rattle his cage, while Vafaei insisted O’Sullivan is a ‘nice person when he’s asleep’.
It all ended with O’Sullivan thrashing Vafaei 13-2 in the second round at The Crucible, but despite that, Murphy was impressed with the promotional ability of the Iranian.
He is also impressed with Vafaei’s game, and knows he has a lot on his plate when the pair meet on Sunday night at the UK Championship.
‘I think if Hossein didn’t have the visa issues he encountered early in his career he’d be a higher-ranked, more decorated player because he’s got the game. No question, he’s good enough,’ Murphy told Metro.co.uk.
‘I also think he’s got that je ne sais quoi, that little bit of something extra, he’s got that element of showmanship you can’t really teach. Not frightened of the big occasion or big players. He’s willing to put his neck on the line and go for glory, you can’t teach that.
‘He’s also got every shot in the book and I really enjoy watching him play, I just hope I don’t have to watch too much of him on Sunday night.’
Murphy and Vafaei share a desire to bring an added layer of entertainment to their chosen sport and the Magician would like to see other players do the same.
‘I think we need more of it in snooker. I think we run the risk of just being ignored by the wider public because we’re almost too nice,’ said the former world champion.
‘Ask Conor McGregor if he should have been nicer over the years, while he counts his millions of euros, largely earned because people tuned in to see if he could back up his words.
‘I think snooker needs a bit more of that. Hossein poked the bear at the World Championship, it didn’t work and he lost with a session to spare, but a lot of people would have tuned into that game that wouldn’t have otherwise. If he’s trying to promote the game and his own brand then fair play to him.
‘Traditionalists might hate it, but snooker needs a bit of it. It’s the players, nothing to do with WST, we have to do more to sell the sport and make it more interesting. We’re showmen and women, we have to put a show on.
‘We have to make sure they want to watch the snooker and not the Graham Norton Show. There’s a lot of players on tour who could do a bit more in that regard. Hossein does his best.’
Murphy did point out that real beef is the best cut, though, and rivalries should not just be entirely concocted for entertainment value.
‘The whole Steve Davis-Alex Higgins needle of the 80s was so watchable because it was real,’ he said. ‘Davis was terrified of Alex, physically terrified. You never knew what was going to happen, it was like walking around with a grenade.
‘I met Alex three times and he was an absolute gentleman every time, but there’s all sorts of stories aren’t there?
‘It does have to be real, but in the commercial world of TV, viewings figures, engagement, we’re in such a competitive world now, we have to shoulder a bit more responsibility as players and remember we are an entertainment sport. We criticise WST when it’s appropriate, but we can do more too.’
Murphy does more than his fair share of work to help grow the sport, including his onefourseven podcast, on which he recently shared some forthright views on Stephen Hendry’s punditry, although he confirms that all is well between the two.
‘We had a little exchange of text messages when the story broke which was very lighthearted,’ said Murphy. ‘Stephen Hendry and I won’t be falling out any time soon about anything either of us say about the other. We hold each other in the highest regard and would be good friends away from the table, it’s all said tongue in cheek.
‘It wasn’t unfair for me to say pundits have the responsibility to do a bit of research, that wasn’t unreasonable. We’ve known each other for over 30 years, so we’re allowed to have a bit of banter.’
The matter in hand for the Magician is Vafaei on Sunday and an attempt to win a second UK Championship 15 years after he triumphed in Telford.
His most recent results have not been the best, but he feels his form is there and is feeling good ahead of his latest crack at UK glory.
‘Looking forward to it, my game’s in really good shape,’ he said. ‘I haven’t hit the heights of trophy-collection since the Championship League but my game’s right there.
‘Similarly to last season, when I am losing players are playing really well against me. Against [Judd] Trump last time out in the Champion of Champions I think I might well have beaten anyone else in the world that night, I was present for two or three moments of brilliance from Trump that people will talk about forever, but for them I think I’d have won.
‘It’s the nature of the sport, you can be as well prepared, play well, be as confident as you like, but your opponent plays better and you can’t win.
‘Snooker tests your persistence and resilience and how long you’re willing to keep going. The greats in snooker over the years, to some extent, have been the best at keeping on keeping on.’
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