Alan McManus - Part 6 (The Future of Snooker, Pool vs. Snooker, and Alli’s Rapid Rack)

Mike Gonzalez 0:13

I seem to remember uh Sean talking uh after the championship about this being a bit of a wake-up call for uh UK players in particular, where the center of the universe has been first Nooker the UK. Uh that you know you're seeing a different work ethic, you're seeing a different uh commitment to the sport and to excellence than you ever have before. And we're gonna be challenged, our young people are gonna be challenged to follow that model and and step up to the to the bar.

Alan McManus 0:42

Yeah, uh without question. I mean, I I give you an example, I've seen in the practice room on numerous occasions, Wu Yeeza just to take for an example. Uh I I've the kind of things that they do that he'll walk in the practice room for his half hour practice that he has booked, he'll put up a long red, he'll get his cue out, and he'll pot it, put it up dead straight as they do, and he'll knock it in, but he'll still have his jacket on. It's like it's easy, it's easy. They just make it look so easy, and I'm like, at least take your jacket off, for goodness sake. And but he and it goes, but he doesn't he's not showing off. It's not look at me, I can do that. No, it's all right, I I better take my jacket. Hold on a second, right? Okay, right, now I can play. That's just he just would never do that. I know it's a silly point and a very small one, but I've seen Sejawe do that, the other guy who you know lost to Luca in the semis three years a few years ago. He I've seen him doing that, and they don't fit it that's just easy. Long red, really long red, like from deep, and it goes, and wow, they cue the ball so well, you know, where where the older players are even the older players who are still at the top today, it takes them a dozen shots to start feeling their arm, isn't it? Because you know, you you want uh a couple of minutes just to do that and get through the ball and then oh right then it's all that stiff and yeah they they don't they just um they're never like that. Yeah, it's gonna be one.

Mike Gonzalez 2:30

So other than China, where are some of the young greats going to be coming from the next ten years?

Alan McManus 2:38

Hard to say. I England to to their credit have a few good young players in their early 20s, late teens, early twenties, and that's credit to the the amateur body in England who are pr putting a lot of tournaments together for amateur players and a good competitive environment. We don't have that in Scotland anymore, unfortunately. I don't like saying it. You know, the people who do put tournaments on to their credit they do all they can, but it's it's a bit of an uphill struggle these days to get the tournaments the way we used to have them. Uh super competitive. England are doing some good things, Wales are doing some good things, uh the Welsh are producing good players still, and that's a positive. Ireland, bits and pieces, you know, a couple of good players here and there. But it's becoming more difficult, and and the way that the academies have been put together, and and there's two or three of them in Sheffield, where they all go in. Mostly it's the Chinese lads, because that's where they all congregate and play. And they basically they're all brilliant technically, and they play all play against one another all day. The only thing I'm I d it it's a little bit of a sterile environment, I think. But then I'm from old smoky snookerholes. Where there was atmosphere and there was a you know, there was a con man over in the corner who was selling you a knocked off suit or you know that that you know that but that but then I'm from Glasgow, so um you know, those days are gone which is a shame in some ways. It's a really sterile environment, but what they are is super technically they're brilliant and you know they maybe don't have the the the sort of the B game or the C game and perhaps the greatest example of that would be Ding, Ding Jinhui, who's never won the championship. Maybe that's why. He was just all everything straight down the line. You've got to have a bit of movement there for me in the era that he was in. And he didn't quine he didn't kinda have the moves, you know. What was the thing they said in uh The Colour of Money, the follow-up to the hustler? Human moves. Wasn't it was one of the was one of the things that Paul Newman said. Human moves, wasn't it? And I know what he meant, or I know it was a movie, but maybe you need that still need a little bit of that, you know, that that maybe Ding unfortunately didn't quite have. He was just a bit too nicey and everything was good and down the middle. You've got to have some movement, I think, mentally and physically. Yeah. Yeah. But I don't know.

Mike Gonzalez 5:27

But the game's in a good place. You mentioned at the outset that uh you you wouldn't mind talking a little bit more pool. You get to talk about snooker a lot. Yeah. Uh to that end, did you ever have the thought of, boy, I wish I would have given that a go, maybe?

Alan McManus 5:41

Not really, but I what does fascinate me is that obviously the balls are bigger. You know, and and and you obviously need that is it a 12 mil tip or uh Yeah, not like a snooker coo.

Allison Fisher 5:53

You need um st they really go from 11.2 to 13. Usually 12.4 is about where people are at. Uh-huh.

Alan McManus 6:02

I d I do I do kinda I mean it's uh it's funny how it's such a completely different game, isn't it?

Allison Fisher 6:10

We're more around the centre sort of axis, the vertical axis, and very close to the centre, not so much side spin the snooker players. Oh, they call you're getting two tips outside the centre sometimes if you really need to spin the ball. But I think one thing that was good for me when I first came over was the fact that I was a snooker player and close to the centre axis, and I because the cloths were new, tables brand new, and that suited the stuns and draws rather than the spins. But the cloth being older, you know, the spins are more effective on but you have to be able to have everything in your arsenal, you know, you have to be able to spin the ball, get on the outside of the ball, which is not comfy for a snooker player, really.

Alan McManus 6:56

Ah. How how long would it have taken you, Alison, for to when you started playing pool seriously? How I'm getting I'm getting well, I could guess it would take maybe a year or two, I don't know. I think you're gonna be able to get it. How long did it take you to to you know the c the cushions are really soft on a nine ball table, right? How long did it take you to not think about oh I need to make sure I hit this harder to get it back off the cushion?

Allison Fisher 7:26

Well, I think you you still think about that. You know what to do, but you still think, oh, this shot I need to straighten this ball up quite a bit, so I need to hit it this hard, you know.

Alan McManus 7:35

Oh right, okay. Yeah. Because in Snooker you don't you you d you just it becomes second nature that it's gonna on the cushion ball.

Allison Fisher 7:44

Yeah, I understand what you're saying, but you don't like you you're not doubling the ball much. We're we're banking, doubling the ball quite a lot in this game. So you know, um it's not a run and hide game so much. I mean this obviously you're you're playing safes and snookers, but you better be bang up against the ball because they just jump over and out of a safety. That's another factor. That's another factor.

Alan McManus 8:10

Yeah, I there's a funny thing, and that this is probably way off the mark, but I don't agree with the jump shop. Yeah, I know.

Allison Fisher 8:16

But then it was horrible when I first I I snookered somebody, I was in China funnily enough, it's an exhibition thing. And I stood and I thought I've got them now, and then they got out a jump cue, jumped over, and I'm like, that's not right, that's not fair.

Alan McManus 8:28

Yeah, that can be.

Allison Fisher 8:29

But it is an art form. It really is. Some of these players are absolutely amazing with a jump cue. So it's just another thing. It must be I yeah. Like a chip shot in golf little goblin.

Alan McManus 8:42

I think I would c yeah, I I think I would quite like to play in a nine-ball tournament just to experience it.

Allison Fisher 8:48

Well, Barry Hearn does occasionally, doesn't he, in the US Open. And a few of the and a few of the snooker players do too. They play. Because it's there's some good money in it as well.

Alan McManus 8:59

I I I I you know, just for the curiosity of it.

Allison Fisher 9:03

You should play that handball, you know the Chinese eight ball. I I've heard of it and I I've never watched it, but I They just paid somebody one and a half million dollars, I think, for winning a tournament. One and a half million dollars.

Alan McManus 9:18

Wow.

Allison Fisher 9:18

In China it's massive.

Alan McManus 9:21

Yeah, I and look, credit to them, that's fantastic. Yeah. It I it just doesn't the table's. It's not gonna float you about, is it? Nah, the table just seems too small.

Allison Fisher 9:31

Yeah, why bother with a nine-foot table when you can play on a 12? It seems really small to me.

Alan McManus 9:37

I do know one of the get one of the great things I think about snooker, just to touch on again, is people who don't play snooker, they they obviously see it on TV and it looks easy. The top players make it look easy. But see, when they see a real table up close and the flip, my God, I can't believe the size of that blood.

Allison Fisher 9:57

It's unbelievable. Really to me it is now, it's like a football pitch, right?

Alan McManus 10:01

I suppose I but when you're a snooker player, it looks like it's magical, isn't it?

Allison Fisher 10:05

As a snooker player walking in and playing on that.

Alan McManus 10:07

Yeah. I think the thing about the snooker, you need you need that room to be able to maneuver the ball. You need more room. Yeah. Rather than it all being closed in, you know. Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 10:18

Mark, if you were if you were a betting man and had to be betting on somebody making the transition from snooker to pool versus pool to snooker, who would you put your money on?

Mark Wilson 10:29

I would take the snooker player. I think the snooker player with the mechanics and the discipline could easier transition, you know, than a pool player could go in the other direction.

Mike Gonzalez 10:40

You agree with that, Ali?

Allison Fisher 10:42

Having done no doubt at all. No doubt at all. Absolutely no doubt.

Alan McManus 10:47

Snookers, even for the best pulled players, it's so difficult, isn't it? Yeah.

Allison Fisher 10:54

They make it look easy, but it is very difficult.

Alan McManus 10:58

Yeah, I i it it's it's that accuracy thing. Uh where pull, there's obviously a lot more moving parts to a player, yeah, aren't there? Yeah, definitely. The way they, you know, jumping up and stance, everything is different.

Allison Fisher 11:12

I I kept my stance, but generally they'll open up more. There's more room between the hand and the hip.

Alan McManus 11:20

Just a qu a question, Ali, if I could. When you started playing in tournaments, and obviously you would win most of them very quickly. Um did the other players think your technique was strange at all?

Allison Fisher 11:33

Or yeah, but they started to do it more then over a little bit of time. You started to see the body square up more, and you see that in the Chinese players. Everyone's squaring up more now. And technically not quite the same. Maybe stop at the front, slow backswing, hit the ball. Whereas we tend to come back, just a bit more hesitation there before we hit. So maybe that timing's different.

Alan McManus 11:57

Yeah.

Allison Fisher 11:58

But the stance is definitely starting to change a lot more.

Alan McManus 12:01

Yeah, because you were square, weren't you? Fairly square stance. Yeah. Um did you did you get that? And I'm interviewing you now, this is dead. But I want to know. So did you get that from Frank Callen, or was that just that did you have other coaches? I think watching Davis. Yeah, he was square.

Allison Fisher 12:19

When I used to emulate really Steve Davis, I don't think Frank Frank said to me once, I said, I asked him about the stance, Frank Callan. And I said, What do you think about the stance? He said, I don't care how you stand as long as you coup straight. That was his answer. Really? He said, I don't care what goes on below the table as long as you coup straight. So he was all about the hesitation, the cue hesitation.

Alan McManus 12:41

Yeah, I mean, God rest him, Frank Callan was the the coach of Davis Henry yourself.

Allison Fisher 12:46

Yeah.

Alan McManus 12:47

Um Are you with me? I I I totally disagree with that. Oh, I do too.

Allison Fisher 12:53

I alignment in this in the feet is everything, I think, but Yeah, you know.

Alan McManus 12:58

It's funny, isn't it? You know, that t techniques are I I mean it's got harping on about golf again very quickly. They use the ground now, don't they, the players? They do. You know they they they they come up. They use the ground as a almost a launching pad, isn't it? Oh, really?

Mike Gonzalez 13:16

They've just found that to be useful, that that ground force they can create, which just creates additional rotational speed, clubhead speed, and you know, now you're seeing guys swing 130. Nobody swung 130 back in the 60s.

Allison Fisher 13:27

That was fascinating.

Alan McManus 13:28

Yeah. And like 185 ball speed and all that. I mean, you just can't, you know, they do it now. Yeah. I mean, it's crazy. But um yeah, well, you I mean, the fact to me the best golf swing of all time was Ben Hogan. But he didn't use the ground, he just swung the golf club, didn't he? Yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 13:48

Well, you had a you had a sweet spot that was the size of a dime. And now you've got now you've got these massive club faces. You could hit it almost anywhere on the face and have a similar result. You couldn't do that back with the old Persimmons and a ballata ball.

Alan McManus 14:03

No, you couldn't. No, no.

Mike Gonzalez 14:04

Well, listen, uh, as we steer this ship home, one of the things that we uh have added recently is something we call Allie's rapid rack. Accent on a rapid. So Allie's gonna ask you just a few quick hitting questions. Uh I know she's got them all picked out, don't you, Allie?

Allison Fisher 14:22

I do, actually, I do. I looked through that very long list. Yeah. We'll go for it. Go for it. We'll just go for a few, okay? Yeah. Best safety player you ever faced. Rapid rack, Alan. Rapid rack.

Alan McManus 14:39

Oh, sorry. Um a tie between Steve Davis and Terry Gratis. Oh, okay.

Allison Fisher 14:43

Best long potter you ever faced?

Alan McManus 14:46

Uh Jo sentong.

Allison Fisher 14:48

Yeah. Best um cue ball control you ever saw.

Alan McManus 14:54

Uh Ronnie or Ding.

Allison Fisher 14:56

One shot amateurs should practice more. Wow. That's a good one, isn't it?

Alan McManus 15:04

Yeah. Uh dear. Uh God, there's so many, isn't there? Uh like like a cutback black holding the holding the couple as much as you can.

Allison Fisher 15:21

Well, I don't think I know the answer to this one. Best Scottish player to play for your life.

Alan McManus 15:27

To to play a match for your life.

Allison Fisher 15:30

Yeah, let's say, yeah, match for your life.

Alan McManus 15:33

Who would I put out there between Stephen and John?

Allison Fisher 15:37

That's a tri that's a little tricky, but yeah. In their primes.

Alan McManus 15:41

In their price.

Allison Fisher 15:44

Well, I'll give you a little extra.

Alan McManus 15:46

Okay, I'm gonna say John.

Allison Fisher 15:50

He's a grind, isn't he? He's a great grinder. Best commentator voice in Q Sports.

Alan McManus 15:56

Uh I really liked Jack Carnum back in the interesting. Yeah, I just yeah, he sounded like he he sounded like that old grandfather that you wanted to have. Yeah. Sat by the fire with a glass of Scotch. Yes, I could imagine that. And um, and and of course the the famous like, oh good luck, mate. When when Cliff was about to pot the black, you know, that just that that would it it was like a coffee voice or something.

Allison Fisher 16:25

Definitely. Would you rather face Stephen Hendry in 1994 or Ronnie O'Sullivan at the Crucible?

Alan McManus 16:33

Uh Stephen Hendry in 94.

Allison Fisher 16:36

Here's a good one. One rule in Snooker you'd change.

Alan McManus 16:42

Uh yeah, I I I I would actually like to see ball in hand and it uh uh off from any foul.

Allison Fisher 16:48

That's an interesting one. I like that. Best breakfast before a big match.

Alan McManus 16:55

I I I didn't eat before I played, so it would for me it would only be uh OJ, orange juice, uh and a coffee.

Allison Fisher 17:04

Really? Wow. Yeah one word to describe Wembley 1994 Atmosphere. Alright then, one word to describe the crucible pressure. Oh see that's great, isn't it? Right last ball, deciding frame, everything on the line, stun screw or follow.

Alan McManus 17:35

Uh stun follow through.

Allison Fisher 17:38

Stun run. Yeah, okay. Yeah, I think so. Yeah. The player you'd most like to interview for your podcast and they have to be alive, obviously, I'm guessing, or would help. Well, yeah, we can't do it otherwise, but and obviously we also know that they'd have to be sitting right next to him.

Alan McManus 18:01

Well, exactly, yeah. I know that's true. Um someone who unfortunately passed away, Alex Higgins, yeah. I mean, who wouldn't want to?

Allison Fisher 18:10

Yeah, definitely. That would be fascinating, wouldn't it? That would be great.

Alan McManus 18:14

He would be amazing. Um to get on my own podcast these days. Oh I'm trying to think of someone. Either Steve Davis or John Higgins.

Allison Fisher 18:24

Yeah, that'd be great. Greatest match you ever watched from the chair, from your chair as a competitor playing against a match against one of my opponents? Yeah. At the time, maybe yeah, maybe a break or the match being in part of a great match.

Alan McManus 18:44

Okay. Oh, that's that's difficult to remember. Um wow. Um I remember really enjoying playing against John Higgins at the Crucible in 2016. Yeah, I bet that would be fun. It was the quarterfinals, the the curtain went up, so we had the place to ourselves, and it was jam-packed. And it was late at night, and it was just John. I just know it's we John, I call it we John. And it and it, you know, because I still see him as a 14-year-old lad, and he's playing, and I'm going, that's that's we John there. I'm playing. John, it's great. Yeah, and I'd and so I'm I'm watching him and I'm going, okay, that's we John, and we're playing and it was good. And it was a neat yeah, biggest story. It was an evening session, uh yeah, it was an evening session, the curtain was up, you could hear a pin drop, and it was just good fun.

Allison Fisher 19:36

Yeah, that's wonderful. Most underrated snooker skill.

Alan McManus 19:44

Uh underrated. Um underrated snooker skill. Pro maybe underrated, uh Oh god, that's difficult, isn't it? I mean the first one that came to mind was uh pot and frame ball. You know, a lot of guys miss frame ball and then get someone.

Allison Fisher 20:08

Well, semi-finals.

Alan McManus 20:11

Yeah. I mean that was Exactly, Mark Allen. I mean, and and look, I I before I say anything else, I get it. Yeah. One billion, but I get it. It it's funny. The mind's a funny thing, and we all know that. I have I have a sort of two theories about that that we'll never know. But if when Mark missed the black, he potted a pink into the yellow pocket in the cue book they were.

Allison Fisher 20:40

It was incredible, he played perfect position.

Alan McManus 20:42

Yeah, cue ball comes all the way down, it's travelled you know, a lot to get down and nice on the black. I think if he pots the pink off its spot and he jerk drops a cue ball through and it lands perfect on the black, he pots the black every time because it's a bog standard clearance. I think he got a little bit more time to think about it than he wanted. I think if it's a regulation clearance, he never misses the black. I also think on the black, what I always tried to do was there's no such thing as a black ball game. Wait when you're see the black that marks potting. I would always try to do this. I'm not saying it's correct or right or wrong. I would always have in the back of my mind, once I pot the black, I'm gonna play that red and go up for the black. Position, play position. Yeah. Yeah, just but but in the very back of your mind, the the the position that what I'm gonna do is I'll pot the black and then after that, that red that's just there, I'm just gonna pot that and go back up for yellow or green or whatever. Just to make it normal.

Allison Fisher 21:45

You're releasing pressure, aren't you, like that?

Alan McManus 21:48

Yeah. Just to make it feel as normal as you can. Because snooker players very rarely, if ever, think just pot this. Just pot it. That you don't think that's That way. Yes, you do in a black ball game, but by definition, don't do that.

Mike Gonzalez 22:05

Yeah.

Alan McManus 22:06

As best you can. And take yeah, and just so next time you've got a black ball game, think right, okay, I'm even in practice against one of your buddies, play for a pound or a dollar, whatever, and think right, okay, I'm gonna I'm gonna experiment with this. The next time I'm on the black, I'm gonna I'm not gonna just pot the black. I'm gonna pot the black and then I'm gonna play for that fictitious red that I'm gonna pretend is there. And then it'll feel more normal. Yeah. But it's not easy. It's easier said than done. I say that to people.

Allison Fisher 22:34

Yeah, I say that to people. Right, so last question is the game has given you blank. What would you fill in there?

Alan McManus 22:42

Um a good life.

Allison Fisher 22:46

Yeah.

Alan McManus 22:47

Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I I you know, I'm very, very lucky, very fortunate.

Allison Fisher 22:52

Yeah.

Alan McManus 22:53

Um yeah, a good life, good friends, a good life, you know.

Allison Fisher 22:57

Excellent. Good.

Mike Gonzalez 22:58

Right. Good, good. Well let's yeah, let's go into our final three questions. And the first question I'm giving to Mr. Wilson.

Mark Wilson 23:07

Okay, Alan. If you knew when you were 20 what you know now, what would you have done differently? I would have had a longer back swing.

Alan McManus 23:18

Boom. That's that's the first thing. Uh I would have done a lot of things differently, as most of us uh I guess I would have I would have worked on having a longer backswing and tried to be a more modern player. But then again, back then when I was 20, I was modern. We were modern because what happened from then till now hadn't happened yet.

Mike Gonzalez 23:42

Yeah.

Alan McManus 23:43

So it's true. I know that's obvious, but I would have I would love to go back and be 20 again because I the first thing I would do, I would go in the club and say, I'm gonna develop a long backswing and overcome a lot of these jabbers. Yeah, yeah.

Mike Gonzalez 23:56

Fair enough. That's what I would do. Yeah. All right. So, second question as a golfer, you'd appreciate this. We're gonna give you one career mulligan, one shot to do over that might have made a big difference. Where would it have been?

Alan McManus 24:11

Oh, well. Uh oh. I'd the the fact that I'm hesitating here suggests that I don't have any scars, but that's not correct.

Allison Fisher 24:22

Or it could be multiple scars.

Alan McManus 24:24

Yeah. Oh, that's what's mean of like there, there. Um oh a shot that I could a shot that would life over. Oh yeah, there was one. There was one, but I don't remember the shot, I just remember the feeling. It was the semi-final of the world championship against Jimmy White back in '93, I think. I was down on a shot, I can't remember what it was. Actually, I've got another shot that's just popped in my head. But I I was down on the shot and someone in the crowd made a noise. You you could hear a pin drop. Um someone dropped something innocently. And I thought, I was down on the shot, it was pretty, it was an easy read or something. It was quite early on in the match. And I'm down the shot, and of course I've gone, oh bloody hell. I I'll be okay, I'll just pot it and I'll try it. And I missed it. And I'm like, oh my god, what are you doing? Get back up which we've all done a million times. So I I regret that. I would love that mulligan on that shot because I was just about getting into the semi-final. I think it was about 4-3 at the time, anyway. And Jimmy won the next year 4-3, something like that. And what was the other one now? Oh yeah, that that was what that's what it was. Funny enough, it was the semi-finals against Ding uh Ding in 2016. Uh it was in the very early on in the semi-final. I I played the night before, it was quite a late finish, and I was I was a little bit tired, which is an excuse, but I was. But anyway, so I'm on a red to right middle and I'm bridging over the I'm bridging over the pink, I think it was. It's a bog standard red. And I was kind of tired and I just didn't I took my eye off it and I missed it, and I was like, oh my god, what are you doing? I was like so angry. Because it was like the shot was that easy, it was like picking it up off the floor, and I missed, I'm going, well fuck, wait, you didn't come all this way to do that, and I did, and I went 5-0 down, so that annoyed me. Um yeah, that did annoy me. I tell actually there's another phobia. That's good.

Allison Fisher 26:50

It's bringing it all up now, isn't it? Without me a can of worms. Sorry about that.

Alan McManus 26:54

I know that that there was another when I was playing David Grey. Remember David Grey? Little David Grey at the Crucible. And uh I think I've said this before somewhere, but anyway, um I think it was five reds left, he's missed. I'm about 64 behind, but obviously 67 on. So I've done the five five red blacks or whatever. So I'm clearing up, pots the pink, and this is at the crucible, round one, pots the pink. I'm absolutely perfect on the black. Uh the cue ball's where you would put it if you had the ball in hand. And I walked round the table after potting the ping, and I thought I said to myself, that was a really good clearance that thank goodness, you know. That was it, and I missed the black. Because I already thought it was in. Yeah. I mean, what are you doing? Terrible, isn't it? Terrible. But everyone will do that. Oh, of course. You can't not do it. And I did it, like everyone else.

Mike Gonzalez 27:55

Thank goodness there are only three.

Allison Fisher 27:58

Yeah, I was gonna say this this is definitely not rapid fire, is it? There's three questions. I know, sorry about that. No, no, no. We jogged your memory on a few.

Mike Gonzalez 28:05

Yeah, I was gonna say I'm sure there were more, but uh anyway.

Allison Fisher 28:08

Yeah, he'll he'll come off of air and then remember a load more. But anyway, the third question is how would you like to be remembered, Alan?

Alan McManus 28:15

Uh I don't know. As a decent player, you know, I just he he could play a little bit. He was a decent player, and he was hard to play against, and he and he tried hard and never I never missed a shot deliberately in my life. I wasn't good enough to be able to do that. So I I that's what I did. I I played hard and I I played fair.

Allison Fisher 28:39

Yeah.

Alan McManus 28:40

I I think pr for you know, pretty much the whole time I did, but I played hard, but I tried to play fair. And um because that was I think that's important for youngsters. I got taught that from a very early age at that group coaching, and it and it stuck with me, and I always bel I've always believed in that. And that's some that's was something actually that it's worth mentioning. I think Sean Murphy's magnificent at that.

Allison Fisher 29:05

Oh, I love that about him. Sportsmanship, that's always something I think the snooker players have, and I think it's really special.

Alan McManus 29:13

That's that's not easy to do. The the way Sean does it, he's really gracious and classy. Very gracious. That's n that's not easy. I always kind of tried to tried to I would always look the player in the eye and say either well played or good luck tomorrow or whenever they're playing. And that was about it. You know, I wouldn't go into you know conversations and stuff. I just I yeah, but I I I like the handshake part of it. I always have. Me too. I and well played, well played buddy, or well played pal. You you know, good luck tomorrow. And that's it.

Mike Gonzalez 29:49

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Alan McManus 29:50

Uh but Sean Sean's more gracious than I ever was. Um but I think that's important. Yeah, I do too.

Allison Fisher 29:56

Very much so. Fair enough. Well, thank you so much for giving us your time and energy and being with us and sharing all your insights. There's a lot of them, and it was really interesting and wonderful. Wonderful to listen to. I really enjoyed it.

Mike Gonzalez 30:09

I can apologize for runtime. Oh no, not at all. We're not gonna let you. Mark Wilson, how about your reflections on our time with Alan?

Mark Wilson 30:16

My summation would be uh number one, this is uh legends of the queue, and so sometimes you're so self-deprecating as to indicate that maybe you weren't top tier, but that's not the case, or you wouldn't even be here. So but uh it's been uh really your candor, I think, is what came through, and uh it was a total joy to have you on here, Alan.

Alan McManus 30:37

That's very kind, Mark. Thank you. I I really appreciate coming on. I'm you know humbled to be on something like this because you know the the name of the podcast doesn't suit me very well. But I it's been really, really good. And it's been great to see Allison, you know, we've been all old friends, and you know, I hope to, you know, if I'm ever that side of the pond I'll you better let me know.

Allison Fisher 30:57

Don't seek into Manhattan and into a pool room.

Alan McManus 31:01

Yeah, down to Chelsea Billiards and and maybe have a few racks, you know. And uh and and Mike, if you're ever in Scotland and you want a game of golf, you're more than welcome at my golf club anytime. And that applies to uh yourself, Mark, as well, obviously, and Allie. Thank you. Um yeah, and not uh anytime you're in uh the west of Scotland. Well, Scotland.

Allison Fisher 31:22

Lovely. Thank you.

Mike Gonzalez 31:23

Drop drop me a line. Yeah, well thank you, Alan. It's it's been a real pleasure. And you've given us the the the player's view, you've given us the analyst's view, the the storyteller's view, and that's exactly what we try to preserve here on Legends of the Q. Uh the lives behind the legends in your own voices, and uh we've really appreciated the time you've given us. Thanks a lot.

Alan McManus 31:43

Thank you so much, guys. And and uh you know, just going forward, uh I wish you all uh good health and be well and keep playing and enjoying Q Sports. Because that's what it's all about, isn't it?

Allison Fisher 31:55

Thank you. You too, same back at you. Thank you, Alan. Thank you for listening to another episode of Legends of the Q. If you like what you hear, wherever you listen to your podcast, including Apple and Spotify, please follow, subscribe, and spread the word. Give our podcast a five-star rating in Jorge. Visit our website and support our full history project. Until our next golden break with more Legends of the Cube.