MARK ALLEN HITS BIG AGAIN, BUT NEEDS TO BE CONSISTENT

For the first time since winning the Masters in 2018, Northern Irishman Mark Allen has won something big again. He's now the 2020 Champion of Champions.

And not only is the Champion of Champions now considered the fourth biggest event in snooker, Allen also won it in dominant fashion. To win the title, he beat the World Champion Ronnie O'Sullivan in the last 8, the World Number 1 Judd Trump in the semis, and the defending champion Neil Robertson in the final. All of these three wins were reasonably comfortable ones.

To have beaten Judd Trump, who's playing some unbelievabe snooker right now, 6-1 before beating Neil Robertson, who made 10 centuries in total during his four matches last week, 10-6 is absolutely unbelievable. He had also beaten Ronnie O'Sullivan 6-3 in a last of 8 match that ended up having a lot of controversy.

However, even Mark Allen admitted afterwards that spending "nearly two years without a title is not good enough". That brought me back to two years ago when I wrote in this very blog after he'd won the Masters that from there on I didn't expect him to become a prolific winner (what's proven true so far), but that he had thrown his name into the mix.

And his name is definitely in the mix, he's the world number 8, he just won a massive event and is the man of the moment after what he did to his opponents. However, do you feel like he has the status that someone capable of beating the world numbers 1, 2 and 3 within four days deserves to have?

Winning a title as big as the Champion of Champions or even the Masters, every two years, is fantastic. But he'll be te first one to admit that consistency have not been in the same level of hability for him. And that is, in my opinion, the main reason why we usually overlook him when we talk about the usual contenders (Ronnie, Judd, Neil, Ding, Kyren, Selby, Higgins, Bingham).

But what does change that status for a player? When does a player become that "usual contender"? Well, I think it's pretty much related to becoming a regular face in the late stages of the BBC events. We can't exactly call the moment when we simply start taking the player for granted (something we definetely haven't done with Allen, because we still get a bit surprised when something like this happens), but I think getting to the World Championship final is basically it. You'll be on the biggest stage there is in terms of snooker, the whole world is watching and you'll have had those five days in the one table set-up at the Crucible that will make even the most casual fan of the game get to know you. It also means that you've faced a best of 33 at the one table set-up at the Crucible over three days and came out victorious, that simply raises your bar as player.

That's something Mark Allen haven't done yet, and in fact it's been 11 years since he made his only semifinal appearance. Indeed it's consistency he needs, but it's a run to the final at the Crucible which will make him take the next step now. Maybe this year? He's got the potential, that we know for sure. Time will keep telling us.

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