By Elliott West
Introduction
Dubbed ‘Angles’ by the world of snooker, Alan McManus is a professional snooker player and a television commentator. Winner of two ranking events, the 1994 Dubai Classic, the 1996 Thailand Open and the 1994 Masters. Alan has also made regular appearances at the World Championship, reaching the semi-finals in 1992, 1993, 1996 and 2016. Known for his love of the technical aspects of the sport, McManus has a keen eye, is a fluent wordsmith and still plays snooker on the main tour to a decent standard.
Career
Born in Glasgow in 1971, McManus started his professional career in the post 80s years and is part of a group of players that replaced the changing of the old guard that dominated the sport for so many years. A member of the top 16 for fourteen consecutive seasons, Alan is considered by many to be a formidable force but is unfairly described as not reaching his potential. Often compared to the likes of Stephen Hendry, John Higgins and Mark Williams, McManus, the Scot has always been a player that many colleagues feared being drawn against. An individual who knows the mechanics of a snooker table like the back of his hand and causes a snooker migraine when a match enters a safety battle due to his expertise at calculating angled shots.
Alan is definitely a survivor and has blasted many players off the table to the stage exit including Peter Ebdon who he whitewashed at the 1998 Grand Prix, 5-0. The highlight of his career is definitely his 1994 Masters title where he dispatched Nigel Bond, 5-2, Ken Doherty, 5-1, Neal Foulds, 6-4 and Stephen Hendry in the final, 9-8. By winning this title, he also ended Hendry’s of an unbeaten run in this tournament that dated back to 1989. Alan also picked up an additional prize of £10,000 for getting the highest break of 132 in his match with Nigel Bond.
Despite dropping out of the top 16 in 2006 and spending several years in the wilderness, McManus made a resurgent return in 2012, qualifying for the Australian Goldfields Open. A series of good wins followed and now 50 in the rankings, McManus still displays the occasional magic that kept him at the top of the sport for many years. The most recent display being his fantastic run in the 2016 World Championship, when he reached the semi-final, losing 11-17 to Ding Junhui.
Conclusion
Alan McManus still competes on the main tour and divides his time between being a player and a pundit and commentator. Widely respected in the sport, Alan is able to get into the mind of a snooker player because he still experiences the joy and heartache that his colleagues go through. This makes a good television presenter because they can reflect a carbon copy image of the tournament to the viewers and hence engage their audience.
