But to be honest I don't think either of them really expected to be there. Sure, Peter Ebdon has won a world title and Graeme Dott was in the final before, but they weren't expected to get that far. And it was a bit drawn out. Both of them were nervous. That was probably why a lot of frames went on a bit and the match wasn't the greatest viewing.

But that had been said from the beginning of the championships. We struggled with the tables in the early part and a lot can be attributed to that. They were very slow and had to be changed.

That's why there wasn't all the high breaks you'd normally expect. And for such a tournament, that aspect was disappointing. The tables got better when they were recovered but initially everyone was a bit unlucky because it was just a bad roll of cloth.

But still, it wasn't one of the more memorable championships. You could always do with a good World Championships for the profile of the game but that won't always happen. We've had a lot of good tournaments leading into it though and then there have been quite a few good world finals over the last few years. They were close, competitive and wellwatched. There was Mark Williams and myself, last year with Shaun Murphy winning, Ebdon won an 18-17 encounter a few years back against Hendry, so every now and again you'll get one like this. But we've had a great Grand Prix final, a great Masters final that went to the last frame, when I beat John Higgins over in Malta it went to the last frame.

But there is more than performance. I suppose a lot of fans will compare the game now to the 70s and 80s. Back then there were guys like Ray Reardon and Alex Higgins but there were only eight or 10 of them playing for every tournament so they could afford to be the way they were. Now it's a lot more competitive. There are more players, younger players but that is not to say we don't try to entertain. I think we were spoiled in the 70s and 80s.

Yet the game is in good hands now. We still have Jimmy White, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry and there is no greater character than Ronnie O'Sullivan in any sport. What he can do, right and left handed, there isn't another sportsman in the world that could perform to that level. He is a great character and a wonderful player.

It doesn't always show and in that respect I feel sorry for him. He has a lot of demons.

He's a good guy and had a troubled upbringing and his father is in prison and it's very hard for him. He's had it tough. But he's still the best to watch, the best in the world without a doubt. Sometimes the demons don't let him play to his best though. You could see when he was playing Dott that the last place he wanted to be was in the Crucible.

I think had he been at his best he would have been in that final but I'd say the same about myself. And that made it difficult viewing because I could have won that final. If I'd beaten Marco Fu, the tournament was there for the taking. The two guys in the final didn't play great snooker.

Then again, anyone can win on a given day. It's like the FA Cup, the best teams don't always make the final. But good luck to the guys. They weren't there by chance.

They did what they had to do and played better on the day.

Yet after beating Matthew Stevens and Barry Hawkins very well in the first round and after having such a good season it was tough to stomach. But it's a small consolation that I'm number two in the world now and things have turned around from this time last year when I was struggling to stay in the top 16. It all leaves me with a great platform and I'm confident.

Who knows, I could be number one in the world after the opening tournament. And I'll try not to get thrown off of any planes next season, I'll keep the booze down to a minimum. Promise.