Part 3 of our Legends of the Cue series with Alan “Angles” McManus explores the influences, techniques, rivalries, and self-awareness that helped define his rise in professional snooker.

Alan looks back on Steve Davis as the model player of his youth: the standard-bearer whose technique, discipline, and professionalism changed what young snooker players believed was possible. As a boy, Alan even staged imaginary tournaments at home, pretending to be Davis, Jimmy White, and other stars while studying their cue actions and trying to understand what made each player different.

That leads to a rich discussion of snooker technique, including stance, cue action, cue-ball striking, and why the game changed when players began to treat fundamentals as seriously as scoring. Alan, Allison Fisher, and Mark Wilson compare snooker and pool mechanics, discussing why a 12-foot snooker table exposes flaws and why elite cueing demands repeatability under pressure.

This episode also digs into the contrast between structure and genius. Alan reflects on Jimmy White’s incredible natural ability, his fearless shot-making, and the difference between being able to pot balls and knowing when not to attack. The conversation examines why some gifted players thrive on instinct while others build their careers through practice, method, and tactical judgment.

Mike, Mark, and Allison guide Alan through his early professional breakthrough, his first big win at the Masters qualifying event, the insecurity he felt before matches, and the confidence he often found once play began. Alan describes being afraid beforehand but comfortable at the table—a revealing insight into the psychology of competition.

For listeners interested in Steve Davis, Jimmy White, snooker technique, cue action, pressure, practice habits, and the mental architecture of a top professional, this episode is a deep dive into how Alan McManus became one of the game’s sharpest minds.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

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Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a cue sports history podcast featuring interviews with Hall of Fame members, world champions, and influential figures from across the world of cue sports—including pocket billiards, snooker, and carom disciplines such as three-cushion billiards. We highlight the people, places, and moments that have shaped the game—celebrating iconic players, memorable events, historic venues, and the brands that helped define generations of play. With a focus on the positive spirit of the sport, our goal is to create a rich, engaging, and timeless archive of stories that fans can enjoy now and for years to come.

Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher and Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, Legends of the Cue brings these stories to life—told in the voices of the game’s greatest figures.

Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cu...

In Part 2 of our Legends of the Cue interview with Alan McManus, the conversation moves from Glasgow snooker halls to New York pool rooms, from schoolboy promise to professional ambition, and from natural ability to the hard-earned craft of safety play.

Alan begins with a fascinating cue-sports crossover discussion, asking Allison Fisher about the open bridge, snooker technique, and how her move to American pool may have influenced the way pool players approached fundamentals. That opens the door to a broader conversation about equipment, discipline, practice structure, and the difference between snooker and pool culture.

One of the great stories in this segment is Alan’s unexpected visit to Chelsea Billiards in Manhattan during a spontaneous 1996 trip to New York. He describes walking into a 24-hour pool room, playing nine-ball without fully knowing the rules, losing money to a local player, and loving the atmosphere of American action pool. Mark Wilson then offers his own memories of the road-player era, where pool halls, road atlases, small-stakes matches, and local champions created a romantic and competitive underground cue-sports world.

The episode also returns to Alan’s own development as a snooker player: his first century break at 14, the Scottish amateur circuit, his decision to leave behind a short-lived job as a trainee car mechanic, and the moment he committed himself to trying to become a professional snooker player. Alan also shares a telling story from the Scottish amateur final, where he spent the break between sessions practicing safety shots instead of relaxing.

For fans of snooker, pool, road-player culture, nine-ball, safety play, and cue-sports development, this episode captures the moment ambition becomes discipline—and discipline becomes a career.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a cue sports history podcast featuring interviews with Hall of Fame members, world champions, and influential figures from across the world of cue sports—including pocket billiards, snooker, and carom disciplines such as three-cushion billiards. We highlight the people, places, and moments that have shaped the game—celebrating iconic players, memorable events, historic venues, and the brands that helped define generations of play. With a focus on the positive spirit of the sport, our goal is to create a rich, engaging, and timeless archive of stories that fans can enjoy now and for years to come.

Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher and Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, Legends of the Cue brings these stories to life—told in the voices of the game’s greatest figures.

Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cu...

In Part 1 of our extended Legends of the Cue conversation with Scottish snooker great Alan “Angles” McManus, we begin where every cue-sports life story should begin: at the first table, with the first cue, and with the first signs that something special might be happening.

Alan joins Mike Gonzalez, Mark Wilson, and Allison Fisher for a warm and thoughtful opening chapter that traces his early years in Glasgow, his first memories of cue sports, and the childhood moments that helped shape one of snooker’s most respected thinkers. He recalls being the “sporty one” in the family, playing football as a boy, watching Cliff Thorburn win the 1980 World Championship, and discovering the magic of the small snooker table at home.

From school lunchtime pool tournaments to Gus’s Pool Hall, from realizing he could beat older players to being invited into a local snooker team as a teenager, Alan paints a vivid picture of the grassroots snooker culture that formed him. The conversation also explores coaching, discipline, technique, and why snooker players of his generation learned early that talent alone was never going to be enough.

Allison and Mark add their own perspectives from the worlds of snooker and pool, comparing the structured coaching culture of UK snooker with the more informal development path of American pool. Along the way, Alan explains the origins of his nickname “Angles,” reflects on Scotland’s golden snooker era, and shares how a young boy with a cue in his hand slowly became a serious student of the game.

This episode is essential listening for fans of Alan McManus, Scottish snooker, cue sports history, coaching, fundamentals, and the early making of a world-class competitor.

Give Allison, Mark & Mike some feedback via Text.

Support the show

Follow our show and/or leave a review/rating on:

Our website: https://www.legendsofthecue.com

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/legends-of-the-cue/id1820520463

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Za0IMh2SeNaWEGUHaVcy1

Music by Lyrium.

About

"Legends of the Cue" is a cue sports history podcast featuring interviews with Hall of Fame members, world champions, and influential figures from across the world of cue sports—including pocket billiards, snooker, and carom disciplines such as three-cushion billiards. We highlight the people, places, and moments that have shaped the game—celebrating iconic players, memorable events, historic venues, and the brands that helped define generations of play. With a focus on the positive spirit of the sport, our goal is to create a rich, engaging, and timeless archive of stories that fans can enjoy now and for years to come.

Co-hosted by WPA and BCA Hall of Fame member Allison Fisher and Mosconi Cup player and captain Mark Wilson, Legends of the Cue brings these stories to life—told in the voices of the game’s greatest figures.

Join Allison, Mark and Mike Gonzalez for “Legends of the Cu...