GIVEMESPORT spoke to Darts legend Phil Taylor, catching a glimpse into the top-level of the sport – who he thinks is at the top of the game right now, and how he’d fare against the current pros…
Standing proud among famous central Mancunian landmarks in the heart of town, market leaders Target Darts opened their new pop-up launch. It’s where returning Britpop band Oasis formed the merchandise side of their shock reunion, with fans flocking in to buy all the latest trends for the infamous homeland comeback, and so it’s fair to say that sports’ quickest-rising game is in good company, with punters queueing out of the door on launch day.
Amongst the various professionals in attendance on launch day, Phil Taylor graced the crowd with his presence. He needs no introduction to the sport. 16 World Championship titles, 16 World Matchplay trophies, 11 World Grands Prix and six Premier League titles… it’s a feat that will take years for even the most serious of players to match, if ever.
Phil Taylor on His Mount Rushmore of Darts, His Sweetest Career Win and How He Could’ve Been Even Better
Taylor’s history in darts goes way back. Making his professional debut in 1987, and cementing himself as the world’s best in the 1990s, he waltzed up to the oche for an incredible 31 years before finally putting the arrows down. In that time, he played against the best of the best, year in year out – but four players made his ‘Mount Rushmore’ of legends. He began:
“Mount Rushmore? Eric [Bristow], myself, I’d definitely put Dennis [Priestley] up there, and maybe Michael van Gerwen. And Barney [Raymond van Barneveld] really. It’s a hard question, that one.”
16 World Championships, including eight consecutive years from 1995 to 2002, as well as another three-year run from 2004 to 2006, saw Taylor become by far and away the best player in history, quite an early marker to have set for the decades to come. But those wins weren’t just on paper; mental battles, stinging rivalries and drudgery on the big stage meant some were sweeter than others. But which one was his favourite on a personal level?
“Peter Manley,” Taylor said with a grin. “Two 7-0 wins…
“When I first played in the PDC, I lost the World’s to Dennis. So just to get my revenge on Dennis was a big occasion for me. He was a bit unbeatable at the time with his style, so you had to get used to his style and get used to his playing. That was a big milestone for me, getting my title back.”
A career that spanned 31 years at professional level was always going to result in trophies galore, especially for a player who was at the peak of his powers for the majority of that time. But Taylor admitted, rather honestly, that he could have been even better had he put the hard yards in as a youngster. That, he claimed, was remedied with even harder work during his pomp. He added:
“I was good when I was a kid, you see, but I never took it seriously. In my thirties, I was hitting it. I was always a hard worker, never let myself down. The only time – and I apologise to my sponsors for it – was when I was younger, and I didn’t practice properly because I was jet-lagged. I had to have a few days off. That knocked me back a bit.”
Phil Taylor on Himself vs Luke Littler and His Premier League Eight
It’s now been almost eight years since Taylor last took to the oche in a professional sense. Bowing out of the 2018 World Championships after a 7-2 final defeat to Rob Cross, it’s clear that Taylor wasn’t what he was in those halycon days – but the previous performances he’d shown over three decades had given him more than enough credit in the bank. It begs the question as to who would win in a game at their peak: Taylor, or Luke Littler? The Stoke-on-Trent native backed his own abilities, adding:
“It would be a good game. My prime was probably a 117 average, between 112, and I had 109s every week. That was on older boards and different equipment. Nowadays, on the new boards, you can play better on them. So I think it would be a hell of a game, a close game – but I think I’d win.”
A quick glance, with a cheeky smirk, saw Taylor nudge to the camera: “Don’t tell Littler…”
Darts has taken on a global effect since Taylor’s retirement, perhaps ignited by COVID lockdowns with budding fans, and sporting fans in general, being forced to play indoor sports – with darts being the market leader in that regard. Now, fans almost obsessively tune into Premier League clashes once the ‘Worlds’ are over, aiming to get their weekly fix of the sport, but the hard part is choosing the eight players to contest the sport on a regular basis.
Taylor had his views, with the order of merit not specifically being based on ability. Asked to choose his ideal lineup, the sporting icon said:
“The two Lukes [Littler and Humphries]. Chris Dobey, I have a bit of a soft spot for. Josh Rock, I think, Josh Rock is absolutely brilliant, he’s the one who is coming up now over the next few months. He’s going to get fed up with missing doubles, and he’s going to be a right handful. I had a good chat with him last night, because he’s just letting the crowd put him off a little bit. He’s got to get that in his head now where he’s not going to get put off. Michael is always going to be up there with the best until he gets a bit older.”
Taylor then hinted towards his own career with a warning for the Dutchman, stating: “Things start going south then, as your eyesight goes…”
The Power continued to name names, before being reminded he could only choose eight. “Nathan Aspinall, who I’ve got a big, big soft spot for…it’s so difficult. Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price…my favourite player at the minute is Bunting. He’s a nice guy, me and him just get on really, really well.”
Asked about a return to the Premier League for Bully Boy, Taylor didn’t agree. He continued: “Michael Smith, no. And he knows that. I’m not going to run him down, but he ain’t good enough at the minute. You’ve got to get people up there who can perform, entertain, and put bums on seats. At the minute, I wouldn’t really change a lot. Adrian [Lewis] isn’t even in the rankings, that shows how tough it is.
Pushed for a final eight, Taylor said: “Luke Littler, Josh Rock, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen, Nathan Aspinall as he’s entertaining and good for TV, Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price…maybe you throw in a few outsiders, but it’s if the general public know who you are. That’s the problem. A lot of them climb the rankings very quickly, and they get up and people don’t know who you are yet. Someone asked me, and even I’d say I’ve never heard of them!”.
Phil Taylor on Darts’ Future and The Next Generation
Turning to the next generation, Littler’s success at such a young age does feel like a catalyst for darts to move from a national sport, to at least a continental-wide one, and a global one doesn’t seem too far away.
Though for Taylor, he’s looking close to home – touting his grandson to break through onto the televised stage. He added:
“I’ve got a grandson who is like a Yoda. He’s my little Yoda. He’s good is Matthew, and Nathan. He’s got it Nathan, he’s got my talent, so hopefully he’ll come through the rankings.
“Darts started in places like Minehead, and now we’re in places like Dubai, New Zealand, South Africa, China, Japan”, Taylor said, before ending a little more locally. “Even from Wigan! I’ve got friends in Stoke who are coming up, they’ll be up to collect my stuff and Luke’s, definitely.”