Ricardo ‘Pikachu’ Pietreczko called him arrogant after his loss in the semi-final of the Belgian Darts Open in Wieze and Raymond Van Barneveld, although his former idol, also recently had little praise for Luke Littler (17). The rise of the teenage sensation, who won his first victory in the Premier League last Thursday, is being met with disappointment here and there. Not to the liking of darts legend Phil Taylor. The sixteen-time (!) world champion (63) can only enjoy ‘The Nuke’.
LOOK. Littler with a nine-darter against Cross in the Wieze final:
“I have already seen every match of Littler,” says Taylor, who is still active in the World Senior Darts Tour despite arthritis in his hip, at ‘DartsOnline’. “He’s a great little player. A fantastic little player. He knows what he can do, how good he already is and that he can do even better. Moreover, he has the perfect and correct top sports posture. When he loses, it never happens without a fight. Then he gets a bit grumpy. For some this is haughty or arrogant behavior, but it has nothing to do with that at all. Anyone who says such things is an idiot. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. No, Luke is a ‘good boy’.”
‘The Power’ then compares Littler to a football player. “Look at the heyday of Manchester United or Arsenal. You need to have Roy Keane, Tony Adams, Stuart Pearce or Denis Irwin in your team. That’s exactly what you need at the top. They made sure that everyone was motivated at all times. As a trainer you hardly had to do anything. And I am confident that Littler has the right team around him.”
“Do you know what it is? Nowadays it seems as if you are no longer allowed to have a personality. Yes, I come from the 60s, but I can tell you: the spirit of the times has not improved. And it’s only going to get worse.”
Would he ever see himself as a trainer of Littler, for example? “I do not know. (laughs) I should discuss that with my wife first. But if I become a trainer, it has to be 100 percent. Then I want to be able to use all my expertise and the player must also be open to it. Adjust his drinking and eating habits…. Then Luke, for example, would no longer have to play on his Playstation before a match.”
After the 2018 Darts World Cup, Taylor retired as a professional darts player. He will also retire from the senior circuit after this year due to too much pain in his hip. Although he still wants to make something of that farewell year. “I will have surgery in June and after that I want to deliver some great performances.”
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Tags: idiot darts legend Phil Taylor stands arrogant Luke Littler Sport
