‘Players are not enjoying it' – Phil Taylor makes explosive claim about Premier League Darts and demands urgent change
DARTS legend Phil Taylor has slammed the format of the Premier League.
2
Phil Taylor has slammed the format of the Premier League
Credit: AFP
2
Luke Humphries beat Luke Littler in this year's final
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
The eight-player format involving a quarter, semi and final every Thursday has been in place since 2022.
But Taylor is not a fan of the setup,
"It needs revamping, that's what I think. A lot of the players are not enjoying it and you can tell."
Fans also
READ MORE IN DARTS
He argued that seeing top players face each other regularly dampens the blockbuster feel to the match-ups.
But Taylor has been entertained by the standard of play on show throughout this year's Premier League.
He added: "Luke and Luke are really setting the standards at the moment.
"The levels they're producing and how they're bringing the best out of each other — it's incredible for the rest of the sport.
Most read in Darts
BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK
"
And not just Luke and Luke — I love watching
Chris Dobey
.
"Nathan Aspinall is playing superb. Absolutely superb. He's won two or three of these Premier Leagues. He's done brilliant.'
Gerwyn Price reveals darts rival who rattled him most and it led to awkward moment on stage
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
41 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Thomas Frank is perfect manager to deal with Tottenham's Daniel Levy – after being slammed by his OWN chairman on forum
THOMAS FRANK'S first big job ended when the club chairman was exposed for criticising him on an online fans' forum. Although some Tottenham supporters have a pretty low opinion of supremo Daniel Levy, it's unlikely he would ever be caught doing the same. 5 Thomas Frank is the perfect manager to deal with Tottenham's Daniel Levy Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 5 Spurs owner Levy is on the hunt for a new gaffer after sacking Ange Credit: Alamy Levy keeps a low profile and says very little about whether he is backing his manager — until the moment he doesn't any more. Which is not quite how Jans Bech Andersen handled things after becoming chairman of Danish club Brondby. Frank had left his role with the Danish FA coaching the youth teams and working with senior boss Morten Olsen, to take over at the cash-strapped fallen giants in 2013. But he resigned in March 2016 after just under three years in charge because of what became known as 'Oscar-gate'. READ MORE TOTTENHAM NEWS 'Oscar' was the name attached to a profile on a leading Brondby fan messageboard which had repeatedly hammered And it turned out that 'Oscar' was Bech Andersen, a rich fan who had increased his investment and influence at the club a few months after Frank's arrival. Among 'Oscar's' posts were rants criticising Frank for being a coach 'who is inexperienced and stubbornly sticks to a system that doesn't work' and his 'inability to integrate new players that he himself has 100 per cent chosen'. 'Oscar' said Frank and Rud had made 'crazy decisions together due to ignorance and lack of experience', creating 'a headache that needs to be cured as soon as possible'. Most read in Football CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Frank understandably talked of a 'breach of trust' in his resignation statement. Nine months later, in December 2016, he joined England football ace Millie Bright leaves fiancé & falls for married personal trainer 'in a big way' 5 It would be easy to say the rest is history but Frank did have a sticky start to his reign. Without the strong backing of Bees owner Matthew Benham and co-director of football Rasmus Ankersen — a fellow Dane — he might not have survived. Gambling guru Benham believed Frank was a good bet and has been proved right. For all Frank's incredible success in leading the club from the Championship to the top half of the Premier League, Levy and Spurs fans are entitled to ask how he would cope with the very different challenge at Tottenham? The 51-year-old has never taken charge of a Champions League match nor won a major trophy, two things which were on former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou's CV even before he led Spurs to Europa League glory in what turned out to be his final game. Newcastle in November 2021. Yes, Howe had taken Bournemouth through the divisions all the way to ninth place in the top flight but he had also been relegated in 2020 and never managed in Europe . Yet Howe proved his doubters wrong — in 2023 he led the Magpies back into the Champions League, before lifting their first major domestic trophy for 70 years with March's Carabao Cup victory over Liverpool. Much has been made of Brentford's use of data from Benham's gambling business to give them the edge in recruitment. But it is one thing to identify hidden gems with the potential to become stars — the art is making them realise that potential. 5 Spurs sacked Ange Postecoglou on Friday 5 And Frank has a brilliant record, particularly with forward players. Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney , Bryan Mbeumo and Levy will have also seen how players like Christian Norgaard — soon to become a free agent — have quietly become established Prem stars. Frank has also proved tactically adaptable in a way Big Ange stubbornly refused to be until that backs-to-the-wall performance in the second half of the Europa League final against Manchester United. Championship . But after winning the play-off final in 2021, Frank knew he had to compromise a bit. He made his side defensively sound and difficult to beat, using marginal gains like set-piece excellence to help preserve their top-flight status. But last season the Bees were among the Prem's great entertainers. They were also one of the very few clubs in Europe to have three players with more than ten league goals - Mbeumo, Wissa and If Frank gets the Spurs job, his personality will be quite a change from Postecoglou's gruff Aussie charms. The genial Dane is the most relatable and likeable Prem boss. His image of a man who likes to visit his local pub on the Thames is not just for show. Every managerial appointment is a gamble but for Levy that could be money well spent. Bech Andersen remains at Brondby and is still posting on social media — albeit under his own name now. At least Frank won't have to cope with Levy doing that if he joins Spurs.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Who is Kasey McAteer? Ireland star on upbringing and idolising Jamie Vardy
Kasey McAteer will never forget his magical moment last Friday, when he spun and drilled home his first ever goal in international football. The Leicester City winger is still only 23 years of age but he has already achieved a lot in the game, including a first Premier League goal and a breakthrough for Ireland. Reflecting on his time so far in the game, there have been plenty of pinch-me moments for the youngster who joined the Leicester City academy at the age of just eight. He was a regular at Foxes matches - and even took on the role of ball boy - as he watched Jamie Vardy score goal after goal during an incredible 13-season career at the club. 'It means everything, it's like a dream come true playing for this club,' he told the Leicester City website. 'It's all I've ever wanted to do since I was a kid. 'I remember I was 13, 14 watching Vards (Jamie Vardy) play and score goals in the Premier League and now I've sat opposite him in the dressing room. It's quite surreal when you think about it in that sense.' McAteer was just eight years old when he was snapped up by the Leicester City Academy. He is quick to pay tribute to his parents for their roles in his success. 'My mum and dad would make four or five trips a week when I was a boy, from the age of nine to when I was about 14,' he said. 'That was five years of their life they were sacrificing to bring me after work. 'They gave up a lot and, when I left home, it was a sad moment for me. My dad told me that he had a little cry. But they knew to look at the bigger picture and that it was about giving me the opportunity. 'I always say that my dad was my first ever coach and I would like to say me moving paid off. They (my parents) do tell me how proud they are and hopefully I can keep making them proud.' He was one of a number of academy players to graduate to the first-team. 'There's so many that have come through the Academy; myself, Luke [Thomas], Hamz [Hamza Choudhury], Kiernan [Dewsbury-Hall], who has obviously moved on, and Ben Chilwell,' he said. 'You can see that there is a pathway because, in recent years, the club has done really well in bringing young players through and long may that continue.' During his time at Leicester, he had loan spells at Forest Green Rovers (2021/22) and Wimbledon (2022/23). He scored his first Premier League goal in their win over Ipswich Town in May. McAteer was originally targeted by Stephen Kenny, but his paperwork didn't come through until after Heimir Hallgrímsson's appointment. With an Offaly grandmother and a Belfast grandfather, and with Kenny's fondness for skillful and speedy wingers, once his eligibility was known, efforts were made to bring him into the fold. His first call-up came for the Nations League games at home to England and Greece last September - Hallgrímsson's first games in charge. He made his debut off the bench against England and was capped three more times, before McAteer was handed his first start last Friday night in the 1-1 draw with Senegal. He opened the scoring and afterwards described his goal as 'a dream come true.' 'I'm over the moon, I think you can tell by my celebrations – it was like a dream come true,' he told RTE. 'It was my first night here at the Aviva – hopefully many more to come – but good to get myself on the scoresheet. 'Shame we couldn't hold on for the result to get the win, but Senegal are a really good team and we'll take it in our stride.' McAteer added: 'The main thing is to get this country to the World Cup and that's our aim. Every friendly game we need to build and hopefully we'll get ourselves there in the future.'
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Tottenham ready to hijack Man Utd's £60m Bryan Mbeumo transfer as Brentford identify Thomas Frank replacement
TOTTENHAM want Bryan Mbeumo to join with Thomas Frank — in a £70million double raid on Brentford. Spurs have made Bees boss Frank their first choice to replace axed Ange Postecoglou and want to tie up a swoop quickly. Advertisement 3 Spurs are trying to hijack Man Utd's move for Bryan Mbeumo Credit: Getty 3 Mbeumo could join manager and Spurs target Thomas Frank Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 3 Ruben Amorim has already lost out to Spurs after a 1-0 defeat in the Europa League final Credit: Shutterstock Editorial And the Europa League winners are trying to hijack Manchester United's move for attacker Mbeumo — with hopes that landing Frank could help sway a deal. Frank, 51, is Spurs technical director Johan Lange, who worked with Frank at Danish club Lyngby, will play a key role in negotiations. Then Tottenham can join the Mbeumo chase seriously and hope that being able to offer Champions League action will give them another edge. Advertisement READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS United are edging towards a £60m deal and Spurs have cash to match that. It would be a huge test of Tottenham's spending power as United prepare to offer huge wages on top of the fee for the Meanwhile, CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS Advertisement Most read in Football But McKenna signed a massive new deal at Ipswich a year ago and his compensation clause is understood to be a similar figure to Frank's. Who could replace Ange Postecoglou as Tottenham manager? The lure of a second crack at the Premier League is bound to appeal to the Northern Irishman, who was relegated after leading Ipswich to Prem promotion for the first time in 22 years.
