The Power is backing Barney to go out on a high
ONCE their rivalry was the El Clasico of darts, but now Phil Taylor wants Raymond van Barneveld to crown his farewell tour with a sixth world title.
From their sudden-death final in 2007 to a handshake that turned into arm-wrestling six years ago, 16-time world champion Taylor’s duels with Barney were pure box office.
They were the ‘Power’ and the Dutch master. The winning machine and clockwork orange. The gaffer and the jaffa.
But when Barney – who will retire at the end of 2019 – begins his long goodbye in the William Hill PDC world championship at Alexandra Palace next Monday, Taylor hopes his old sparring partner will sign off n triumph.
Muhammad Ali once said of his great heavyweight archrival: “Joe Frazier is the greatest of all times - next to me.”
And Taylor, preparing for his first Christmas at home in 30 years without a world championship to disturb the turkey, would be happy to anoint Barney as his deputy deity.
He said: “I think Barney will be in the mix this year and I would love to see him wear the crown one more time on New Year’s Day.
“Although he hasn’t won a world championship since our famous tiebreak at the Circus Tavern, he’s got a good record at Ally Pally – he’s been in the final and he’s usually still there at the business end of the tournament.
“We’ve had our tiffs over the years, only rarely, but we always had a respect for each other that went beyond competition.
“When Raymond was at a low ebb a few years ago, we put him up in our house for a few days and he’s been very hospitable to my family in return.
“I got swept along by all the sentimental goodwill towards me when I was retiring last year and it took me all the way to the final.
“The same thing
– Phil Taylor
– Eric Bristow, Raymond van Barneveld – Martin Adams, John Lowe, John Part – Gary Anderson, Michael van Gerwen, Glen Durrant, Ted Hankey, Adrian Lewis, Dennis Priestley, Scott Waites, Jocky Wilson could happen to Barney this time. Adrian Lewis and Michael van Gerwen had better be practising hard because they are both in Barney’s part of the draw and they had better be
(PDC & BDO)
ready for him.
“Barney reckons he’s got one more big title left in him and I hope he’s right.”
For the first time in the Professional Darts Corporation’s history, Taylor will not be part of the circus when ringmaster Barry Hearn pitches his big top above Muswell Hill and the fancy dress legions converge on Christmas party central from Thursday.
Taylor, 58, declined an offer to be a Sky Sports pundit and will instead follow the arrows on TV at home in Stokeon-Trent.
But he has no regrets about calling it a day after his 7-2 thrashing by Rob Cross in last year’s final.
Taylor said: “I won’t miss it one bit. All the practice, practice, practice takes over your whole Christmas.
“I’d come to the end of the line, the regimental lifestyle and although I was still good enough to reach the world championship final and win the odd tournament, I couldn’t stand losing.
“It was killing me. Like Sir Alex Ferguson, I was so used to winning that I couldn’t get used to the idea of losing. I’m getting on for 60 and it was becoming too much for me.
“Rob Cross destroyed me. I thought he would bottle it because it was his first final, but fair play to him. He was too good for me that night.”
Taylor insists he would “never say never” to a curtain call at a PDC major as a wild card or invitation.
And he would consider a one-off encore, like his pay-perview ‘showdown’ against Andy Fordham in 2004, if the price was right “and above all if the public wanted to see it”.