Phil Taylor ready to dish out criticism on debut as TV pundit at World Matchplay darts
Taylor, 57, retired from action in January and is now set for his bow with the Sky Sports microphone
PHIL TAYLOR is not afraid to slam any darts pros as he makes his TV debut this weekend at the World Matchplay.
And, like his outspoken mentor, the late Eric Bristow, The Power is prepared to speak the truth if any player deserves criticism.
Taylor retired from competitive darts in January the day after losing to debutant Rob Cross in the final of the PDC World Darts Championships.
Sky Sports have signed him up as a commentator and pundit for the first time at the World Matchplay at Blackpool, which kicks-off on Saturday.
And Taylor warned his stars: “I’ll tell the truth. Of course I will. If they don’t like it, they don’t like it. People will know if you are telling the truth or lying. If you are doing commentary, why not tell the truth?”
Taylor was a 16-time winner at Winter Gardens and the Stoke thrower admits it will be odd to walk through the famous doors in Blackpool and not take to the oche.
The trophy will be bear his name as he misses out or the first time in the competition’s 25-year history.
The 57-year-old, who has travelled the world since the New Year on the exhibition circuit, said: “I haven’t missed the darts this year but being in Blackpool for the first time without playing will be hard. For me, the Winter Gardens was fantastic, the ambiance of it all.
“I’m very flattered and shocked to have my name on the trophy. It never even came into my head that something like that would happen.”
It is more than three months since Bristow died of a heart attack aged 60.
In only his second interview in the past six months, Taylor admits he still cannot accept his old sparring partner has gone.
He said: “I still have Eric’s number in my phone! I think sometimes if I ring it he will answer.
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“It’s awful. I do miss him. I put a little barrier in my head, thinking he is not gone. Eric, like my parents, was a big character in my life.
“My mum, my dad and Eric – they will never die in my eyes. They will always be there. It’s weird. They will never pass away.
“Bobby George was asked in a interview: ‘How long did you know Eric for?’ He replied: ‘45 years. And I only ever liked him for three!’
“But that was Eric. He was such a character.
“He pushed me and pushed me. The best advice he gave me? Shall I be honest? What the f*** are you doing talking to this bunch of s**** for? They are not your friends. Now go on that practice board, you lazy fat b******. He would say that and I had just sat down after practising!”
Like Bristow, Taylor offered some harsh words for Rob Cross, whom he believes is feeling the pressure of being the reigning world champion.
Debutant Cross lifted the Sid Waddell trophy on New Year's Day despite being a 125-1 outsider at the start of the 2017 season.
Yet since that shock Ally Pally triumph, Cross has failed to win a major title.
And Taylor warned: “Rob has felt it a bit. The first 12 months after winning the worlds is his real learning curve. He has a big target on him.
“And if he gets beaten at the worlds, it will kill him. Then you will see his making. He will have to regroup, get back on the practice board, and the hard work really starts.
“When I won the worlds in 1990, I won 70 out of the next 72 or 74 tournaments. Then I lost in the quarters of the worlds.
“The problem Rob has is that there’s no time in the calendar to take time off and lick his wounds.”
Taylor was speaking in association with sponsors SAP, the recruitment and employments specialists.
- Taylor was speaking in association with sponsors SAP, the recruitment and employments specialists.