ANDERSON CRITICISES DARTS SCHEDULE

By Phil Lanning

ANGRY Gary Anderson says he’s “too old” for the Premier League and hit out at potential player BURNOUT.

The World No6 faces James Wade in his second round clash of the Winmau World Masters on Saturday.

Ando, 55, unleashed a furious tirade at YouTube darts influencers following his opening win and also believes that the PDC calendar should be changed to help the players. 

On not wanting a Premier League place, he said: “I made a big song and dance about it, but I’m too old for that. I’ve looked at the schedule now, even without doing the Premier League, it’s hectic, it’s bad. 

“I mean, you do one in Poland, you’ve got to get back from Poland on the Monday, you’ve got to get to Leicester or Milton Keynes, wherever that is. It’s too much.

“It’s a simple situation, right? Once every two months, you can have a seven-day Pro Tour event. Every two months. So within the 10 months, you’ve covered all the Pro Tours.

“So that gives you now seven weeks off. In that seven weeks, you can play one, you can play two, you can play three Europeans and you’ll still have four or five weeks off. Everything’s covered.

“If you work it out, what is it, 35 Pro Tours? Seven, 14, 21, 28, 30. In fact, you can squeeze an extra one in and it’s done.

“That now gives you seven weeks clear in that two months. You can stick two Europeans on, you can stick three, four Europeans on and it gives you three, four weeks off to have a bit of family life.

“We’re professional dart players, it’s our job, so if you’ve got to work seven days, you get seven weeks off after that.

“To get from Poland to Leicester or Milton Keynes or wherever, it’s an absolute nightmare. Just jam it in. Seven days.

“If people are moaning about it. Well I don’t want to do seven days, then don’t do seven days. That’s entirely up to you.

“That’s the way it’s going to sit and that will give you so much time, especially with folk with a family, young kids, you get home more.

“To me, it makes sense. There again, that’s a different world, isn’t it? That’s a really different universe.”

Anderson admits he has completely switched off from darts since reaching the Worlds semi-finals at the start of the month. 

On what he has done since the Ally Pally, he added: “Not a lot. Busy at the lakes. Been clearing a lot of stuff, First one back, like I say, I could have done with a few pro tours before we kick into a TV tournament, but it’s great to have nicked it and been through.”

On whether he got an invite to the Saudi Arabia Masters, he continued: “I don’t watch darts, honestly. I don’t give two monkeys, no. I’ve not got a clue.

“Is it more than an hour in a plane? There’s your answer then.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.