CROSS HELPS SOUNESS HIT BULL
07/12/2023 By Phil Lanning
ROB CROSS helped Graeme Souness hit the bullseye and hopes it will spur him on to his Ally Pally title goal.
The 2018 world champ gave the ex-Liverpool and Rangers hero a lesson in throwing in the build-up to the Paddy Power World Championship which starts next week.
Cross, 33 now hopes that some of the talents of the former Scotland star will rub off on him on the big stage.
He said: “Graeme asked me ‘how can I be as good as you’. So I showed him how to hold the a dart and the first one he threw went straight in the bullseye.
“He’s still definitely got it, he can still hit the target when he really wants to!
“It was awesome to get some time with Graeme. He was such an incredible player in great teams down the years.
“It’s good to be in the company of a guy who won European Cups and led Rangers to a brilliant run of success. My manager Rab Bain is Scottish and a big Rangers man so I know all about those good old days at Ibrox.
“It’s important to listen to anyone who has reached he very top of their sporting profession. I still listen to Graeme, he knows about getting the right mentality.”
He’s hoping the brush with Souness can be a lucky charm as he bids to regain the world crown he won five years ago.
Cross added: “In my mind I have a target of being a serial winner like Graeme.
“I admire someone who can keep winning and keep having that hunger. I want to do the same and win at the Ally Pally again and again.
“There’s not many football players down the years who have been mentally as strong as Graeme. That’s what made him such a powerhouse in successful teams.
“I’d like to be feared like he was. I’ve still got time to bring that to my game. Phil Taylor was always feared. He could be a few legs ahead just in mind games. It’s good to have that awe about a player.”
