LITTLER ADVISED TO DEFLECT CROWD AFTER OUTBURST

JEFF STELLING has urged Luke Littler to deflect the crowd and avoid reacting emotionally following his outburst at Ally Pally.

‘The Nuke’ gave an explosive interview after being booed throughout his 4-2 victory against Rob Cross, which secured his spot in the quarter-finals of the World Championship.

World No. 1 Luke Littler shrugged off the crowd’s jeers, stating he wasn’t “bothered” and reminded them that their ticket purchases directly contribute to his prize money.

Stelling believes Littler has a long way to go in terms of learning how to handle the pressure that comes with being a star at such a young age.

He told talkSPORT: “Just before he said, that ‘Don’t bother me, don’t bother me.’

“It bothers him. The problem is, he’s 18, and he needs some advice because he got the response completely wrong.

“If something like that happens and he’s asked, he should just say, ‘Great crowd, love it, they’re just having a bit of fun. We’ve had a great night; I don’t mind it at all.’

“So, he just deflects it back at them; he doesn’t take them on.

“There’s a lot of them and there’s only one of him.

“It’s just that thing that we have where we build our stars up and then knock them down.

“He is so good. I don’t think it’s intentional, but sometimes he does exude a sort of arrogance.

“Of course, he knows he is so good, and that’s fine.”

Former pro Wayne Mardle weighed in separately on Sky Sports, cautioning Littler that he doesn’t want to make an enemy of the fans.

He added: “That [interview] was just odd. It was like he was looking for something and I just think he was getting antagonised.

“We haven’t really seen that [emotion] from him. We know he has got something in him that he wants to shut the crowd [up], but you never ever want them against you because it can be a long and lonely road – just ask Gerwyn Price about that.”

The teenage sensation is just three wins away from becoming the first player since Gary Anderson in 2016 to claim back-to-back World titles.

Littler is back in action on January 1, where he’ll face either Luke Woodhouse or Krzysztof Ratajski for a coveted place in the semi-finals of the prestigious tournament.

Image by Taylor Lanning.