TAYLOR REVEALS BRISTOW COMMENT THAT BROKE HIS HEART
28/09/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
PHIL TAYLOR has revealed he was left heartbroken when mentor Eric Bristow admitted he was “no good anymore” on the oche.
Former world No. 1 Bristow dominated darts through the 1980s with FIVE World Championship titles.
‘The Crafty Cockney’ famously took Taylor under his wing after struggling with dartitis – sparking a close friendship between the pair.
But 16-times world champ Taylor says the hardest moment of their bond came when he saw Bristow’s career slipping away.
He said: “There was also one time [with] Eric, when his career was kind of coming to an end.
“And he shouted me across, ‘Phil come here a second.’
“He said, ‘See all these here?’ I said, ‘Yeah?’ He said, ‘They’re talking to me.’
“What’s wrong with that?
“He said, ‘They never speak to me when I was number one in the world.’
“He says, ‘You know what that means, don’t you?’ I went, ‘What?’ He says, ‘I’m no good anymore.’
“And it broke [me], it saddened me you know? Broke my heart a little bit. I said, ‘Don’t be daft.’
“I had it. I was there and all the players were talking to him and I went, ‘Yeah, get back on that practice board, Taylor. They’re talking to you.’”
Stoke-on-Trent thrower Taylor is widely regarded as the greatest player of all time with 87 major crowns.
‘The Power’ was questioned whether missing out on the World Championship but securing other titles would constitute a successful campaign in his glittering career.
He added: “Oh, I’d hate it.
“When I lost it to John Part [in 2003], when I won it eight years on the trot, even Eric [Bristow] says to me, ‘People are switching off, Phil.
“You’re getting boring. You’re winning every year.’
“And I’m thinking, ‘Yeah, I know.’ But it was a big relief for me.
“It was like then I’d have all the general public come up to me and go, ‘Come on Phil, go and get your title back. It’s not the same without you.’
“I’m thinking right, I’ve got them back on my side now so I can get ready for next year.”
Image by Taylor Lanning.
