VAN BARNEVELD IN FRESH TURMOIL AFTER MANAGER BREAK-UP

RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD’S split from his manager could have crucial consequences for his career.

The five-time world champion has once again gone his separate way from Ben de Kok after their THIRD spell together came to an end.

‘Barney’ has had a torrid time at the oche as of late winning just ONE game on the ProTour this season. 

Former pro Vincent van der Voort questioned how attractive Van Barneveld currently is to any potential new manager. 

He told the Darts Draait Door podcast: “I got a message from his manager that they’ve stopped working together.

“Some things happened and it’s no longer working. They’ve both gone their separate ways and now we have to wait and see what consequences that will have for Raymond.  

“This is yet another thing you don’t want. They were together for a very long time and this was already the third time they’d teamed up. 

“All of this costs energy and creates hassle. That’s not ideal. Is Raymond now going to look for new management or will he do it himself? I don’t know, but this isn’t good.

“What do you have to offer right now as Raymond? He’s not really selling himself. If you step in as a manager, it’s a disguised investment.  

“Do the math on what he has to earn to be able to pay someone like that. It’s a tricky situation.  

“Where are you going to recoup the money for that person? He’s very much in the line of fire.” 

Van Barneveld suffered his latest setback at the Belgian Open where he crashed out in the first round following a heavy defeat to Boris Krcmar. 

Van der Voort raised concerns about his fellow compatriot’s presence on stage, describing a worrying change in his demeanour.

He added: “His demeanor was nothing, like a wounded animal. 

“Not a shadow of the Van Barneveld we used to know. It’s a recurring story. This isn’t working; continuing like this makes no sense at all.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.