If Barney only had ONE World Championship

[PT13]

Anderson was sensational in the 2007 International Darts League and World Darts Trophy. The biggest standouts were beating Wade 6-3 (best of 3 legs per set) in the quarter finals of the 2007 International Darts League (averages were 107 and 106), thrashing Lewis 9-1 in the semis, toe-to-toe final with Webster that Anderson won 13-9. And of course in the 2007 World Darts Trophy final, Anderson beat Taylor 7-3 (best of 5 legs per set), averages were 103 and 102. He had no problems on TV in those tournaments. It was vintage Anderson. Anderson went on to reach the semi finals of the 2007 Grand Slam of Darts (the first one), where Taylor beat him 13-11 in legs. Remember the shock when Anderson then lost to Fabian Roosenbrand in the first round of 2008 Lakeside? Now that has to be one of the biggest upsets in darts history.

Anderson, fantastic. Whitlock of the BDO knocked Taylor out of one of the cross-code thingies too and he was brilliant. Phillip was given quite a few fun interrogations by the BDO bastards and these were the times when the split bugged me. There were players out there who could make the PDC a lot more interesting. Your list up the page of the 2007-09 splitters was possibly the most exciting time I've known in darts.

Whitlock beat Taylor in 6-5 in sets (and in a sudden death leg) in the quarter finals of the 2006 International Darts League. It was a great match too. Taylor also lost in the group stage earlier in the event to Klaasen (the rival world champion) 6-7 in legs, but that was a pretty poor match from both where Taylor missed match darts. Barney won the event, beating Whitlock and Lloyd in the semis and final respectively.

[Randall]

Sure Taylor had a tooth out before the Whitlock game and wasn't really at it

[sennafan24]

I find it odd that Klassen beat both Taylor and Barney on TV in the space of 6 months.

I didn't really rate him back then. I thought he was decent, but nothing special.

[PT13]

Sure Taylor had a tooth out before the Whitlock game and wasn't really at it

101 average from both over 11 sets (best of 3 legs per set, aside from final set that went to sudden death).

[Rogg]

Sure Taylor had a tooth out before the Whitlock game and wasn't really at it

Don't fight history Randy. Taylor took a fun few beatings off the BDO lads.

The 11-set game PT13 mentioned was best of 3 legs per set if that cushions the terror. Whitlock 6-5 Taylor.

[Randall]

Either way that's what memory tells me
Let's face it I'm seldom forgetful

[sennafan24]

Sure Taylor had a tooth out before the Whitlock game and wasn't really at it

Don't fight history Randy. Taylor took a fun few beatings off the BDO lads. The 11-set game PT13 mentioned was best of 3 legs per set if that cushions the terror. Whitlock 6-5 Taylor.

There is little need for Randall to "fight history".

Taylor mauled the top BDO players in cross-code events between 1999 and 2006.

Your boys took one hell of a beating

[Randall]

Sure Taylor lost to Webster in the idl as well
Taylor never did win that

[PT13]

The 2007 International Darts League was more embarrassing when Taylor didn't even qualify for the quarter finals. Taylor lost 3 matches, to Mark Webster, Darryl Fitton and Michael van Gerwen, although MvG was a PDC player by this point. In fact, none of the reigning or former world champions (at the time) in the 2007 IDL field got to the quarter finals except Barney, and Barney then lost to Tony O'Shea. O'Shea, in turn, then got annihilated 1-9 by Mark Webster in the semi finals. It was a bizarre event.

[sennafan24]

"Hearn withdrew the troops"

[Randall]

07 was Taylors nadir

[PT13]

07 was Taylors nadir

And early 2008, a quarter final exit in the World Championship when he had to struggle in every round and then lost 3 of his first 4 Premier League matches.

Although from March 2007 until before the last day of the 2007 UK Open in June, Taylor seemed the best player again (the IDL aside), winning the Premier League, the US Open and had seemed the best player at the UK Open until Barney beat him 11-4 in the quarter finals. In hindsight, Taylor did need to change his darts, and he had tried after losing the 2007 World Championship final to Barney, but it didn't work out initially. Going back to his old darts seemed the perfect tonic for a while, but a few months later the old issues came back again.

[sennafan24]

07 was Taylors nadir

And early 2008, a quarter final exit in the World Championship when he had to struggle in every round and then lost 3 of his first 4 Premier League matches. Although from March 2007 until before the last day of the 2007 UK Open in June, Taylor seemed the best player again (the IDL aside), winning the Premier League, the US Open and had seemed the best player at the UK Open until Barney beat him 11-4 in the quarter finals. In hindsight, Taylor did need to change his darts, and he had tried after losing the 2007 World Championship final to Barney, but it didn't work out initially. Going back to his old darts seemed the perfect tonic for a while, but a few months later the old issues came back again.

What did Taylor change in early 2008 to regain form?

[PT13]

"Hearn withdrew the troops"

Barry Hearn was clearly thinking "Why are these big cross code events happening under the auspices of the BDO instead of the PDC?". Hence the creation of the Grand Slam of Darts, and the end of PDC involvement in the International Darts League and World Darts Trophy which saw those 2 events collapse. The 2007 IDL had all sorts of legal issues going on as well, as the Dutch authorities wanted some big PDC names involved and reneged on an old deal with the BDO.

[Randall]

Atter the heights of 2000-2003 Taylors game was never at its absolute peak through 04-06, he was winning but rather just doing enough quite often. It took the 07 losses and then the Manley pl incident to really get his fires burning
Statistically Taylor of 09 was probably as good as he ever was?

[Rogg]

The International Darts League had three BDO-only editions, 2003-2005. Fancy. I don't think I'd have known that these were even happening at the time.

[Randall]

They were crazy long formats weren't they?

[PT13]

07 was Taylors nadir

And early 2008, a quarter final exit in the World Championship when he had to struggle in every round and then lost 3 of his first 4 Premier League matches. Although from March 2007 until before the last day of the 2007 UK Open in June, Taylor seemed the best player again (the IDL aside), winning the Premier League, the US Open and had seemed the best player at the UK Open until Barney beat him 11-4 in the quarter finals. In hindsight, Taylor did need to change his darts, and he had tried after losing the 2007 World Championship final to Barney, but it didn't work out initially. Going back to his old darts seemed the perfect tonic for a while, but a few months later the old issues came back again.

What did Taylor change in early 2008 to regain form?

At the start of the 2008 Premier League, Taylor stopped using his Unicorn Phase 2 darts (what Sid Waddell called the "knitting needles"), and started using a thicker dart. Initially, it didn't work, as Taylor lost 3 of his first 4 Premier League matches. People were either writing him off or shouting at him to go back to his old darts like the year before. In week 4, Manley beat Taylor 8-3, took the board down and gave it to someone in the front row. That seemed to motivate Taylor like nothing else had since Bristow in the 1980s. Taylor also discovered his wife's old darts, which were John Lowe Unicorn darts, and started using them. He got Unicorn to make a very similar set of darts. He then beat Mardle 8-0, and thrashed Barney 8-3 with an amazing performance, while he started dominating floor events to ridiculous levels in March 2008. The fear factor was back, and in some ways bigger than ever before. This surge of Taylor's barely let up all the way to October 2010.

[Rogg]

He also spoke to a rocket scientist and bought some new shoes.

[sennafan24]

At the start of the 2008 Premier League, Taylor stopped using his Unicorn Phase 2 darts (what Sid Waddell called the "knitting needles"), and started using a thicker dart. Initially, it didn't work, as Taylor lost 3 of his first 4 Premier League matches. People were either writing him off or shouting at him to go back to his old darts like the year before. In week 4, Manley beat Taylor 8-3, took the board down and gave it to someone in the front row. That seemed to motivate Taylor like nothing else had since Bristow in the 1980s. Taylor also discovered his wife's old darts, which were John Lowe Unicorn darts, and started using them. He got Unicorn to make a very similar set of darts. He then beat Mardle 8-0, and thrashed Barney 8-3 with an amazing performance, while he started dominating floor events to ridiculous levels in March 2008. The fear factor was back, and in some ways bigger than ever before. This surge of Taylor's barely let up all the way to October 2010.

Cheers.