The Darts Forum

Looking at the poor form of the 2021 class made me think about previous years and comparing them.

If we look back over the years, lots look pretty much the same, especially from 2008-2012 and 2013-2017.

The guard has changed since 2017, with Taylor, RVB and Lewis either retiring or fading in that period and Price, Cross and Aspinall ascending. Players like Gurney and Suljovic have also came and gone in said period.

Which line-up do you think is the best and your favourite (two different years please) since inception in 2005 and why?

2005
Phil Taylor
Colin Lloyd
Peter Manley
Roland Scholten
Mark Dudbridge
John Part
Wayne Mardle

2006
Phil Taylor
Raymond van Barneveld
Roland Scholten
Colin Lloyd
Ronnie Baxter
Peter Manley
Wayne Mardle

2007
Phil Taylor
Raymond van Barneveld
Terry Jenkins
Dennis Priestley
Colin Lloyd
Peter Manley
Adrian Lewis
Roland Scholten

2008
Phil Taylor
James Wade
Raymond van Barneveld
Adrian Lewis
Wayne Mardle
Peter Manley
Terry Jenkins
John Part

2009
Phil Taylor
James Wade
Raymond van Barneveld
Mervyn King
Terry Jenkins
John Part
Jelle Klaasen
Wayne Mardle *

2010
Phil Taylor
Simon Whitlock
James Wade
Mervyn King
Ronnie Baxter
Raymond van Barneveld
Adrian Lewis
Terry Jenkins

2011
Phil Taylor
Raymond van Barneveld
Gary Anderson
Adrian Lewis
James Wade
Simon Whitlock
Terry Jenkins
Mark Webster

2012
Phil Taylor
Simon Whitlock
Andy Hamilton
James Wade
Raymond van Barneveld
Adrian Lewis
Kevin Painter
Gary Anderson

2013
Michael van Gerwen
Raymond van Barneveld
Phil Taylor
James Wade
Robert Thornton
Simon Whitlock
Andy Hamilton
Adrian Lewis
Wes Newton (R)
Gary Anderson (R)

2014
Michael van Gerwen
Raymond van Barneveld
Phil Taylor
Gary Anderson
Peter Wright
Adrian Lewis
Dave Chisnall
Robert Thornton
Wes Newton (R)
Simon Whitlock (R)

2015
Michael van Gerwen
Dave Chisnall
Gary Anderson
Raymond van Barneveld
Phil Taylor
Adrian Lewis
James Wade
Stephen Bunting
Peter Wright (R)
Kim Huybrechts (R)

2016
Michael van Gerwen
Phil Taylor
Gary Anderson
Adrian Lewis
Peter Wright
James Wade
Raymond van Barneveld
Robert Thornton
Dave Chisnall (R)
Michael Smith (R)

2017
Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright
Phil Taylor
Gary Anderson
Dave Chisnall
Raymond van Barneveld
James Wade
Adrian Lewis
Jelle Klaasen (R)
Kim Huybrechts (R)

2018
Michael van Gerwen
Michael Smith
Gary Anderson
Rob Cross
Daryl Gurney
Raymond van Barneveld
Peter Wright
Simon Whitlock
Mensur Suljovic (R)
Gerwyn Price (R)

2019
Michael van Gerwen
Rob Cross
James Wade
Daryl Gurney
Gerwyn Price
Mensur Suljovic
Michael Smith
Peter Wright
Raymond van Barneveld (R)

2020
Glen Durrant
Peter Wright
Nathan Aspinall
Gary Anderson
Gerwyn Price
Michael van Gerwen
Michael Smith
Daryl Gurney
Rob Cross (R)

2021
Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright
Rob Cross
Gary Anderson
Dimitri Van den Bergh
Nathan Aspinall
Glen Durrant
Jose de Sousa
Jonny Clayton
James Wade

2016 best and deepest field I would say, just look at the two eliminated.

Maybe 2012 fav. I am one of the few that like Painter, it was fun seeing a player that was new to it and it meant so much to him so it was fun cheering him on and at the same time it was still hilarious how frustrated he was getting as he as always perceived things going against him. But he was always hugely entertaining when riled up.

2016 on paper looks the strongest
Last year was the worst I can remember

Randall wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:19 pm 2016 on paper looks the strongest
Last year was the worst I can remember

Last years league phase was good but not sure if it was just easier to stay engaged as it was night after night where usually by the time one Thursday rolls around I have mostly forgotten what has happened the week(s) before especially of there has been an ET in between. The finals night was an absolute disaster though and that's what most sporting events are remembered by.

SuperSwede wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:23 pm

Randall wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:19 pm 2016 on paper looks the strongest
Last year was the worst I can remember

Last years league phase was good but not sure if it was just easier to stay engaged as it was night after night where usually by the time one Thursday rolls around I have mostly forgotten what has happened the week(s) before especially of there has been an ET in between. The finals night was an absolute disaster though and that's what most sporting events are remembered by.

The finals night was the turd atop the cake

Randall wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:19 pm 2016 on paper looks the strongest
Last year was the worst I can remember

You don't actually remember anything about last year's league phase though, do you? No chance.

Rogg wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:28 pm

Randall wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:19 pm 2016 on paper looks the strongest
Last year was the worst I can remember

You don't actually remember anything about last year's league phase though, do you? No chance.

I remember everyone letting dulla win

Randall wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:31 pm

Rogg wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:28 pm

Randall wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:19 pm 2016 on paper looks the strongest
Last year was the worst I can remember

You don't actually remember anything about last year's league phase though, do you? No chance.

I remember everyone letting dulla win

Well, indeed.

Randall wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:31 pm

Rogg wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:28 pm

Randall wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:19 pm 2016 on paper looks the strongest
Last year was the worst I can remember

You don't actually remember anything about last year's league phase though, do you? No chance.

I remember everyone letting dulla win

He said a "rival manager" messaged him during the Pl last year after he had beaten his player just saying "you are now the best player in the world"

SuperSwede wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:36 pm

Randall wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:31 pm

Rogg wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:28 pm

Randall wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:19 pm 2016 on paper looks the strongest
Last year was the worst I can remember

You don't actually remember anything about last year's league phase though, do you? No chance.

I remember everyone letting dulla win

He said a "rival manager" messaged him during the Pl last year after he had beaten his player just saying "you are now the best player in the world"

MVG wanted to text Vinny but sent it to the wrong number

I have a soft spot for the 2008-2011 era but I agree, 2016 looks the best ever on paper.

I've never understood why Kim Huybrechts was picked, let alone twice. The only major final he's had was the 2013 PCFs and he wasn't picked for the 2014 PL so doesn't make sense

DeepFriedRat wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:45 pm I have a soft spot for the 2008-2011 era but I agree, 2016 looks the best ever.

I've never understood why Kim Huybrechts was picked, let alone twice. The only major final he's had was the 2013 PCFs and he wasn't picked for the 2014 PL so doesn't make sense

Well he was around the top 10 and they've gotta pick somebody. He had two quite nasty feisty games with Taylor at the back end of Ally Pally so it was likely Sky who picked him after liking the mood of those. I know nothing.

DeepFriedRat wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:45 pm I have a soft spot for the 2008-2011 era but I agree, 2016 looks the best ever on paper.

I've never understood why Kim Huybrechts was picked, let alone twice. The only major final he's had was the 2013 PCFs and he wasn't picked for the 2014 PL so doesn't make sense

Huybrechts is the least worthy pick ever (and he got in twice didn't he?)

Picked because he was from a country other than England or Holland, had that one game where he smashed MVG with a huge average and because he celebrate against and annoyed Taylor so SKY thought they were going to get some huge beef.

I was hoping for the all-time league table. Is there such a thing?

2016 is about as close as you will get to the right line up at the right time

Rogg wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 4:03 pm I was hoping for the all-time league table. Is there such a thing?

Wiki has a performance graph but no overall table..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_League_Darts

https://www.dartsdatabase.co.uk/Tournam ... urnKey=181

Sort of, ish.

Thanks for those links.

Rogg wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 4:03 pm I was hoping for the all-time league table. Is there such a thing?

I was going then to ask...

If you could pick an all-time best PL with 10 who have played since 2005, who would you pick? Not necessarily the best players, but most entertaining (hence no Part below) and quality mix. Got distracted, that's why thread is titled that...

I'd go for...
Taylor
MVG
Barney
Anderson
Wright
Wade
Price
Lewis
Whitlock
Jenkins

A mix of nostalgia and quality. Merv, Part and Cross just miss out. If it were based on talent alone, Part replaces TJ.

Rogg wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:50 pm

DeepFriedRat wrote: ↑Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:45 pm I have a soft spot for the 2008-2011 era but I agree, 2016 looks the best ever.

I've never understood why Kim Huybrechts was picked, let alone twice. The only major final he's had was the 2013 PCFs and he wasn't picked for the 2014 PL so doesn't make sense

Well he was around the top 10 and they've gotta pick somebody. He had two quite nasty feisty games with Taylor at the back end of Ally Pally so it was likely Sky who picked him after liking the mood of those. I know nothing.

2015 made sense as he beat MvG in the Grand Slam QF and ran Taylor close at Ally Pally just before that.

He actually played well in the PL that year, his overall average was 97.83 so I think he was unlucky to not get better results.

2017 was more a hopeful pick but he and Jelle were clearly the worst 2 players that year.