PDC Premier League 2024

roosterman71

The as yet unsponsored Premier League lineup is to be announced tomorrow (Jan 4th). No word on format or anything but I presume it will be the same as last year. I guess 7 players will be named plus then the Masters champion, or some PDC/Sky pick if that person is already in.

My 8 picks:

• Humphries
• van Gerwen
• Price
• Smith
• Aspinall
• Cross
• Chisnall
• Dobey

lbunnae

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058329475/pdc-premier-league-2024

Gotta assume Littler will get offered a place. Think I read he said he doesn’t want one though.

Degag

Could be wrong but would be surprised if Wright is not in. Not in good form sure, but 2 time WC, last time only 2 years ago. And he puts bums on seats i would say - more so than Dobey & Chisnall for example.

Deeper Blue

Replace Chizzy with Wright and that'll be it I'd say, assuming Littler says no

roosterman71

I left Littler out as he's said he didn't fancy it yet. If he is coming in, I'd swap out Chisnall from my original selection

Kingp35

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121568585#Comment_121568585

Wright should be no where near the Premier League. He's in terrible form and it could be the end of him if he's in it getting hammered every week. I think he needs time off to sort out his throw.

Degag

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569316#Comment_121569316

Players have been getting into the PL for years when they don’t necessarily deserve it or are not playing very well.

Barney is one that comes to mind. Definitely got in 2 years when he was in poor form, poor attitude and if memory serves, barely in the top 16 cause he sold tickets moreso than someone else.

CONSI

well looks like dublin is pretty much sold out already

bladespin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121569927#Comment_121569927

Yep, they went fast alright.

acceletor

If anyone has a couple of tickets together they cant use shout me.(sorry if this is not allowed mods)

Thanks

Edit : for Dublin

roosterman71

Looks like the same format again this year going by the press release announcing the sponsor

https://www.pdc.tv/news/2024/01/04/betmgm-stars-new-title-sponsor-premier-league-darts

Each of the 16 league nights features a mini-event where the eight players compete down to a winner, with the top four from the final league table progressing to the season-ending Play-Offs.

paulie21

Humphries

Smith

Price

MVG

Wright

Asp

Cross

Littler

roosterman71

Surprised Wright made the cut

Dillonb3

How did Dobey not get picked?

Wright inclusion reminds me of Barney pre first retirement

Degag

Wayne doesn't usually get it right but here we go...

https://twitter.com/Wayne501Mardle/status/1742895373897593076?s=20

CONSI

Chizzy will feel hard done by as will johnny clayton, at 9/10 in the order of merit, but suppose PDC feel Littler is a bigger draw. One think I will say though is I feel sorry for Humphries as his win seems to have been forgotten about in all the Littler coverage....Littler did amazingly but ultimately lost and the champion is getting almost zero coverage

US3

Definitely would have swapped Wright for Dobey. It's mad that people were getting sick of seeing the same 10 players playing every week so they reduced it to 8 and make them play 3 times a night. Absolutely no intrest in this tournament apart from to see how littler gets on

Kingp35

As usual, I probably won't watch a single second of this until finals night.

I hope Littler's management has him prepared for the constant travel and media obligations as well as trying to play proper ranking darts. Personally I think it's a bad decision for him to do the premier league and I hope it doesn't ruin him.

lbunnae

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121571292#Comment_121571292

Tickets

TheChrisD

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121571572#Comment_121571572

Yea, there's a few weeks ahead which are going to have a Player's Championship Monday Tuesday, Euro Tour qualifier Wednesday, and Premier League Thursday; not to mention the weeks with the UK Open or Euro Tours themselves being the day immediately after the Prem.

It's definitely probably a bit much for a young man who is in his first year on the professional tour.

Trampas

As someone who knows nothing about darts bar watching sometimes on tv. Does he take the money and what else comes with it from sponsors etc as who knows what can happen. Easy to cash in now while your value is high. It’s a situation having good advisors than ones who are in for a quick buck

shockframe

They couldn't leave him out after the publicity he has brought.

I can only think of the Taylor-Barney final and Rob Cross that has brought such a frenzy of UK if not Global Media. People will want to watch how it goes for him.

With Taylor's retirement and the winding down of Barney its been lacking a bit of sparkle so its been a great promotional story.

Of course with sky its overdone but it works.

Other than him reaching the knockouts it could end badly for him.

He might just be lucky in that Wright is on a downward spiral and Aspinall looks spent also.

Kingp35

I completely get it from Sky and the PDC's point of view. They would be mad not to pick him as long as he was willing to do it.

I'm just thinking from Littler's point of view. He will only have just turned 17 and it's a huge amount of commitments for a kid. I hope it goes well for him.

lbunnae

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121573698#Comment_121573698

It’s his career, he had already left school for it . All other sports at that age have the same commitment , more travel in some actually. It’s unlikely but he could well be at his peak, he needs to strike while the iron is hot just in case. I hope it goes well for him too. Seems like a nice lad.

roosterman71

I feel Littler is making hay himself. His stock is sky high and he's trying to cash in. Let's face it, he's dead right. He doesn't need to play all the players championships or euro tours either and would be wise to skip chunks of them. Just do enough to ensure a place in the end of year finals. He'll probably be added to the world series exhibition stuff too.

Kingp35

He's starting from zero on the Pro/Euro Tour order of merit so he will have to play in as many as he can in the early stages of the season. If he does very well then he might be in a position to skip some later in the year but there's no guarantee of this. He needs to make the top 16 of a rolling one year order of merit to try qualify for the Matchplay and Grand Prix.

This is why I think the packed schedule of the premier League could go against him. We'll have to wait and see.

shockframe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121573698#Comment_121573698

It could be too much too soon but if there's 60k minimum up for grabs you'd be foolish not to take it.

If he performs well or adequate he'll make a few world series events on the back if it and the prize money expands further.

I would be wary for the young lad too but they couldn't leave him out.

PDC have always looked to a 1 million prize for the world champion. Like it or not the publicity that Littler has brought is the type of thing that could make it happen.

PTH2009

Littler seems to be in all the posters now

He's on the Euro tour one now

Kaisr Sose

1m for a world champion is too much. Matchroom will always talk up tournaments etc, that's their role as promotors. However, they have to know that there is only so much sponsors will or can pay.

Currently, most tournaments are sponsored by gambling companies. Inreasing regulation on betting and it's advertising, will limit their budget for sponsoships, or perhaps like happened with tobacco, prevent it.

Matchroom may need to look elsewhere to keep the big money in darts.

ArmaniJeanss

I don't think a ban on gambling company sponsorship is likely short-term, more of a medium-term thing. Albeit it's a Guardian cause-celebre and they hold some sway over the likely Labour government. I'd say any complete ban is still 5 years away so too far to worry about (there'll doubtless be some other regulations brought in before any ban).

Crucially sport survived the ban on tobacco sponsorship - in turn finding alcohol, on-line poker sites, pay-day loans, dodgy car-financing, crypto, betting companies etc. History suggests there'll always be some vaguely dodgy industry for whom sport is the perfect sponsorship vehicle.

shockframe

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121575489#Comment_121575489

They were bracing themselves for a ban when William Hill finished up with the Worlds and went with Cazoo.

It looks like a ban on betting companies might not go through yet so they went back to one for now.

It is interesting how Matchroom seem to have all their eggs in one basket when it comes to sponsorship.

Cazoo didn't really work out so would be interesting what would happen if regulation were to come in.

briany

Will be a lot of pressure on Littler's shoulders to replicate his WC form week in and week out, and it will be interesting to see if he can handle that. His head may look 35, but his brain is still 16, going on 17, I suppose.

I was going to make a comparison between Littler and another young outsider, Kirk Shepherd, who made it to the 2008 final, but comparing form prior to the tournament, it seems that Littler's on a much higher level to Shepherd in terms of things won, so he may be a true wunderkind, but only time can tell if he can sustain it.

celt262

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121571608#Comment_121571608

It's nothing to do with tickets the people who go to these events don't care if Wright or Dobey are playing I don't think many would be thinking off not going because Peter Wright isn't playing.

lbunnae

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121576610#Comment_121576610

Incorrect. Wright adds more to the event. Period. Dobey is chocked his last game something awful. Doesn’t deserve shite.

celt262

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121576614#Comment_121576614

Don't think it affects ticket sales though most venues are sold out before line ups are announced. How did Wright get on in his last game?

PTH2009

Would they ever go with the risk and have the Top 8 in the order of merit instead of picking top 4 and 4 more

lbunnae

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121577906#Comment_121577906

He’s a double world champion . Dobey has done nothing in comparison. Don’t be a spoon.

lbunnae

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121577935#Comment_121577935

Why would they do that?? The biggest name in darts is Luke Littler. They wouldn’t be able to pick him in your scenario. Seems silly for an event that is solely run for profit with zero ranking points attached to it. Would be weird to pick everyone off ranking and then it doesn’t even offer ranking points.

celt262

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121578260#Comment_121578260

My original points stands either of them wouldn't make a bit off difference to ticket sales.

roosterman71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121578260#Comment_121578260

By that logic Barney should be in. Wright has been pants for the past year, bar the European Championship win last last year. That was then used as one of the reasons for his inclusion. Ross Smith and Cross won the same the previous 2 years and didn't make it in.

My gripe with the thing is there is no way of knowing how you get involved. Players seem to want to be in as there money to be earned for relatively little playing effort. Definitely get more out of sponsors for being on the telly for 16 or 17 weeks. By right it should be the major winners for the last 12 months, and after that the next best from the order of merit.

ArmaniJeanss

They are never going to with something like 'all the major winners and then the next best from the order of merit' as it could lead to just missing someone they want (e.g., Littler) or ending up with someone they definitely don't want (e.g., Andrew Gilding). It's their baby, they can do as they wish. There's no 'by right' about it, that's just naivete.

As for Peter Wright. Clearly the tickets would be sell out with or without him as said by a few people. However he's a huge help with the TV narrative on the evening for the 2 Scottish legs, probably ships decent merchandise on the night, stuff like that. No brainer selection especially when the alternatives put forward are Chisnall and Dobey, both English players when there's already 5 such players in it and neither is exactly Mr Charisma.

lbunnae

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121578921#Comment_121578921

Well I don’t agree. Wright has actual fans. Dobey has none.

PTH2009

I find Wrights dancing less annoying than Van Den Burghs ballax

KevIRL

The announcement of the players is the most interesting thing about the PL every year imo. Wouldn't be bothered watching any of it

PTH2009

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121580040#Comment_121580040

Great nights out and atm only way irish fans will see the PDC here

Grand Prix 2024 is still TBC but not sure will it make a return to Ireland

celt262

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121580014#Comment_121580014

It doesn't matter they were sold out before any announcements were made.

KevIRL

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121580050#Comment_121580050

No interest in going back to the point for darts. City West was always far better. Don't know why the PDC don't bring a euro tour event here if the grand prix is ruled out. Killarney would be good for it.

Speaking of euro tour, give me one of those to watch on PDC.tv any day over the PL or the god awful world series. Even the streams of the pro tour floor events are better

PTH2009

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121580085#Comment_121580085

It's some banter if you're staying in the citywest the night of the darts

Remember meeting a pissed off Wayne Mardle in the lifts

ThebitterLemon

Zero interest in this glorified exhibition

Needs a root and branch overhaul

Its pretty boring save maybe the SF and final

TbL

TheChrisD

Bully Boy wins night one, seeing off an underperforming Iceman after taking Littler to the last leg in the semis.

PTH2009

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121708869#Comment_121708869

Why does Litter need to be the social media ?