The dominance of Phil "The Power" Taylor

BigCon · 07-12-2005 5:40pm #1

Have been watching the PDC for about the last ten years and it's obvious how far ahead of the chasing pack Taylor is.
With the exception of his loss to Part two years ago (I think) he's almost unbeatable (Part did play well, but Taylor wasn't up to his usual high standard).
Does anyone think that he will be really challanged this year by a newcomer, or will he keep dominating until he starts going downhill because of age???

Kingp35 · 07-12-2005 5:54pm

For me Taylor is streets ahead of everybody else in the PDC and the BDO for that matter if you wish to include those players too. He is the only player who consistently avaerage in the high 90's early 100's and as of yet nobody else has been able to compete with that. Occasonally players raise their game when they are playing Taylor and cause a shock but that rarely happens. In fairness to John Part he beat Taylor this year as well (the tournament just escapes me at the moment) and he seems to be the player that causes Taylor the most trouble.

As for this years WC I cant initially see anybody being able to beat Taylor but as I said occasioanlly players can really raise their game and challenge Taylor. Remember that epic match earlier in the year between Taylor and Priestly that went the whole way? Priestly was desperate unlucky not to beat Taylor. Although Taylor has won everything he still gets very nervous when he is on stage and if a player can keep with him sometimes Taylors nerves begin to show. The most important thing when playing Taylor is not fall behind because there is no harder a man to try a nd peg back. I cant see Taylor not winning it this year but perhaps somebody will be able to raise their game and challenge.

Taylor has been fantatsic for Darts but I really want to see a true challenger to Taylor emerge as soom people seem to think that darts is too predictable as Taylor wins everything. Lloyd has the ability but has so far failed to peform against taylor. Somebody needs to emerge that can challenge him.

Taylor is the best there has ever been and I cant see any of the current players matching the amount of titles he has won in his career

BigCon · 07-12-2005 9:43pm

Actually I remember Kevin "The Artist" Painter having a dart for the WC against Taylor (or was it that he just had to hold his throw to win it)?
3 years ago?
He really raised his game, but when it came down to finishing him off, he just didn't have it - very disappointed at the time.
But you're right, none of the current crop will ever match Taylor for titles won.
Just hope this year's WC is a close one, with loads of exciting finishes.
What odds I wonder for Taylor to produce a 9 darter in the final leg of the final set to win it against Part (who also throws 2 X 180's in the same leg)

garred · 07-12-2005 10:49pm

Never mind just Darts but what Taylor has achieved well I don't know of any other sportsman who has done it. 12 World Championships and practically total dominance of his sport, thats just class.

Kingp35 · 07-12-2005 10:53pm

I totally agree with garred. the achievements of Phil Taylor are just phenomenal. he has dominated his sport for so long and really rasied the bar for everyone that will come after him. he has broken all sorts of records and he is the best the sport has ever seen.

In my opinion his achievements are up there with the greatest ever in world sport

jonnybadd · 08-12-2005 2:38am

Aye, he's some player all right. I had the pleasure of seeing him in action in an exhibition match a few years ago and it was a joy to watch. It seems so effortless to knock in those 180's.

Culchie · 08-12-2005 10:36am

They really fecked Darts up when they diverged into two different organisations...he'll never get the legacy, or be held in the same affection that Bristow, Wilson, Lowe etc... will be.

Same can be said for Snooker and Boxing.

mchurl · 08-12-2005 12:11pm

Taylor is simply magnificent. He is an artist at work and i cant see him being overtaken until he starts to suffer from old age!!

The Rooster · 08-12-2005 2:25pm

There's a young guy coming through called Adrian Lewis. He looks most likely to come through to challenge Taylor. It is extraordinary that the likes of Lloyd, Mardle, Manley, Baxter, Scholten have never beaten him in a major and I dont think Lloyd or Mardle have ever beaten him in any competiton. None of them seem capable of bringing their A game to the stage when Taylor is against them - the only person who does up his game is Part - but his form has gone downhill a bit, and he's down to 11 in the current rankings.

Lewis might be different in that he should not be overawed by Taylor. He is Taylor's regular practice partner, so he would have beaten Taylor many many times (and of course lost to him many more times!!) but at least he knows he is capable of beating him. Taylor entered 15 ranking events in the PDC this year, and only lost 5 matches (1 to Lewis, 1 to Part) but nobody ranked in the top 10 beat him.

Kingp35 · 08-12-2005 2:35pm

I agree that Adrian Lewis looks like a very bright prospect indeed and onbviously Taylor saw something in the guy to choose to take him under his wing. He has practicing with Taylor for a while now and their cant be a better person to practice with than Taylor. He is still a young lad so their is plenty of time for improvement. I am looking forward to see how he does in this years WC.

That is something that I have always wondered about. Why cant the top players raise their game when they are playing Taylor? Maybe the sheer fact that they are playing Taylor just over awes them but I would have thought that it would have been the other way round that the top players would raise their game against Taylor because they would have something to prove. Its a strange one really

Culchie · 08-12-2005 2:37pm

Tiger Woods has the same affect, opponents tend to cave in

mchurl · 08-12-2005 3:08pm

It may be because the players are going up on to the oche thinking that they are already beaten. As for Lewis he looks a very good prospect and with taylor coaching him he can only keep on improving. I dont think taylor will teach him all his tricks just yet though!! he will probably wait until he retires before doing that

08-12-2005 5:54pm

BigCon, your signature is against the rules.
Please change it.

BigCon · 08-12-2005 9:30pm

BigCon, your signature is against the rules.
Please change it.

So is off topic posting.
Who gave you the stripes anyway?

Kingp35 · 08-12-2005 11:32pm

Z wrote:

BigCon, your signature is against the rules.
Please change it.

who suddenly made this guy boss?

The dominance of Phil "The Power" Taylor

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