They say never argue with an idiot as they will bring you down to their level but i will make a few final points to the Numbered One who obviously knows nothing about the history of darts except from what he reads in Wikipedia!

Take a look at what i said about the standards of the 2 organisations, one is professional and one is part time, if you had the choice which one would you play in? Would you want to keep working as say a plumber, like Webster or decide to go with the sponsorship and play full time in the PDC? I stand by what i said, the standards are very slim now, all you have to do is look at the GSoD tournament to see that.

Simon Whitlock & Mark Webster made the jump at the same time, Webster made the SF of the PDC WC while Whitlock was runner up in the PDC for 2010 and Whitlock is one of the top grossing player on the money list for 2010 while Webster almost singlehandedly won the PDC World Cup, for those 2 to make the jump with the ease they have shows you that the standard initally is not that big!

As for a badly organised body, how do you come to that conclusion? Do you know anything about what the BDO do for Darts in Britain and the World? The structures they have in place for youth development of the game as well as being the controlling body for all the county leagues in the UK and NI? If all you look at is the top level divisions then my friend you are the idiot that i mentioned at the start of my post.

Someone mentioned that the likes of Martin Adams are the reasons that the 2 bodies won't be united. I think that you'll find that in 2010 the counties of the BDO were instructed to look at the PDC offer (i take it you know what i'm on about) and vote for what they though would be the best for the world of Darts in the UK. They voted to reject the offer from the PDC, even though they would have all kept their positions and would have simply come under the umbrella of the PDC. It was not "the likes of Martin Adams" who rejected the PDC, it was the very lifeblood of local level Darts that did, they were instructed by their members, most of who would have designs on playing in the PDC eventually!

Finally, what a shock last night to see Part hammered 3-0 by a qualifier? He's gone really badly downhill in recent years and i for one would like to see him turn it all around, great man and a great personality.

thesilverfox (Tipperary) - Posts: 94 - 20/12/2010 10:29:41    835528

Fair enough thesilverfox, but all that makes the BDO now is nothing more than a feeder organisation to the PDC. Waites has been rumoured to be moving across, O'Shea has said that one day he will probably move. Tis only Adams, and probably Hankey, of the big name players that seem reluctant to test their abilities against Taylor, Wade et al. Adams, in my book, has lost a lot of credibility by not playing in the GSOD, his thinly veiled excuses just dont cut the mustard. And the GSOD is not a good guide for comparing the BDO and the PDC cos there are 4-5 players from the BDO, generally the better players with the exception of Adams, and they are not always playing the best of the PDC. For instance, Mark Walsh, currently ranked number 10 in the PDC, couldnt get in the GSOD. Nor Andy Hamilton, Kevin Painter and Jamie Caven, all ranked in the top 20. So it isnt a fair comparison.

Tongo (UK) - Posts: 1795 - 20/12/2010 12:14:02    835570

Lets be honest here lads, the PDC is miles ahead of BDO in terms of talent and as far as atmosphere goes well theres a no contest aswell. The atmosphere at a BDO tournament is something similar to that of a funeral which wasn't advertised!

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 20/12/2010 12:29:01    835590

Have to agree with you htaem, the atmosphere at the BDO events is pretty poor. Watched some of the World Masters a few weeks ago and it was like a morgue. Now the PDC can, and regularly does, get over the top with some pretty boorish behaviour, but the atmosphere is cracking when the crowds are well behaved. Have got tickets to the matches on 27th Dec. Cant wait, should be fantastic.

Tongo (UK) - Posts: 1795 - 20/12/2010 12:36:41    835593

Good man Tongo, I'd love to head over meself but I can't afford it anyway you might have to bring over the skating boots to get up that ally pally hill :-) Think your spot on about the overall difference in standard between the PDC and BDO aswell, I mean obviously theres a hand full of excellent players at lakeside but outside the top 5 or 6 what the hells left? I think any player with a bit of real ambition really has to move over to properly test himself against the best, also really hope Waites switches over after the world championships.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 20/12/2010 12:58:39    835613

Ah come on now silverfox, the standard is far higher in the pdc. This doesnt change simply because a bdo player won a recent tournament, where he very easily could have lost. What about every other tournament this year? I woudnt have waites in the top 5 if he was in the pdc

TheMaster (Mayo) - Posts: 16187 - 20/12/2010 14:06:54    835650

Every other tournament Master? Can you name the tournaments that PDC & BDO players both play in? As for Waites, you really are disrespecting the lads achievement due to the organisation he plays in. Don't forget that he was runner up in the GSoD in 2009!

Where have i said that the standards are the same lads? Do ye not read posts or something? I've said that the gap has narrowed massively in the last 8 years and that the top few players in the BDO could more than hold their own in the PDC!!! Selective reading at it's best!

The atmosphere is definately better at the PDC events, it is the way it should be with added crowd input, i've been to a few Premier League nights over the years and been to teh BDO World Champs once. The BDO os more respectful of the players taking part but the PDC events really test a players mental strength!

thesilverfox (Tipperary) - Posts: 94 - 20/12/2010 19:22:28    836058

Tongo -

What will you be dressing up as for the "Ally Pally"? Have you decided yet or will you be going dressed as Tongo?

Perhaps we should start a thread to see what you should write on your Ladbrokes board and run a competition with the best slogan being written on your board, i'm sure we'd all be tuned in to see it!!!

Oh yeah, i just saw your post stating that the BDO was just a feeder competition for the PDC, i've never denied this and you will see from my posts that i have pretty much said so but you can't use that to take away what the BDO does for the game.

Also, Martin Adams turned down an invitation for the GSoDs in the 1st year of it due to other committments and was promptly banned by the PDC from all their future events, so he can't move to them even if he wanted to! I'd really love to see him lose in the early rounds come January!

thesilverfox (Tipperary) - Posts: 94 - 20/12/2010 20:35:33    836124

Think your missing the point here silverfox, we're all just enjoying the world championship at the moment and we really couldn't give a toss about your opinions. Sorry to break it to you so bluntly mate but its the truth.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 20/12/2010 20:53:27    836138

Good man Meath backwards, nice work there in trying to bully the new lad on the forum!

I'll give my opinions weather you like them or not and if you don't want to read them then don't, not really a tough option eh big man?

As for enjoying the darts, i think we're all on the same page there, now perhaps you would like to discuss darts instead of slagging me off for no apparent reason?

thesilverfox (Tipperary) - Posts: 94 - 20/12/2010 21:08:43    836146

I don't generally have a go at other posters silverfox but I just get the distinct impression that your on here flogging a dead horse defending the BDO. Now I get it, your a new poster trying to make a name for youself but honestly it just gets very old when certain posters on HS harp on about irrelevant topics so please don't become one of those lads.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 20/12/2010 21:19:39    836160

Get over yourself Meath backwards, if you bothered to read what i wrote you'd see that you and i agree on a lot of things and as for "making a name for myself", are you for real? Suppose it would be the pinacle of my life to make a name for myself as an anonymus poster on a Non GAA section of a GAA forum!!

I'm on here for discussion and debate, not to be slated by someone who thinks they are a cyber legend!

thesilverfox (Tipperary) - Posts: 94 - 20/12/2010 21:36:19    836177

Great work from Dolan to beat Kevin Painter. To be fair Dolan bossed him from the off for a convincing win, brilliant check out to win the second set!

thesilverfox (Tipperary) - Posts: 94 - 20/12/2010 21:59:36    836193

Adams was invited the second year of the GSOD and the third. He gave an interview to the Peterborough Evening Telegraph in 2009 which outlined that he had turned down the invitation for the third consecutive year. He's quoted as saying that it "would be hypocritical to go and play in a PDC tournament when everyone knows my views on them" and "The PDC do not have a system that creates players and what they are doing is sports entertainment." So he's had his chances, but doesn't seem interested.
Lets face it, despite what they've said, the PDC would jump at the chance to have Adams play in their events. I'm sure if he swallowed some of his pride and said he was interested, they would be well up for him playing. Too much bravado at the moment, that's the problem.

Tongo (UK) - Posts: 1795 - 21/12/2010 08:02:40    836196

On a separate issue, I shall be dressed as Tongo, but that generally entails no more than jeans and a t-shirt. Not quite sure what your fantasy had me togged out in.

Tongo (UK) - Posts: 1795 - 21/12/2010 08:03:02    836197

You might find this interesting Tongo, look past the smugness of him and listen to the last 2 mins or so of the interview -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/darts/9282339.stm
I've gathered from that that there are still talks ongoing between the 2 bodies and that they may be unified in the near future.

The only person living in Hampshire to appear in my fantasies was Matt Le Tissier when he was in my Fantasy Football team!!!

thesilverfox (Tipperary) - Posts: 94 - 21/12/2010 10:59:19    836236

Ah jaysus relax silverfox, no need to get so upset just because a 'cyber legend' ruffled your feathers, you must really look up to me, haha :-) Anyway great win for Dolan last night, didn't really see it coming to honest and I'd say Painter is sick as a parrot today. Wade was very solid yesterday without being brilliant but thats the slight worry I'd have about James Wade, too many low 90s averages at world championships. He very rarely averages a ton + in the ally pally and that just won't be enough to win the lot as long as Taylor, Barney, Anderson and Webster etc etc are knocking about.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 21/12/2010 11:09:49    836245

thesilver fox- perhaps i got a bit carried away by saying it is a badly run organisation but if it was left to the BDO to promote darts then it would be dead. THis is why it was dieing in the early 90's before the split ie. the BDO ,in particular Olly Croft who saw darts as his game and what the players wanted didn't matter to him. THe gap in standard as you rightly say is closing but there is still a big gap. In early January i will be looking at it, as i do every year, and i have no doubt that the standard will be much worse than the PDC. THere are a few players in the BDO who, with a more professional attitude could make it in the PDC, Waites, Adams, O Shea, Chisnell, Hankey but as i say they wouldn't have much of a chance at winning the big events. but as i have said it is clear that the winner of the BDO is not the best player in the world which is why they cannot be classed as the true world champion. As a famous darts player once said You can't have one lad in the Bar claiming to be world champion and another in the Lounge claiming the same thing.

77981301 (UK) - Posts: 79 - 21/12/2010 11:38:17    836265

Go on Brendan Dolan! Delighted for him, an absolute gentleman, his brother manages a Junior Club in Cavan. You couldn't ask to meet nicer people.

Inactive x5 (Cavan) - Posts: 1452 - 21/12/2010 12:24:01    836309

Delighted for Dolan. He put in a great performance last night. I know Painter was terrible but you can only beat whats put in front of you. As regards the whole PDC BDO debate, I'm solidly in the PDC camp. I think the BDO is poorly run. I still watch the Lakeside but i had to laugh at a moment at last years Lakeside Championsip. Was watching a game "behind the red button" on the BBC and after the game finished Martin Fitzmaurice came on and announced "and now the moment you've all been waiting for....... The Raffle". It said it all for me really.

irishtom (Donegal) - Posts: 219 - 21/12/2010 14:02:29    836386