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<\/p>\nIf any darts player wants any advice on how to deal with a baying crowd at the Paddy Power PDC World Championship, Peter Manley should be their first port of call.<\/p>\n
The three-time PDC Worlds runner-up was regularly taunted with boos and abuse during his career, partly due to his run-ins with Phil Taylor and Adrian Lewis. Rather than be cowed by it though, Manley embraced it, becoming the pantomime villain of the sport. <\/p>\n
He says playing at the World Championship\u2019s former home, the iconic but cramped Circus Tavern, helped him cope with any negative words later in his career. The tournament was played at the Purfleet venue between 1994 and 2007 before moving to more spacious Alexandra Palace.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Peter Manley on Phil Taylor rivalry – 'I wasn't going to invite him for tea' <\/b><\/p>\n
READ MORE: Darts 'villain' Peter Manley on his friendship with 'my wife's favourite' Adrian Lewis <\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cIt was because of the closeness and the pressure it put on you \u2013 you felt like you were in the game more than you did at these big arenas like Ally Pally,\u201d Manley tells Daily Star Sport.<\/b><\/p>\n
\u201cThey were on top of you. You could hear the obscenities being called out to you. It was great to be part of that and then going into thousands of people booing you at Ally Pally. Because [at Ally Pally] you only heard one noise. The booing never put me off at places like the Ally Pally or in the Premier League.\u201d <\/p>\n
Who are you backing to win the Paddy Power World Championship? Tell us in the comments section below<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
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Back at the Circus Tavern, it wasn\u2019t just obscenities players had to try and ignore, but hopeful punters too, as Manley explains.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe betting companies at the time used to allow bets on whatever the colour the double finish was going to be,\u201d recalls Manley, 61, nicknamed One Dart. \u201cOne time, I wanted double 16, which is green, and there were a couple of guys I could hear.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were saying \u2018it\u2019s going to be green, oh no, it\u2019s going to be red\u2019. Talk about off-putting! You don\u2019t know which one to hit because they\u2019re both shouting out different colours. In the end, you\u2019d forget what you\u2019re actually throwing for. But your concentration is gone because, if you were concentrating, you couldn\u2019t have heard them.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Gerwyn Price and Alan Soutar were among the players to be barracked at the 2023 Worlds, with the former infamously donning a pair of massive ear defenders for a set in response.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of it is brought on from the past and players take it a little bit too much to heart,\u201d reckons Manley, who is chairman of the Professional Darts Players Association (PDPA). \u201cIt\u2019s something that\u2019s there, it\u2019s part of the game, it\u2019s going to happen from time to time.<\/p>\n
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\u201cHopefully it doesn\u2019t happen all the time because someone like Gerwyn Price has produced some fantastic darts and it\u2019s why he has become a world champion. It\u2019s a testament to his ability on the darts board.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very hard. I remember at my last World Championship, everyone was singing \u2018there\u2019s only one Christmas tree\u2019. I turned round and there was a guy at the top of the tiers dressed as a Christmas tree. They were more interested in the Christmas tree than the darts on the stage. <\/p>\n
\u201cPeople probably aren\u2019t even looking at the player they\u2019re jeering or booing. But the bits they write on social media are totally unnecessary. They\u2019re ignorant people who don\u2019t realise the stress and strain the players are under.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
It's the most wonderful time of the year – and we've got the perfect magazine to get you in the Ally Pally spirit!<\/p>\n
With this year's PDC World Darts Championship set to be another thriller, Daily Star Sport<\/b> have prepared your ultimate 40-page preview magazine to get you ready for all things arrows. <\/p>\n
From interviews with Grand Slam of Darts champion Luke Humphries and former world champions Gary Anderson and Rob Cross to in depth features on the PDC's angriest moments and why they start on 501 – we've got you covered.<\/p>\n
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Manley is relishing what is to come at Ally Pally over the festive period and says it is almost impossible to pick a winner due to the incredible standard at the top of the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just need a pin [to pick a winner],\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s what it\u2019s like now, the standard has risen so much. In my day, it was Phil Taylor who could reach a level no other player could. <\/p>\n
\u201cNow, there are about 50 players who can reach that level. So it\u2019s a tough old call, anyone can win.\u201d<\/p>\n