LUKE HUMPHRIES has been urged by Phil Taylor to be more aggressive and develop a “nasty streak” as he eyes a £1million pot.
Cool Hand Luke, 30, knows what it is like to become the best player on the planet, something he achieved two years ago when he overcame Luke Littler in the World Championship final.
The Berkshire thrower is one of the nicest players on the tour, someone who prefers to go about his business quietly and assuredly on and off the oche, and is not known for slagging off opponents.
Over the past two years, Humphries has won eight major TV titles but recent form has been mixed because he has lost in THREE finals in a row since October.
Taylor, 65, was not one for niceties when he was winning an unprecedented sixteen world titles and dominating the sport.
The Power was the master of the Dark Arts and Adrian Lewis gave an insight to that last week when he admitted the retired legend was the worst for FARTING on stage.
In Taylor’s mind, if Humphries gets tougher over the next week, then he could finish up on Saturday night as the King of Ally Pally once again.
Speaking to SunSport, Taylor said: “I was a bit of a loner, really. I kept myself to myself.
“I tried to keep away from the players’ hotels and wherever they were, I’d go to the other side.
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“But again, you’re up there, you’re fighting for your career. My dad used to say, you’re only as good as your next game.
“I mean Luke Humphries, for me, is too nice. He’s a lovely lad, he really is. He’s very kind-hearted and he talks lovely and he is very nice.
“Whether he’s got it in the back of his mind, he does need that little bit of a nasty streak in him to be that complete winner.
“To win multiple world titles, you’ve got to be a little bit aggressive and a little bit, you know, wanting it. Fight for it.
“Over the upcoming years, Luke Littler’s form is going to drop. Everybody does.
“And it’s a matter of reinventing yourself. How do I get better? What do I do now so I can get up to Michael van Gerwen’s top standard?
“Whoever comes above you, you have to then raise your game to match them and beat them. And that’s the challenge.
“Luke’s been beaten a few times. Now he’s got to improve.”
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Humphries – who beat Englishman Ted Evetts (3-1) and Singapore Slinger Paul Lim (3-0) before Christmas – is up against German Giant Gabriel Clemens as the business end of the tournament begins.
Since Covid restrictions were lifted, more and more fans from Germany have made the pilgrimage to North London and this means there is not always 100% support for the English lads.
It means that Humphries – who lost a World Cup alongside Luke Littler to hosts Germany in Frankfurt in June – might be the underdog in the eyes of the majority of the fans.
List of all-time Darts World Champions
BELOW is a list of darts world champions by year.
The list does not include winners from the pre-Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) era or BDO world champions.
That means Raymond van Barneveld, for example, is only listed once – Barney also won four BDO titles – and none of Eric Bristow’s five BDO titles are included.
- 1994 – Dennis Priestley
- 1995 – Phil Taylor
- 1996 – Phil Taylor (2)
- 1997 – Phil Taylor (3)
- 1998 – Phil Taylor (4)
- 1999 – Phil Taylor (5)
- 2000 – Phil Taylor (6)
- 2001 – Phil Taylor (7)
- 2002 – Phil Taylor (8)
- 2003 – John Part
- 2004 – Phil Taylor (9)
- 2005 – Phil Taylor (10)
- 2006 – Phil Taylor (11)
- 2007 – Raymond van Barneveld
- 2008 – John Part (2)
- 2009 – Phil Taylor (12)
- 2010 – Phil Taylor (13)
- 2011 – Adrian Lewis
- 2012 – Adrian Lewis (2)
- 2013 – Phil Taylor (14)
- 2014 – Michael van Gerwen
- 2015 – Gary Anderson
- 2016 – Gary Anderson (2)
- 2017 – Michael van Gerwen (2)
- 2018 – Rob Cross
- 2019 – Michael van Gerwen (3)
- 2020 – Peter Wright
- 2021 – Gerwyn Price
- 2022 – Peter Wright (2)
- 2023 – Michael Smith
- 2024 – Luke Humphries
- 2025 – Luke Littler
Most World Titles
- 14 – Phil Taylor
- 3 – Michael van Gerwen
- 2 – John Part, Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright
- 1 – Dennis Priestley, Raymond van Barneveld, Rob Cross, Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith, Luke Humphries, Luke Littler
But Humphries is not worried about any potential animosity from the Germans, saying: “I’m too experienced now. The World Cup thing wasn’t to do with nationalities or the crowd being against us.
“It wasn’t our time. We didn’t play well. How many times have I played on that stage? I’m too experienced to let things bother me now.
“I adapt. If things do affect me, I have to take it on the chin. But that is the clinical thing about my game which I am really happy about.
“Whether it’s the crowd against you. Or you are playing slow players. Or people who want to play mind games. Things don’t faze me like they would have done two years ago.”
