'That's pure arrogance. They feel no need to inform organizers' - Surprise at PDC's lack of communication

A day after the Formula 1 race in Zandvoort, Damian Vlottes and Vincent van der Voort took their place behind the microphone again for a new episode of Darts Draait Door. The conversation quickly moved from Formula 1 to the Euro Tour in Antwerp, where Dutch and Belgian top players showed varying performances. Also discussed were the poor communication of the PDC and the place of Raymond van Barneveld within the current darts circuit.

Both men kicked off the episode with their experiences at the Dutch Grand Prix. Van der Voort was present all day and saw how large-scale and professional the event was organized. "It really is a great spectacle all around of course," he said. "And I'm not even talking about the racing, but the whole event around it. If you've never been there, you can't explain how busy it is."

Vlottes concurred, and the comparison to darts was quickly made. "In darts, of course, we also had Raymond van Barneveld. Ahoy came about because of him and Van Gerwen. At Zandvoort you see that one man, Max Verstappen, lifts an entire sporting event to another level," Van der Voort said.

Noppert and the curse of evening sessions

Soon the conversation shifted to the Flanders Darts Trophy in Antwerp, where Danny Noppert again struggled in an evening session. "Once that evening session comes around, it's all over," Van der Voort stated critically. "Maybe he should start thinking out of the box, because the way it's going now it's not working."

Vlottes, who observed Noppert in the practice room, saw no signs of fatigue: "He didn't make a tired impression at all. He is physically perhaps the fittest of them all." Still, the performance lagged.

This is in stark contrast to Luke Littler, who proved unflappable despite his youth: "He can just turn himself on and off. We've never seen that before" Van der Voort said.

James Wade's name also came up. The Englishman made it to another semifinal without playing great. "If anyone can win ugly, it's James Wade," laughed Van der Voort. "Who doesn't get above 90 average the whole tournament, but in the semifinals he suddenly throws 99. He always does exactly what it takes."

Belgian fracas: Huybrechts and De Decker

The Belgian darts weekend also produced some controversy. Kim Huybrechts expressed his frustration towards the darts media and Mike De Decker also resumed an old quarrel from more than ten years ago. Van der Voort frowned: "That you are still doing that after twelve years ... then your career will be very long. Kim also has to look in the mirror. If there are always incidents, maybe it's not just because of others."

According to Vlottes, Huybrechts would have been better off sending a quiet message to correct factual errors, instead of publicly blowing things up: "Then everyone wouldn't have jumped on it either."

The final in Antwerp was again won by Luke Littler, although Josh Rock gave him a hard time. At 7-6 Rock threw a sensational 161-finish to force a last leg decider, but Littler finally decided the match with an 11-darter. "Rock can blame himself," Van der Voort analyzed. "If you get to start, you have to make sure you at least force him to that 12-darter. Now it was too easy."

Still, there was praise for the Northern Irishman: "He stayed very calm, even when his opponent made a show of it. You can see he is making strides," thought 'The Dutch Destroyer'.

They also expressed their frustration with the communication from the PDC and Sky Sports. For example, the withdrawal of Luke Humphries was only announced when the draw was already known. "That is pure arrogance from the PDC," Van der Voort stated. "They don't feel they have to inform organizers. You hear the same from Sky toward Viaplay: they throw in breaks or move matches around without saying anything."

Van Barneveld not the same

Finally, Raymond van Barneveld's name also came up on the broadcast. The five-time world champion remains a crowd pleaser and managed to reach the second round in Antwerp. There he seemed to be on his way to a fine victory over Ryan Searle. With a 5-3 lead, Van Barneveld had everything in his own hands, but things still went wrong. "From 5-3 on Searle just threw really well," Van der Voort analyzed. "But this is exactly where Raymond is now in his career. He can still do it, but the constancy is missing."

According to Vlottes, Van Barneveld lacked the ability to find an extra gear in the decisive phase: "With Littler you see that at 7-7 he throws everything into the battle. With Raymond, that is missing now. That's just the difference."

Whereas he used to be rock solid precisely in the closing stages, that coolness seems to be slowly disappearing. "He can still win games from the best, he has proven that in recent years. Only he doesn't do it week in and week out," Van der Voort concluded.

The discussion quickly turned to the question of what Van Barneveld still has to offer in today's darts world. With 57 years on the clock, he remains a phenomenon, but the level difference with the new generation is growing. "You see technically he still has one of the most beautiful throws. But it's about whether you can bring that five, six games in a row. And he just doesn't manage to do that anymore," Vlottes stated.

Van der Voort responded, "Look, he doesn't have to prove himself anywhere anymore. His legacy stands. But if you still want to compete at the top of this field, you have to be almost flawless. And at his age, that's an almost impossible task."

However, 'Barney' will always have the undiminished support of the public. Whether in the Netherlands, Belgium or England: loud applause and cheers for the Dutchman can still be heard everywhere. According to Vlottes, that also makes him unique: "With Raymond, you see that darts is not only about performance, but also about emotion and perception. Fans just still want to see him play."

Still, the conclusion was clear. Van Barneveld can still shock on a good day, but the times when he made structural finals are probably behind him. "It's actually admirable that he can still do this at his age," Van der Voort concluded. "But the difference with the absolute top is that he can't force those last few percent anymore. And that's the difference between winning and losing."