Betfair Big Interview: Peter Manley

Darts / Ralph Ellis / 14 November 2008 / Leave a Comment

He didn't qualify for the Grand Slam of Darts but that doesn't stop 'One Dart' Manley from having an opinion on the event which gets underway on Saturday.

We're still looking forward to the Grand Slam of Darts here at Betfair - and we found Peter Manley getting ready for the PartyPoker.com Pro Celebrity challenge that's live on ITV4 - and ready to give us some inside info on the main event that will follow it

Hi Peter - tell us about the pro celebrity tournament. We gather you're playing with Dave 'Devilfish' Ulliott the poker player. How's that going?

We've been practising together - I've driven down to his home in Hull for a couple of days to make sure we're on the top of our game. These guys are all at the top of their own sport so throwing darts is a different task for them, but he's doing fine

How good is he then?

Let's say I think it will be a very interesting evening. He's maybe as good as Alan Warriner! We play James Wade and Steve Backley and I think we'll do alright - although we're worried that as a javelin man Backley will want to throw from more than 12 feet away, or the far end of the room somewhere!

And what would you be like as a poker player?

Well I did win the sports stars charity event on Sky two or three years ago, and this year I put Phil Taylor out of the competition with four kings against his flush. I'm very good at putting a poker face on when I need to.

You must be gutted you're not in the Grand Slam...

I came close two or three times - the world championship I missed 56 to win the game against Kirk Shepherd, and then I was 10-5 up with James Wade in the semi-final of Vegas, and then the last recent one at the European Championships where I lost the semi-final to Adrian Lewis.

It's all the more frustrating because you've obviously been in decent form.

I didn't really agree with the way they did the qualification, but I believe it's the way they want the tournament run so you just have to go with it

What's next for your career now?

At the end of the day it's where you want to go. You have Phil Taylor, who concentrates on winning tournaments, and probably myself and Wayne Mardle who are the two most popular round the exhibition circuit. It depends which way you want your career to go. Somebody like Wayne will be young enough to see it all through, but with myself obviously I've got different sights. I'm happy with the way my form is going though - I've been under a confidence coach at the moment

Really - tell us more about that?

It seems to help - as I'm chairman of the players' association whenever I go to a tournament I've always got the moans and groans to deal with, and it is always comes back on my shoulders. I've just let it affect me. It's how I am - even if you look back to my old school reports they always say I was 'easily distracted' and I think at tournaments this is what has been happening to me. I have not been 100 per cent on what I'm there for. I'm working too much and travelling, and that probably plays a big part in it. I've tried to sort that out over the last two months, and I've been working well and getting some much better results.

So who is this coach?

That's top secret I'm afraid, I'll keep that to myself

A lot has been said about you changing your attitude and becoming less intense though.

Basically I'm trying to get myself back to my old ways - and those were that I didn't give a monkeys, and treated everyone with malice, really, and really thoroughly enjoyed bashing them up on the dartboard. It's a bit like an old winger going past three defenders, and instead of shooting for goal going back and beating them again. That's the way I used to be. I used to thrive on beating all the top boys, but then obviously you become one of the top boys, and you become a target yourself. I think other players have suffered with that - Terry Jenkins is one that does get beat when he shouldn't.

Will you be staying around at Wolverhampton after the pro-celebrity?

No - I'd rather not stay and see what might have been. I'll end up following it on the telly though

At least that means you can talk to us about who will win it - Phil Taylor is odds-on with Betfair punters. Should he be?

The thing is it's ever since I beat him up in the old Premier League - and I think I turned his career around a bit! Losing to me must have been tough because I don't leave him alone. I give him a jib in the ribs every week, and say he was my easiest Premier game! Seriously he is playing with quality that nobody else achieves - they do it maybe once in a while, he does it on a regular basis. I can't to be honest see him getting beat. There's the quality there to beat him, but the latter stages when it is a longer game you really have to up your ante. James Wade probably did the best I've seen at the world matchplay against him, but even he tired off.

Who would have the best chance?

I think Terry Jenkins has proven that if he gets everything right he has the level to take Taylor. You have Gary Anderson in there again and of course Darryl Fitton can hit loads of silly 180s if he's on the right day.

Is this tournament a good thing where it brings the PDC and BDO together?

Yes - it's great for TV because it's what every darts enthusiast wants to see. It's a bit of a shame that Martin Adams declined the offer, especially as he has played in PDC televised tournaments before. Surely it would have been good for his career to come along and maybe have taken Taylor and the title and gone away and said: 'I am the best player in the world'. An opportunity like that only comes now and again - although you have to respect his decision and he's looking after himself.

We don't want to sound like hippies, but would it be good for the sport to come together as one world organisation?

I think so. At the end of the day it's a shame there are two organisations trying to run a world championship. When I first began in the PDC it was probably 25 players short of a world title. Now I think it's turned around and the Lakeside tournament is probably 25 short. It's embarrassing, and you can see the difference. The growth of the prize money in the PDC will keep that going - we've got £5million on offer next year. There's no credit crunch in darts according to us!

We've got a bit more cash for you! There's a £50 free bet in aid of your favourite charity to say thanks for your time

Great - that can go to Macmillan Cancer support - they do a wonderful job. I'm not normally supposed to bet on darts, but seeing as I'm not at the Grand Slam I'll have a word with Barry Hearn for him to turn a blind eye on this one, and I'll have my £50 on Terry Jenkins to win it at [44.0].