When my 92 year old grandmother and my mum are asking about Luke Littler you know it's big.

It's quite disgusting for me that they're putting littler front and center and humphries off to the side, he is the world champion and number 1 he deserves to be front and center

The biggest issue for me isn't the lineup but the format. Get it back to league play rather than the mini tournaments they have.

Definitely agree with your theory about Dobey provisionally being the 8th man

Don’t get why so many people think Dobey should be in before Wright. Dobey is ranked 15th in the world and hasn’t gone beyond the quarter finals of a major since his masters win. Wright hasn’t had a great year by his standards but is still ranked in the top 10 and won the European Championship. Tbh, this years line up is actually one of the easiest to agree with compared to other years.

Was hoping you did this video as looked last night ... appreciate the content !! You're a great asset to darts with your knowledge.

The field should be bigger. Eight players is not enough to sustain interest over all the weeks of the PL. I'd prefer it to be back to sixteen which would give Dobey and a few others their chance.

I think more testing for Littler will be the lifestyle around the full tour more so than the playing schedule itself. A lot of time in transit, hotel sleeps, hotel food etc.

It's crazy to think that Luke Littler has been throwing darts longer than Gerwin Price

Feel a bit sorry for Dobey, even when he gets beat he has amazing averages, rarley does he play poor. Wright is fortuante. He has been really awful at times over the last year with sporadic good moments. Obviously some buisness decisions being made which is understandable, hopefully Wright finds his best form again and Littler doesn't suffer from it.

With the inclusion of Littler, a part of me wonders.. During the World Championship finals, they had to tone down some aspect of the main sponsor's involvement due to Littler being under 18 (per report by Sportslens). With Premier League's sponsor being of the same nature, I wonder what will the legally-prudent adjustments be? Anyway, excited for it. Hopefully the PDC and PDPA manages him properly, be cognizant of their duty of care, for the benefit of the sport, the sponsors, and most importantly, the man himself.

Loving the content!

I think Wright deserves the spot. Because of the titles he still won last year. The only player that I could understand to be above Wright is Chizzy. He won more Tour Events but no Major. That really depents how important you value the European Championship.

I think they got it bang on considering having to balance business and merit. I agree on the Dobey point, if he beats Cross he's in for sure

Littler has his whole life ahead of him......he will be up in the rankings for a long time....this going to install a little doubt for him now. i think the Premier league is going to ruin him...still think Dobey and Cullen before him.....and maybe 10 players, with a bye week for 2 each week?

Do you think the Premier League would work with 16 players split into two divisions? Alternate the nights for each division, play each other once so you’d have 14 league nights and a finals night. You’d have time off for the players to manager their schedules and avoids overkill of some games. Division A would have World No 1,3,5,7 and 4 picks Division B would have World No 2,4,6,8 and 4 picks Top 4 in each make finals nights. This allows you to earn a place in the top 8 rather than trying to break the top 4 and more options for picks to make the field diverse and entertaining. Division A - Humphries, Smith, Price, Noppert, Chisnall, Dobey, Littler, Anderson Division B - van Gerwen, Aspinall, Cross, Wright, Clayton, Bunting, Cullen, Van den Bergh

Dobey instead of Snakebite and they would've got it bang on imo 💁🏼‍♂️

I had Dobey in mind for Peter but actually listening to what you've said I can get behind the reasoning.

Don't forget the prem is just a road show to promote darts. It's understandable that they put him simply because he has got the world - even my two sisters - talking and I'm sure more people will watch because of him.

I think its too early for Littler to be in the Premiere League, not because of his darts but because of his age. I would've been happier if they pick Dobey instead of him and they invite him once he turns 18

I always thought having a PL 2 or a championship on night before where winner gets promoted would be decent as they are so many players we would all like to see. I get would be expensive and maybe not attract crowds though.

The problem with Peter Wright is that he also had a lot of negatives since GSOD 2022 which lay on the people's mind. He hasn't really been stable in his performences lately. - His PL-campagne in 2023 was awful (5 wins from 21 games, only winning 1 game from the first 9 nights.) - Players Championship Finals 2023 not qualified - GSOD he had a 81 game avarage. - Worlds 2024 he had a 83 game avarage and lost. - Worlds 2023 he also played avarage darts and lost in his second match. With these things on our mind people forget he also had some good results. In the end you can bring him in voor the PL, but which Wright is gonna show up?

I think this is the one lineup the PDC got most right since the start of the new 8 man format, last year was a catastrophe compared to this time

Love all your content mr edgar ive been watching you for ages. Keep up all the good work an i hope u go on an win at lakeside would be some achievement from what u have been through. But as for this years prem league. Not everyone will be happy but i think there was some changes needed this year. As too name a few players over Wright or aspinal who has been struggling aswell give both a break. imo Anderson, chizzy, bunting, dobey, Clayton, Cullen. All capable of being in the mix. Also in my opinion its the format that needs changed bring back 10 players an have elimination night. Was so much better to watch. There was draws, white washes. Feels like every week is just the same mini tournament with players that not everyone agrees on.

I would consider how players that were in the 2023 Premier League performed. I was going to suggest Chris Dobey over Peter Wright, but they were 7th and 8th, respectively, last season. Overall, I think it’s a good lineup, I just hope Peter Wright can get more consistent. Thanks.

The betting odds for the PL winner seem a bit wild. Littler second fav and Price at 7/1?

It’s always hard when a deserving player misses out, but Littler deserves his spot.

Totally agree 💯

One thing I did wonder- I agree that Peter Wright, and Gerwyn Price tbh, were always going to be in because of what you said about them being recognisable names. However, does that raise a question about the format? With those two out of the top 4, that means that 6 of the 8 player line-up are pretty much certain. Does that make it too much of a closed shop?

Agreed completely with Matt

If anyone merited that last place it was Chisnall. Chisnall got to nine finals during the season winning 5 Chisnall: 9 finals, won 3 lost 1 european events, won 2 lost 3 players events. Wright: 4 finals, won 1 major, won a world series, won 1 lost 1 european event. Dobey: 1 final, won 1 major. Bunting: 1 final, lost 1 european event.

Any help would be appreciated On New Year’s Eve I ordered some items from darts corner. Included in this was some new darts (Designa Dark thunder V2), some unicorn volute points and a repointing service. When this arrived today I was expecting repointed darts but the darts and points are packaged separately in what they would come as when bought individually. I have sent an email but don’t know if I can open any of the stuff if they needed sending back and these were the only darts and points in the order. Any help would be great.

I know he had no chance of getting in but surely Andrew Guilding’s name should have been mentioned in this video, considering he won the UK Open

Last year I took issue with certain picks that clearly lacked merit given other players were there but I'm fine with these year's line up.

Share your thoughts on Littler, he probably deserves the spot and he is going to add an extra million to the viewing figures each week so Sky and sponsors were always going to try and get him in there. The travel, media attention, just general schedule (especially if playing the weekends) is going to be the issue for the boy, NOT performing on the big stage. Hopefully he is looked after by the people around him. Wright should consider himself lucky to be in again, his form has seriously dipped but he hasn’t had the easiest of years off the dartboard either. Hope he gets back to somewhere near his best, if not, could be a long campaign for him. Sponsors etc want a name, a face, a personality, I feel with the two Scottish venues in the schedule, being Scottish helped him too. Dobey is the obvious one that should feel hard done by, I also think Chizzy has deserved another shot at it at some point the last few years. Since it doesn’t look like the number of participants is going to rise above the 8 any time soon…I think what would be a good idea would be to name 7 and hold a mini tournament over the next weekend after Worlds finish…8 players and play down to a final with winner getting the last spot? Would be a good watch that’s for sure! Only problem would again be deciding who is in that one!

I like the fact that 6 of the 8 players are world champions (7 if you include Littler's world youth championship)

When the local radio station in winnipeg Manitoba Canada is talking about littler you know he’s making waves and should be in

Damo needs to win a major, to get in. Ross needs to win a major in the selection year his ranking is consistently nowhere near high enough. Cullen needs to win a major in the selection year or crack the top 8 in the OOM. Clayton needs to either win a major in the selection year or crack top 6. Dobey used his Masters win to get in the year he made it. So he needs to just crack the top 8 OR win a major in the selection year. My concern with Littler is that he's just played in and done well in ONE tournament. Even though it's the World's.... the Premier League is a different grind for a 16 year old. Heck...... the PDC didn't think Luke Humphries was ready last year. And what about his schooling? Peter won the European Championships, so... and he IS in the top 8. Peter should have passed on the opportunity and focus on his game, rather than take the Premier League money. The PL will be a grind for him.. and he will lose a LOT (and I'm a Peter Wright fan!). I feel bad for Noppert. His second year in the top 8 and not getting in. Goes to show... consistency is not valued when it comes to the Premier League. Plus.... he needs to work on his English for media purposes. I think Littler and Wright spots should have been Dobey and Chizzy or even Bunting given his high level of play throughout 2023 (albeit it hasn't translated into tournament wins for him). But from a $$$$ standpoint... they chose the right 8.

it's taken them this long to get it right and people still aren't happy, the list is spot on

When are the fixtures for each night announced please?

I can't agree on Dobey. He won the worst major of the calendar and then proceeds having like the 16th best prize money in 2023. A World QF is enough? Then why didn't you speak about Chizzt than also win European tours (Dobey last orop tour win was 2 years ago)?

I know we said that Littler could only really afford to miss Pro Tours/Euro Tours if he won the WC Final and got into the top 16… But I’ve changed my mind on that. The priority should be freshness and resting between Premier League weeks. If that means that he doesn’t play hardly any Tour events until the end of the Premier League (and subsequently doesn’t qualify for one or 2 majors), then so be it. He’s got plenty of time to do all of that stuff, and when he does make it to these events later in the year I’m sure he’ll make up for lost time. The Premier League is a perfect transitional tournament for him, as it almost has that exhibition feel, plus he’ll benefit from testing himself against the best every week. It’s now a no-brainer imo, but let’s hope his team don’t get greedy and just say yes to everything.

So still no clue as to why Part & Mardel have fallen out then? Or why the crowds were so bored in the final?

I get it that when people say "on tv" they mean majors. But we're getting to the stage now where the Euro tour is live on european tv channels and the production quality is up there with sky. I look forward to them more than the premier league. Soon the results there will have to be taken into account. Just cos your average uk tv viewer only sees the sky and itv stuff, doesn't mean there isn't a lot of viewers elsewhere.

Will be a blessing in disguise for Clayton and Dobey. The break will do the pair of them good, I can see them hitting the season hard and picking up some titles. Peter Wright on the other hand it could go either way. If he finally sticks to one set of darts consistently he could benefit from more games week in week out. For me he looked fed up with darts at the worlds and could have done with a bit of a break.

Hi Matt. I worry about Littler- he seems to have a mannerism that smacks of dartitis. Look how he sometimes throws a practice dart before his throw he was doing not a number if times towards the end of the final. Has anyone else noticed this? Bit like Nathan Aspinall sometimes does. Both Luke's are great for the sport- was an excellent final to watch.

The 8 players picked are ranked in the top 8 in the world. The only omission is Danny Noppert (number 7). Dobey is world number 15 and Littler is 31. So... Littler replaces Noppert. You said name 8 players better than Wright ...not sure why anyone has to...but on current form, Noppert is playing better darts than Snaky.

Wright was the correct choice exposure-wise. Littler was a given on the back of the hype train. Still not sure if that's gonna be a good call though, being good for one tournament is different from being good all year. Anyway, it is a good line-up

I thought the number 1 reason for Peter Wright was that hes scottish. And thats totally fair enough when you have multiple nights north of the border. If the standard was there I imagine they would prefer a German, Belgian, Australian and Irishman in it rather than 5 English players for a broader audience.

Why did they reduce the roster to just 8 players? Wasn't it more like 10 or 12 back in the day?

I agree with you. This is the best possible choice. The world runner-up has always been in and Peter Wright may have had a poor year by his standards, but still a better one than all those who were in discussion

Sorry but I’m still not convinced bringing Luke littler in, is correct . Yes it will be great for the PDC and matchroom Yes the exposure the PDC will get having Luke into the premier league will bring new viewers But in my humble view this is more right for the PDC then it is young Luke atm this young man has got plenty of time Let me put it this way , he has still got 7 chances (7 years) to go to be crowned The youngest world champion In the year 2044 he will be 20 years on the tour … he will be 37 ,how old was Peter wright when he won his first world championship? Not being in the premier league didn’t do Luke Humphries any harm last year did it . From a safeguarding and duty of care point of you I do have huge huge concerns From a darting point of view @edgartv you also missed out the current Uk open winner. This shows us winning a major isn’t a guarantee.. but getting instantly recognisable players in ,to get bums on seats …. And make money is the best way forward. On a general aside I believe beu greaves made the right choice this time around but I hope she in time will be more more recognisable then fallon ……… let’s hope they both get tour cards . Let’s hope they get that mentor / chaperone in ……. The kid needs protection

This the best 8, understand people have a debate, but this is it. Perfect

The line up this year I’d give a 9 out of 10 - It’s way better than last years terrible choices (Clayton & Van den Bergh in particular) Dobey I think was the unlucky one not to be in this year As for the others that may have been in contention - Cullen didn’t win a single tournament in 2023 (he didn’t even make a final), Chisnall was poor in the TV Majors, plus both he & Bunting were swatted aside in the Worlds (Bunting also bottled his only final in 2023 to Ratajski) & Clayton’s form since the Matchplay has simply been woeful Wright even on a bad year still won a major and a European Tour event (again what did Cullen win) And literally nobody goes on about how terrible a year Michael Smith has had - He was actually worse than Wright & I’d very much argue he’s only in by default because of his 2022 success keeping him in the Top 4 - Aspinall since winning the Matchplay hasn’t been good either As for Littler, I think playing the Humphries, the MVG’s, the Price’s week in, week out will improve him, PDC might keep him out of the World Series events to limit his travel at least initiallly - I’m not even sure he’d even be allowed to play in some because of his age (Bahrain comes straight to mind) - Also If people look at the calendar for 2024 there isn’t as many Pro Tour events (There’s only 10 Players Champs, 7 Euro Tours and the UK Open) during the 4 month Premier League Period compared to before Covid (2019 there was 16 Players Champs, 6 Euro Tours & the UK Open) as the PDC have crammed much more in later on - For example There’s an absolutely brutal 6 week period in September/October that has 11 Players Champs, 3 Euro Tour events plus the Grand Prix & European Champs - If you’re looking at Burn Out, look at that very period - and it could well be a few players suffering that fate - and then you only have the Grand Slam, Players Champ finals & World Champs to look forward to after that - Best of luck ;)

Last year there was issues with television viewership for the premiere league, well how do correct that, Bring in a big headline like littler. I think having him and Peter Wright in will not just sell tickets but will generate tv viewership as well. And let’s face it the PDC is a business, so they are doing what is going to make a decision on what best for business. I agree with bringing in a representative to help manage what Littler has to face, from your other video.

agree with what you’re saying that it’s the ‘best’ line up but that’s from an entertainment perspective. Do you not think it should go By rankings/form otherwise it’s only Premier league by name?

Do you think nuke is a good choice for a nickname though it is the worst danger in the world and in times of war? In general? Just thinking about that 😅

Dobey should be in, shouldn't even be up for debate. Maybe Cullen as well. But nobody else can lay a claim to being in there

I think its the 1st time I agree with all the choices. You have 6 world champs , a top 4 player and a phenom who will sell tickets and is a world finalist with 5 ton+ averages in the tourney. If LL didnt reach final then defo Dobey in for the 8 spot

Peter wright and Luke littler are every lucky to be in

U wanted 8 players to replace Peter Wright: 1. Chris dobey (good run at the worlds maybe the best player in the last 8 if u look avg wise) 2. Stephen Bunting (at the end of 2023 really with SF at PCF / QF GSOD would have make sense) 3. Damon Heta (3 QF in 2023 on tv) 4. Scott williams (good run at World Championship) 5. James Wade (good run last period 2023 (bottled it in the world champs) is it a bad thing that i can come up with 5 players instead of 8 ?

The whole thing just shows how shallow society is and how a bit of media hype affects lives. Litler is a great young 17 year old player and I hope he has many more successes and this kind of media exposure does not see him go off the rails.

Tbh I wouldn’t think Peter Wright was a good choice for this year since how poor he has been playing the last year… Although he did win the European Championship, but still… Other than Snakebite I would of selected either Dobey, Bunting, Heta or probably Chisnall.

If Littler had won it then no arguments but he didnt, look the kid is a star and what he did in the worlds was unreal, but there are 23 players who are ranked higher who have earnt the right to be in the prem league. I think Noppart is probably the most aggrieved as he is higher in the rankings than Wright, let alone Littler.

Started playing darts a few weeks ago and just wondering if I should be 4+ hours a day as I am now?

No mention of Gary Anderson?

I was hoping Gary Anderson would get a mention. He's had the highest average on the floor season by a full point to #2. Yes, he hasn't done much on TV with just a QF at the Grand Slam, but if we're going by name/fame/recognizability he deserved a mention.

Dobey was only 16th on the season money list. Dobey Won 0 tv events since the announcement for the 2023 Premier League, 0 tv events, 0 pro tours and 0 European tour wins. At least Wright, who many thought should have been left out for Dobey, has won 1 tv event, 1 European event and was 9th on the 2023 money list.

Am I right in thinking cullen has lost to the eventual winner in most majors in 2023, definitely match play and world championship anyway?

Dobey must be absolutely gutted

Matthew, as a fellow wrestling fan seeing your collection, do you plan on doing a video?

I’d have gone Dobey instead of Wright but I understand it with Wrights popularity. People are asking me about darts who never cared before due to Littler so I understand him being in.

PDC better have a good team behind the scenes with Littler because what Ando said hasnt just gone away... the PL is not like any other event. You are on the road every week, at a different hotels, different format, different venues and then he has the media all over him. Its all nice when its going well but everyone knows what the media is like and how quick they can flip on someone when he starts to lose a few games.

The lineup based on the existing rules is ok.but I don't like the rules. If they want to stick to mini-tournaments with eight players, ,they should only take two or at most three seeded players from the leaderboard. I really hope Beau Greaves decides to go serious for the pro tour now (two women's titles are enough though) , achieves appropriate successes to be picked for the next PL. That would be exciting😊😊 (why the first two women of the series don't actually get a tour card?? They should!)

The Premier League 8 is the same one I and a lot of others had. its the logical choice. Yes Dobey is the unluckiest but he just has to make way for Littler. Spare a thought for Clayton who has a win and two semis in last 3 Premier Leagues , whilst Wright's last 6 Premier Leagues have seen two 7th and two Last. but they got it right this time

I still think duty of care is an issue regarding Littler 🤔

Imo matt id have done dobey for wright. I really hope pl goes back to old format though hate new format so the same every week.

For me the biggest issue with the Premier League are the Play-Offs. I wish it would just be a league were at the end the one with the most points wins, like in football. Having the Play-Offs makes the months of playing before kind of pointless since it’s only relevant if you are in the top 4 or outside of it.

I’d argue Gezzy being there. When was his last major win?

Littler in the Prem isn't what most fans are miffed about, its Aspinall and Cross. Dobey should be way ahead of Aspinall in choice, and Cross has never performed in the PL so there's other names like Bunting (on merit) or RVB (similar "name" to Wright that draws a crowd) I would have considered before Cross.

I understand the inclusion of Littler for commercial reasons but personally I dont agree with it for the same reasons I didnt agree with the thought of Fallon Sherrock getting into the Premier League. The inclusion of players should be based on the rankings system alone or winners of tournaments throughout the year. There shouldnt be sponsor picks which in my book is favouritism. It should be a reward for the players that do well.

Think dobey and Ando will have a big year without being in Prem

When are you giving your update of the new exciting news?????

I think they got the lineup spot on. However, I still don't like the format and I would prefer the old league format. Something that made the Premier League different than the rest, and that made me interested in watching every week.

So do you reckon if Dobey would have beaten Cross in the QF he would have been in over Cross?

Hi Matt, I don’t think you can name eight players to pick over Wright as the majority of the players who would replace him, you mentioned in the video. Personally I think they need to spice the format up, by saying the player who finished last should be ‘relegated’ in a way for the following year. As Wright was that man, and had missed the playoffs in three straight years, I personally would have left him out.

At the end of the day Peter Wright puts bums on seats and that's why he remains in the PL, simples... Barney was in the PL for many seasons for that fact alone. I think this is a good selection though it's a shame that Dobey is missing from the line-up, but once Littler made the final, his chances of a PL place folded.

I thought Chris Dobey is playing well enough to warrant inclusion

Van der berg should not have been in it last year for me ?

End of the day, the Prem has been dying for years in terms of interest (a lot of the nights arent sold out yet this year). The PDC needs Littler in there as hes generating so much interest. I still think its too much for someone so young when you factor in the travel and the endless media spotlight. As you said, hes shown he can handle these things on their own but handling them all together is a massive ask and we've seen players much older and more experienced crumble. I think Littler is an exceptional talent and I hope he takes it all in his stride as he probably will but the PDC have to make sure the support is there. Hes not just a media story or the next big spectacle, hes a 16 year old lad and thats what matters.

Should be wrights last year. But he did win a major this year. Hope they don’t burn him out…

Good analysis. Dobey's had a good year, but not a fantastic one. Wright has won a Major and that simply trumps making a few quarter finals. Plus he's more entertaining. His inclusion makes the most sense for a non-ranked event.

I think they got it right except for Dobey who should be in instead of Littler

some people made the ears picture up with faces, and according to that, no.8 would have been Heta.. none the less, Peter Wright is 'the' audience fav. you will never see that the PDC will take him out... and yes, Dobey and Heta would have deserved a spot..

The selection is definitely good. I just personally would rather watch Chris Dobey agerage 102 every other week than Peter Wright average 83 on 8 of the weeks while being the slowest player of the night like last year. Completely get the reason for his inclusion though

you're 100% right about heta. to date he's done absolutely nothing in the majors. i can't think of any sane reason to even have him in the discussion for a prem place

Chizzy deserves a shout over Smith imo

I find it strange how many people complain about Wright being in even though he still won a major and a euro tour. Everyone seems to forget he has 2 World Titles and is one of the Top 10 players of all time and still no. 8 in the OOM. Have we already forgotten how many years Barney or Ando were outside the Top 10, didn't win any majors, and were still put in no questions asked? I think Peter's status is big enough so he can afford a bit of an off year too.

Before watching this video, I didn't agree with Peter Wright and Luke Littler being in it. Now I've watched this, I fully agree why they are and you're right, who else could really be in the Premier League instead of those 2 🤷🏼‍♂️. However when you talk about a welfare rep for Littler, is there a welfare rep in general that represents the PDC at all events? If there isn't, there should be. I think players welfare should be looked after from the bottom all the way to the top of the game. Even for the just experienced players, they struggle at times. Great video 👍🏼🎯

I'll be honest watching Litller made me go out and buy a dartboard for the first time in a decade , Now hooked on the darts .