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Luke Littler: Phil Taylor and Barry Hearn both warn world No 1 to 'get used to boos' after mixed reception at recent tournaments
Darts legend Phil Taylor and sports promoter Barry Hearn give words of advice to Luke Littler with the world No 1 subject to boos and whistling in recent tournaments; you can watch the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton from November 14-22 live on Sky Sports
Thursday 1 October 2026 19:19, UK
Darts legend Phil Taylor has warned world No 1 Luke Littler to "get used to it" after continuous boos and whistles at recent tournaments.
Littler's bid for a clean sweep of all major PDC titles in 2026 ended at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam where he complained about being repeatedly whistled by Dutch supporters.
The back-to-back world champion even threatened to boycott future tournaments in the Netherlands after being booed and whistled by the vociferous crowd.
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Taylor, a 16-time world champion, retired from the competitive circuit in 2018, five years after winning his final world crown and he backed Littler to turn the boo-boys in his favour.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Taylor said: "Littler has got to get used to the boos. Go in there and turn the crowd. Sometimes if you play well and you start hitting your 140s and 180s, your big finishes, the crowd will turn and don't react to it, but he does react.
"He's young and he's a little bit cocky at times but that's good, that's confidence. He's just got to accept crowds are going to be on his back for a little bit, but they will get bored with it.
"Keep doing what you're doing, keep playing well, and just concentrate. Let them boo and then do your little antics when you've won."
He continued: "Littler doesn't have responsibilities. He can just go up there and enjoy himself and win tournaments. Go up there, enjoy it, take no notice of the crowd, which isn't easy, obviously, but work out a way of turning the crowd around."
Taylor also discussed how Littler would have improved his game "100 per cent" and advised the Warrington phenom to continue playing the board.
"I would have loved him to have been about," said 66-year-old Taylor. "Any player that used to come through I used to love anyway because I looked at ways of raising my game. You have to be a bit like Rocky Balboa by getting the chicken out and chasing it down the garden. It's great to see him up there and he's a lovely lad who is not money orientated.
"Players that were better than me, I thrived on it. I loved it."
Taylor added: "What players are doing now is that they're watching him and they're jumping on him. Players are getting used to him and they will improve, which will put more mental pressure on Luke. He might then think, 'I need to practise a bit more' so he's doing things to improve his game whereas before he's going in there and not thinking about it."
Taylor was also asked whether anybody could match or even overtake his phenomenal record of world titles. He said: "To win 16 world titles you've got to be very professional and you've got to do it for at least 25 years, I'd say. It will be very difficult to match me but whoever has got talent can do it."
Hearn: Littler needs to show people boos won't affect his game
Barry Hearn, former chairman of the Professional Darts Corporation, says Littler wants to show people that the boos won't put him off his game.
"In my view, he's a natural-born darts player," Hearn told Sky Sports News. "He's making a huge amount of money. He's changing his family's life and generations beyond, which is what all sports stars should aim for. He is the best in the world, clearly.
"His record says that. He is 19 and his schedule is something that needs delicate managing and he's got a good team behind him to make sure he achieves that.
"And he will get booed and frankly, when was the last time you saw a penalty being taken in the home end by the visitors? Was it quiet or did they boo? You've got to get used to this sort of thing. It's part and parcel of being a professional.
"Of course, we hope and try to encourage the crowd to show decent order, but there are times when you're in someone else's back garden."
Hearn pointed to the fact Peter Manley and Gerwyn Price both suffered from continuous booing in the past, but eventually won the crowd over.
"It's happened to a lot of players over the years. Manley was the first one I came into contact with, but of late, Price got a lot of stick. He smiled back at them and today, he's one of the world's most popular players. Luke has got to concentrate on that more, showing that it doesn't affect him," said Hearn.
"He's good enough to show that he can still win and that basically will keep the boo boys, who are out of order by the way, without doubt, keep them quiet."
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