Rod's six best players

Rod Harrington names the top six players to have graced the oche in the PDC era. Do you agree?

Former world number one names the PDC's top players

Who are the greatest players to have graced the oche in the PDC era? That's the question we posed to Sky Sports darts expert and former world number one Rod Harrington, who has watched and played against the cream of the crop. Darts has reached a whole new level since the PDC was established in 1992, but which players have stood above the rest in that period? Read on for Rod's Six of the Best - and don't forget to tune into the 2011 World Darts Championship, live on Sky Sports, from December 16 until January 3.

6. James Wade

I know he hasn't won a World Championship, but I'd still put him in this list. He's still very young and he will win one at some point. This young man was a bit of a livewire in the early days; he didn't take the game seriously and wanted to go out and party. All young men want to do that and sometimes if you tried to beat that out of a natural talent like James then he wouldn't be the same player. It's like Ronnie O'Sullivan or Hurricane Higgins in snooker, it's part of their make-up and makes them what they are. If you try to turn them into robots they wouldn't win tournaments. Sometimes he doesn't play well and that's just part of his make-up. While someone like Phil Taylor would analyse things, that's not the way with Wade. He'll just walk up next time and play brilliant darts. He has proven he has everything in his locker - firepower, checkout ability and bottle. This guy hung in there in the Premier League final when Phil Taylor threw two nine-darters. He should be in this list because he will go on to win more than one World Championship.

5. John Part

He's a three-time world champion and has a great game. He never bottles it and is one of the few players who is as comfortable coming from behind as he is leading from the front. He can mix it with the best and he isn't scared of Phil Taylor - in fact, the two could meet in the second round this year. That could be an upset. When he's on form he has everything you need in your locker to put together a good darts game. I was really impressed when he won the World Championship in 2008. All the top seeds fell that year and the qualifier Kirk Shephard got all the way to the final. But as the big names went out, I tipped Part to win it because his attitude was spot on. He was always going to play a solid game, maybe not an absolutely brilliant game, but he made sure he was good enough to win that World Championship.

4. Dennis Priestley

The Menace was the winner of the very first World Championship, beating Phil Taylor 6-1 in the final at the Circus Tavern. His overall attitude to the game is extremely professional and he conducts himself in exemplary fashion. He dresses properly and he keeps himself in shape; at the age of 62 he looks better than a lot of the younger players in the game! His dedication to doing the right thing at the right time is incredible and he is still up there winning tour events. He admits he is seeing his life out in darts, but still, nobody wants to draw him in the first round - or any round - of a tournament. He'll stop playing when he stops winning, but who's to say there isn't another TV win in him? The only thing that might stop him is his age, his stamina and all he has been though in recent years. We've seen some wonderful games between him and Taylor and he's one of the few players that Phil doesn't like to play against.

3. Raymond van Barneveld

He is a five-time world champion and certainly deserves to be in this list. His action is so smooth, so precise and everything about his throw is pretty much perfect. He can beat anybody when he's on form. The only thing that beats Raymond Van Barneveld is Raymond Van Barneveld. If he had the same mindset as Taylor he would be a lot closer to matching him a lot more often, but instead he is too negative. He needs to accept that he will lose legs and he will lose sets and he must put them behind him. I once flew out to Holland to chat to him and I told him he needs to be happier about his game. It's simple sports psychology. If you're happy in your job, you play better. If you play better you get happier and then you play even better and start winning tournaments. That makes you happier and all of a sudden you've got Phil Taylor! He is surrounded by miserable people and he always looks at the bad side. If he threw 12 nine-darters they'd complain that the 13th game was an 18-darter! At the World Cup, Barney roomed with Co Stompe and laughed his head off all weekend, which was good to see, and they went and won the tournament. I reckon he should get rid of the people around him and pay Co Stompe to be his companion at the World Championship and in the Premier League.

2. Eric Bristow

He has to be in this list, even though he wasn't quite at his best when the PDC was formed. In his heyday the best word to describe him would be: "lethal". He knew how to bury a player and when he was in front he wouldn't lose very often. Not only was he a brilliant darts player, but he was very aggressive as well. He would come up to you before a match and have a few words, just to let you know he was going to beat you. He did a great one to me at the Circus Tavern in 1994. He stood behind me and said: "Do you want a beer?" and straight away I wondered what was going on. He brought the pint over and said: "Can I ask you something? Do you ever hold your breath when you throw a dart?" What a great one that was! I went to the board and all I could think about was whether or not I held my breath - and when you start thinking about it, your mind isn't fully concentrated. Thankfully, when I got on stage and the adrenaline was pumping I didn't think about it, and I ended up beating him. But it really could have messed me up and that sort of gamesmanship would have worked on a lot of players. Eric was great at intimidation and won games that way, but he won most of them through his brilliance. He was the Phil Taylor of his era, at his height just before I came into the game, but he has to be in this top six.

1. Phil Taylor

He's the obvious number one, having won 69 TV tournaments and 15 World Championships. He's always been the man to beat, stretching back to when I was playing in the 1990's. You always wanted to be in the opposite half draw to Taylor when you got to the World Championship! He's so consistent, leg on leg. Most of the other players will give you legs and therefore the odd set, but Taylor hasn't given anything away over the years. I wouldn't say he's the most talented player ever. His success is largely down to his attitude and his mindset. He has an ability to shut off a bad leg or a bad dart - and that's down to his total belief in his own ability. He never worries because he believes he'll win the next leg and that's what makes him different to every other player, apart from maybe Bristow. Most players have negative thoughts when they miss a double or whatever, but Taylor never questions himself. We'll never see anything like him again, not in my lifetime anyway. In golf they have a robot to test clubs and balls by striking the ball perfectly every time. If someone made a robot to throw the perfect dart every time then it might beat Phil Taylor, but otherwise we won't see anything like him. Do you agree with Rod's choices? Let us know using the comments box below...