Gary Anderson issues angry response to Paul Nicholson following Players Championship 8 triumph

A fired-up Gary Anderson has vowed to have a “wee chat” with Paul Nicholson after he was named by ‘The Asset’ as one the sport’s ‘bad losers’.

In his Sporting Life column last week, Nicholson listed Anderson as one of darts’ worst losers and referenced his involvement in a number of incidents over the years.

Nicholson wrote: ‘He’s not been happy about squeaking floorboards, noises behind him, things players have supposedly said and various other antics he believes are bad sportsmanship or etiquette.

‘You’ve got to remember that old school players were brought up with strict etiquette that the younger generation don’t necessarily subscribe to as religiously.

‘He doesn’t shy away from making his feelings known – on stage or during interviews.

‘He’s even been in bad moods after victories, such as table-gate with Mensur Suljovic at the World Championship one year, where he said he’d be ‘offski’ if gamesmanship became rife in the sport. And after his next win, he called Wayne Mardle a ‘numpty’.

‘At the 2009 UK Open, he was ready to fill me in! I beat him fair and square on his tournament debut and although my celebration was a bit aggressive, it wasn’t towards him. It was to the camera.

‘One of my old friends from Northumberland was there holding Gary back because he had a desire to take me outside! To be fair, he’s not the only player who has wanted to give me a filling in, but this altercation meant we didn’t talk for about two years.

‘We shook hands if we ever we played each other but we’d never speak. I stayed clear of him because let’s face it, if he got hold of me it wouldn’t end well for me. He’s made of very tough Scottish stuff. I was on notice.

‘Gary is a very passionate individual and I really do admire him for that – it made him the exciting, legendary player he is, with such a huge fanbase. No matter how much he might act like he’s laid back about the game these days, don’t let that kid you about his hatred of losing.

‘But he’s had issues with the likes of Gerwyn Price, Adrian Lewis, Joe Cullen, Chris Dobey and even Raymond van Barneveld in the past.’

Anderson ended a three-year wait for a PDC ranking title at Players Championship Eight in Hildesheim on Monday and was quick to call out Nicholson in his post-match interview.

The Scotsman said: “I must admit, I read a tweet from Paul Nicholson saying I’m one of the world’s worst losers.

“I’m going to have a wee chat with him when I get him on the corner because there’s losing and there’s being done over.

“So which one is being a ‘bad loser’? Is it the Gary that’s getting beaten and gives it ‘hands up – you played well’, or is it the boy who’s effing and blinding in your ear?

“I’ve had that in my head today and I’m gunning for them.

“I’m just here to give you a sore head and p*ss you off, which I’m doing quite well to be honest.

“Paul says I’m a bad loser, well we’ll see.”

Anderson defeated Krzysztof Ratajski 8-5 in the final with a 99.7 average to end his title drought and all but assure himself of a place in July’s World Matchplay via the ProTour Order of Merit.

The world number 22 has enjoyed a superb start to the season, having finished runner-up in Players Championship Five, while also qualifying for a European Tour event to end his seven-year sabbatical.

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