Mark my words, Michael Van Gerwen will knock Phil Taylor off his perch one day and be the best darts player on the planet. – Eric Bristow
I’ve got a nice little crafty deal with the people in Barbados; 10 days out there teaching the locals how to play darts for an hour a day. Get paid for that as well. – Eric Bristow
The Crafty Cockney had a picture of the owner dressed up as a copper, so I brought it home, wore it on TV and the name just stuck. – Eric Bristow
Hopefully I’ve given something back to darts, which has been brilliant to me. Hopefully I made it a bit popular when I first started; I was part of the breakaway, and I also created a monster, so I think I’ve done a little bit. – Eric Bristow
Trouble is, I don’t get to play a lot at the moment because I’ve just signed a contract where I’ve got to do 200 shows a year in pubs, so the golf’s fallen away a bit. – Eric Bristow
I’m not on Twitter or Facebook and don’t even use email. I don’t trust computers: one day they’ll all break down, and everyone will be knackered. – Eric Bristow
I remember when we were in the World Cup in Australia and I had to win the singles against Tony Payne, best of seven legs, to win it. I was 2-0 down but ended up beating him 4-2. – Eric Bristow
My dad was an Arsenal supporter and he used to take me there, but I’ve always been Chelsea. – Eric Bristow
By the time I was 25 or 26, I would have earned a million, but if you looked in the bank account, it’s not there because I’ve spent it. That’s what it’s there for. I don’t want to be the richest bloke in the graveyard. Look at Elvis. – Eric Bristow
I was 15 when I got my first job as a proofreader for an advertising agency in the City, earning ô?12 a week. But by then, I was already playing darts tournaments every weekend, regularly winning the ô?50 first prize. By the time I was 16 and winning two or three contests a weekend, I ditched the agency job and concentrated on darts. – Eric Bristow
It’s all right buying all these good players but they’ve got to gel, and that takes time. – Eric Bristow
It took me about 10 years to get rid of. I’m all right now, though, lovely, I’m throwing some nice darts at the moment, but every now and then I get a bit of a jump. I wish I could find a cure, I’d make a bloody fortune. – Eric Bristow
In 1987 I got dartitis, a psychological condition which means you can’t let your darts go properly. For a time, I wondered what the hell I was going to do if I didn’t recover. But I remained positive and, thankfully, got over it. It occurred during the Swedish Open when I found I couldn’t let the darts go. – Eric Bristow
I play a lot of charity golf mainly. I’m a bandit 18 if I play two or three times a week. – Eric Bristow
I knew I didn’t want to be stuck in Stoke Newington for the rest of my life, hanging about with idiots. That wasn’t for me. I wanted to go out and have a look around. – Eric Bristow
Nah, I don’t watch TV either, apart from a few sports programmes. I just don’t have the time. – Eric Bristow
All this cuddling and kissing on stage these days, well it’s all right in football when someone scores a goal, but not when you’re playing darts. – Eric Bristow
I was born at the right time. I was a freak – the only young player when darts took off in the 1970s. – Eric Bristow
My dad bought me a dartboard for my 11th birthday, and I became intrigued by the game. – Eric Bristow
