Irelands Jason Barry into PDC World Championships

[Unreal Madrid]

Unfair in the terms that he deserved to lose those matches and better players that he beat should have beaten him.

Do you have John Delaney's number, with your rational he might have a perfect job for you. :

[Rovers fan]

You will never see him in a quarter/Semi again unless the players against him miss about 6 darts for the match each, which is virtually what happened. Unfair in the terms that he deserved to lose those matches and better players that he beat should have beaten him.

He is quitting the day job and turning professional. I didn't realise he won the world youth championships, or so im told. A leading darts pundit said sheppard is the next phil taylor, personally i don't see how because he doesn't have a great technique, somebody like van gerwen is a much better prospect imo.

I wan't suprised that the final was a let down, sheppard never had a chance. The only day of real entertainment this year was quater finals day when three of the games went to the final set. Part fully deserved to win as he was simply the best player throughout the tournament. The question is, is phil taylor past it?

[shedite]

The question is, is phil taylor past it?

I reckon Taylor has reached his peak, which was enough for however many years he dominated the sport. i don't think he's demised at all, but rather that everyone else has had to raise their games to compete with him.

The Premier League will tell a lot. It's all very well beating Taylor on a one-off event like the world championships, but to see whether any of the contenders have enough to maintain a challenge over a 10 week event will be another story.

[TheBoss]

I reckon Taylor has reached his peak, which was enough for however many years he dominated the sport. i don't think he's demised at all, but rather that everyone else has had to raise their games to compete with him.

The Premier League will tell a lot. It's all very well beating Taylor on a one-off event like the world championships, but to see whether any of the contenders have enough to maintain a challenge over a 10 week event will be another story.

UK Open
World Matchplay
Las Vegas Desert Classic
Grand Prix
World Championships

I think that is more than an once off. He is not as consistent as he used to be, he occasionally averages in 100s but most of the time, he is in the early to mid 90s last year, so he is slowly drifting away but he will always be there in semi's and finals cause those averages are still capable of winning games.

[DmanDmythDledge]

You will never see him in a quarter/Semi again unless the players against him miss about 6 darts for the match each, which is virtually what happened. Unfair in the terms that he deserved to lose those matches and better players that he beat should have beaten him.

Lucky perhaps, but certainly not unfair. Not his fault that his opponents didn't get the job done.

[TheBoss]

I know it is not his fault and he took advantage like said, but its like an average team in Champions League getting decisions their way through the knockout phase's, like offiside goals when they did not deserve to win like Porto a few years back, should have beaten by Man Utd and yet the ref saved them, similar to that, But Porto are more of a threat in football than Shepherd is in darts.

[Unreal Madrid]

I know it is not his fault and he took advantage like said, but its like an average team in Champions League getting decisions their way through the knockout phase's, like offiside goals when they did not deserve to win like Porto a few years back, should have beaten by Man Utd and yet the ref saved them, similar to that, But Porto are more of a threat in football than Shepherd is in darts.

Offside goals? Dodgy decisions? All Shepherd did was take his chances after others MISSED, he deserved to be there, end of story.

[TheBoss]

His highest average was 89, they were many players with better averages who got knocked out, that is the general point I am making.

[Aberdonian Stu]

It's still hardly a matter of fairness though. Averages are only part of the game of Darts, you also have to be able to hit the doubles. As Bobby George puts it "180s for show, doubles for dough". Shepherd hit the doubles more often when it counted and that's why he got to the final.