logo
Sky Sports commentator asks ‘how quickly can MBEs be taken away?' after Luke Littler's World Cup of Darts humiliation

Sky Sports commentator asks ‘how quickly can MBEs be taken away?' after Luke Littler's World Cup of Darts humiliation

The Irish Sun5 days ago

SKY SPORTS commentator Wayne Mardle stuck the boot into Luke Littler and Luke Humphries during their World Cup of Darts mauling.
England stars Littler and Humphries - who
3
Both Luke Littler and Luke Humphries were made MBEs on Friday
Credit: X formerly Twitter / @SkySportsDarts
3
Littler became the youngest world champion at 17 years and 347 days in January
Credit: Alamy
3
Fellow darts champ Luke Humphries also bagged an MBEC
Credit: Reuters
With the score at 7-2 to the Germans, Mardle joked: "How quickly can MBEs be taken away?"
Mardle also reckons Littler and Humphries 'buckled' under the pressure as England were sent crashing out.
The tournament favourites were stunned by a brilliant Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko at the last 16.
The German duo were simply superb as they nailed eight of 13 doubles and smashed two stellar ton plus checkouts.
READ MORE IN DARTS
World No.1 Humphries and Littler hit just 36 percent of their doubles and never found any rhythm.
Former world championship semi-finalist Mardle suggested the lethal Lukes crumbled under the weight of expectation.
He said: 'Luke and Luke were no doubt feeling the stresses and strains of being favourites — like massive favourites.
'To go on about how good
Phil Taylor
and
Adrian
Lewis were — they made it look easy.
Most read in Darts
'That is how difficult World Cup pairings can be.
'Pressure got to them at some point, Luke and Luke. They buckled — and their opponents didn't.'
Darts ace Luke Littler bags huge gong in King's Birthday Honours alongside Strictly pair, Hollywood icon & ex-Towie star
BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK
Mardle praised Germany's composed and confident performance from the very first dart.
He added: 'Full credit to Martin and Ricardo there.
'It was just very good from
Germany
from leg one. When they had their chances, they took them.
'The Germans had much better finishing at the right time. It was just a really good performance.
'Ricardo and Martin showed they can do it against the two best players in the world.
'England were outplayed. It was very efficient from
Germany
.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

How record Florian Wirtz transfer could spark £400m Liverpool overhaul as Arne Slot plots Feyenoord-style transformation
How record Florian Wirtz transfer could spark £400m Liverpool overhaul as Arne Slot plots Feyenoord-style transformation

The Irish Sun

time3 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

How record Florian Wirtz transfer could spark £400m Liverpool overhaul as Arne Slot plots Feyenoord-style transformation

ARNE SLOT spent just £10million last summer on Juventus playmaker Federico Chiesa. But the Advertisement 6 Florian Wirtz's £116.5m arrival could be just the start at Anfield Credit: PA 6 Liverpool fancy Newcastle duo Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon Credit: Reuters 6 Reds' manager Arne Slot is prepared for many more ins and outs Credit: AFP German sensation Bournemouth left-back Slot is also While rivals Advertisement READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS Playmaker Wirtz is the headline act in Slot's revolution — one the Dutchman has been plotting over the last 12 months. Slot, 46, paid tribute to predecessor Jurgen Klopp when he lifted a record-equalling 20th league title in front of an adoring Kop back in May. But the former Slot saved his money and waited while winning the hearts and minds of a doubting red half of Merseyside — as well as players, who were unsure of what would come next. Advertisement Most read in Football 6 The Liverpool new boy had 22 goal involvements in 31 Bundesliga games last term BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK At the same time he was identifying who he wanted — and who he didn't. Advertisement Is Darwin Nunez set for £50m Serie A switch? Atletico eyeing Robertson? | Transfers Exposed Of course, Slot had been here before. After his first season in charge of Feyenoord, in 2021-22, he instigated massive changes. He moved on 16 players, including £12.9m Tyrell Malacia to Meanwhile, for around £35m — far less than the mammoth budget he is now armed with — 15 were brought in. Advertisement Slot lifted the Eredivisie title in 2023 and the Dutch Cup last year before making his way to Anfield. And changes were made as he got his feet under the table, although none of them suggested how seismic they would become. Klopp's 'heavy metal football' morphed into far more controlled and muted melodies, the beat about possession, not frantic assault. Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister went to double-bass, the pair redeployed from attacking roles to holding midfielders. Advertisement 6 Crystal Palace's FA Cup hero Marc Guehi is on the Reds' radar Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 6 Jeremie Frimpong has also come in from Bayer Leverkusen Credit: Getty Slot got the band playing to a more sophisticated rhythm and turned them into a No 1 hit. Advertisement The campaign morphed into what seemed a perfect symphony but as Liverpool's summer splurge shows, with Wirtz coming in as the conductor of a new orchestra, it was really only the opening overture. Now comes what Slot will hope will be the creation of his very own work of art, led by 5ft 10in Wirtz, who many believe is becoming one of the great maestros of the game. He arrives as a generational talent who not only creates but scores — 44 goal contributions across the last two Bundesliga campaigns, including 21 goals and a league-high of 23 assists. Wirtz's figures are the second most of any player aged under 23 in Europe's top-five leagues, just behind Chelsea's Advertisement Last season, for the second in a row, he was one of just six players to reach double figures for goals and assists in Europe's big-five leagues. Wirtz is his own one–man band. He is almost faultless with both feet and waltzes past defenders because he is so difficult to predict. Over the last two years he attempted a Bundesliga-high of 313 take-ons. And just Barcelona's Advertisement Wirtz created 124 chances from open play in that period, a figure bettered only by Salah (150), Arsenal skipper These mighty statistics suggest the playmaker ranked first in the Bundesliga for through balls (49) and completed lay-off passes (123) last season will be a sensation under Slot as he continues his makeover.

Liverpool complete Wirtz transfer as British record deal breaks add-ons down
Liverpool complete Wirtz transfer as British record deal breaks add-ons down

Irish Daily Mirror

time6 hours ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

Liverpool complete Wirtz transfer as British record deal breaks add-ons down

Liverpool have completed the signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for a whopping £116m, as their summer spending spree surpasses £200m. The German international underwent a two-day medical in Merseyside and fulfilled his media obligations before being officially introduced by the club. The 22 year old arrived in Liverpool on Thursday afternoon to begin his medical tests, and returned to the club's training ground on Friday morning to complete the second part of the process before the deal was finalised. Liverpool will pay an initial £100m to Bayer Leverkusen, with the remaining amount due in add-ons linked to both the player's individual success and the team's achievements. He has put pen to paper on a five-year contract worth £50m, smashing the club's previous record transfer fee of £85m paid to Benfica for Darwin Nunez in 2022. If all the add-ons in the deal are met, it will exceed the £115m Chelsea shelled out to Brighton for Moises Caicedo in 2023, which currently holds the British transfer record. Liverpool managed to negotiate a lower fee than the £127m package Leverkusen were initially holding out for, reports the Mirror. "I feel very happy and very proud" said Wirtz. "Finally it's done and I was waiting for a long time – finally it's done and I am really happy". "I'm really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League." The former Leverkusen ace expressed eagerness about his new challenge, stating: "I will see how I can perform there. I hope I can do my best. I spoke also with some players who played there and they told me that it's perfect for me and every pitch is perfect, you can enjoy every game. I'm really looking forward to playing my first game." On his aspirations with the team, he added emphatically: "I would like to win everything every year! First of all, we have to do our work, I have to make my work." He further elaborated: "In the end, we want to be successful. Last season they won the Premier League so my goal is for sure to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I'm really ambitious." Wirtz had signalled his preference for a Merseyside switch after rebuffing interests from Manchester City and Bayern Munich. Despite an initial look-in, Real Madrid opted to chase other prospects. The hefty price tag accompanying Wirtz to Anfield signifies the high regard Liverpool holds for the performance and potential of the German international, underscored by an impressive streak involving 30 goal involvements the previous season. With plans to push their summer expenditure over the £200 million mark, Liverpool is reportedly finalising the acquisition of Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth with a settled £40 million fee. The Hungarian defender is slated for a medical on Merseyside coming week. Liverpool have already secured the services of Jeremie Frimpong from Leverkusen for a cool £29.5m and Georgia's goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia for around £30m, following his loan spell with the La Liga club last season. However, their spending spree doesn't stop there: defender Jarell Quansah is on the verge of a £35m transfer to Bayer Leverkusen, which could pave the way for a move for Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi. A striker is also on the Reds' radar, particularly if Nunez leaves as anticipated. Newcastle's Alexander Isak is held in high regard at Liverpool, among other clubs. However, due to PSR rules, the Magpies are not under any pressure to sell, so it would require a significant shift in their stance to entertain offers, especially given their Champions League football commitments this season.

Florian Friday: Wirtz seals Liverpool move from Bayer Leverkusen in club record deal
Florian Friday: Wirtz seals Liverpool move from Bayer Leverkusen in club record deal

Irish Examiner

time7 hours ago

  • Irish Examiner

Florian Friday: Wirtz seals Liverpool move from Bayer Leverkusen in club record deal

Liverpool have confirmed the signing of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. The German will cost a club record £100m and his price could rise with add-ons to £116m (€135), which would make him the most expensive British transfer. Leverkusen had wanted €150m (£127.6m) for the 22-year-old, who also attracted interest from Bayern Munich, but weeks of talks brought down the price. Wirtz, an attacking midfielder, scored 16 goals and provided 15 assists in the past season in 45 club appearances. Read More Liverpool agree deal to sign Milos Kerkez as Florian Wirtz undergoes medical Wirtz, who has played 31 times for Germany, succeeds Darwin Núñez as Liverpool's record signing. Núñez arrived from Benfica in June 2022 in an £85m deal but the forward is for sale after an underwhelming spell. Liverpool have also bought Jeremie Frimpong, a right-back, from Leverkusen for £29.5m and have agreed a £40m deal to buy the left-back Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth. Kerkez is due for a medical next week with a view to signing a five-year deal and Liverpool are also keen on the Crystal Palace defender Marc Guéhi. In a further part of the squad renewal the goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili will complete his move to Anfield from Valencia in a £29m deal agreed last summer. Liverpool are in talks with Leverkusen over selling the England Under-21 defender to the Bundesliga club. Guardian

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store