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      Peter Crouch reveals 17-year-old darts sensation Luke Littler has been BANNED from his podcast

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      PETER CROUCH has BANNED Luke Littler from his podcast so he can concentrate on darts.The lanky ex-England striker also wants to lock wife Abbey Clancy in a “dark room” until she hits a nine-dart perfect leg!
      Peter Crouch has decided to ban darts sensation Luke Littler from his podcastCredit: YouTube
      Crouch wants Littler to focus on the darts instead of media attentionCredit: Getty
      Crouch and his co-presenters, former Chelsea star Steve Sidwell and Capital DJ Chris Stark, discussed having Warrington wonderkid Littler on their show.
      Littler is set for his debut in the Premier League in Cardiff tonight, less than a month after reaching the World Championship final.
      Crouch said: “I’d love Luke Littler on, I’d like to speak to him. You have people who burst on the scene at 16.
      “I was watching the darts, they had a list of people who have won things at 16. Obviously it was before he lost [the final].
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      “Martina Hingis, Wayne Rooney, they’ve all gone on to massive things. It would be interesting to see where his head’s at, at this age.”
      But Stark, who appeared as a darts dancer during the World Championship at the Ally Pally, says the 17-year-old should be protected from media attention.
      He said: “Do you think that’s part of the problem that he’s had this massive success at 16. He’s managed to get this far on his own without all the attention.
      “A lot of the criticism is that suddenly he’s out doing all interviews. Maybe the best thing we could do as a podcast is almost run a campaign to say, we are not going to get you on the podcast.
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      “We are going to be the only media outlet to say we don’t want Luke on because we want him to concentrate on his darts.
      “This amount of weird attention that appears you must have seen it galvanise some players and people but it does have a negative effect as well.
      “Maybe that’s we do with Luke. We give him a couple more years, win the Worlds at some point, then invite him on the podcast after that.
      “Until then we operate a policy of everyone should leave Luke Littler alone.”
      We do not want Luke Littler on the podcast!Peter Crouchon Luke Littler
      On the pressure of being a young sportsman, Sidwell added: “It depends on the individual. If they’ve got the mindset that can carry it off, some can’t.”
      Crouch added: “I wouldn’t like it personally. At 16 I was miles off it. But we are making a stand, we do not want Luke Littler on the podcast!”
      The trio also discussed the hot topic of what is hardest to achieve; a hole-in-one, 147 snooker break or nine-darter.
      Crouch said: “Even if you’re a bad golfer you can get a hole in one. Whereas for me a 147 is unachievable for anyone who is not a proper snooker player.
      “A nine-darter is still nine darts. It’s so hard. It’s absolutely exceptional. It’s harder for a professional dart player to hit a nine-darter than a professional snooker player to get a 147.”
      Sidwell continued: “The easiest is a hole in one. I think the hardest is a 147. It’s a big one, it’s sparked a lot of controversy.”
      Stark then came up with a madcap idea to test what is the hardest to do with Crouch’s wife Clancy. He said: “We need to test it with a novice. We need Abs in a room, how long would it take her to do a nine-darter?”
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      Crouch concluded: “You are asking me to lock Abbey away in a dark room. For charity? We wouldn’t see her, she’d come out with a beard this long!
      “She knows how to hold a dart, she can’t hold a cue. We’ll try it but we might not see her for 15 years!”

      Crouch also revealed he wants to lock wife Abbey Clancy in a ‘dark room’Credit: Instagram
      Clancy would stay there until she hit a nine-dart perfect legCredit: Rex More

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      Erling Haaland reveals he has same pre-match routine as dart sensation Luke Littler as he prepares for Man City comeback

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      ERLING HAALAND stunned fans as he revealed he has the same pre-match routine as Luke Littler.Haaland, 23, is at the peak of his powers as one of the best strikers on the planet with his incredible physique and goalscoring ability.
      Erling Haaland is back to full fitness and can continue his pre-match routineCredit: Getty
      Luke Littler gets ready for matches by playing FC 24Credit: Kelly Deckers / PDC
      Littler, meanwhile, turned 17 last week and has burst on to the scene by rivalling the very best darts players on the planet.
      But, while Haaland represents the blue half of Manchester and Littler supports United, the pair do have something in common.
      That is because they both wind down ahead of big games by spending time on their consoles playing FC 24.
      The video game is the rebranded version of FIFA – and City star Haaland can play with his own character.
      READ MORE ON LUKE LITTLER
      Asked about his ritual, Haaland said: “I don’t have any special routines.
      “I try not to think too much before a game.
      “Normally the night before a game, I play on my PlayStation and try and relax as much as I can. 
      “I like to score with myself on FC 24, that’s about it.
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      “I don’t do anything special, I just try and relax and look forward to the game.”
      And Haaland’s routine matches that of Littler.
      The darts sensation, who reached the World Darts Championship final with his mesmeric run at Ally Pally, has made no secret of his love of the game.
      Former world champ Michael Smith posted a picture on Instagram of Littler in his famous purple darts shirt opening Ultimate Team packs on his phone before facing Dirk van Duijvenbode at the Dutch Masters.
      Then just 24 hours after losing the final to Michael van Gerwen, Littler did a TikTok live stream playing FC 24 with girlfriend Eloise Milburn.
      The Nuke has 200,000 followers on the social media platform – and fans loved just how down-to-earth he is.
      One said: “Na Luke Littler was just in the Dutch Masters final 24 hours ago, now he’s sat on FIFA opening packs on TikTok. What a guy.”
      Another declared: “I go onto TikTok and see Luke Littler streaming FUT Champs, if you don’t already love the boy then something is wrong with you.”
      One noted: “3k people watching Luke Littler play Pro Clubs is peak entertainment.”
      Haaland will be hoping to replicate Littler’s recent success after finally returning to full fitness.
      The Norwegian has been out since December 6 with a small foot fracture.
      Speaking at the launch of his new Nike boots, the Treble winner said: “I’ve been injured a bit but now, I’m finally back and I look forward to wearing this boot and hopefully scoring some goals.
      “I want to keep doing the same as I did last season, to score more goals and win more trophies.
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      “Now I know how it is to win the Champions League and the Premier League. I would love to do it again.
      “I will try to do my best and I want to help the team to make it happen.”
      Littler and girlfriend Eloise Milburn did a TikTok live stream playing FC 24Credit: Instagram @LukeTheNuke
      He even opened Ultimate Team packs during the Dutch MastersCredit: https://www.instagram.com/michael180smith/ More

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      Fans all switch over from Luke Littler to ITV4 after realising who is presenting Fulham vs Newcastle FA Cup clash

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      LAURA WOODS took away darts sensation Luke Littler’s viewers during her FA Cup coverage.Teen revelation Littler, 17, defeated Luke Humphries 6-5 to reach the semi-finals of the Dutch Masters.
      Darts fans switched from Luke Littler to watch the FA Cup
      Darts fans preferred to watch Laura Woods’ coverage
      Woods is covering the FA Cup clash between Fulham and Newcastle
      Woods took away Littler’s viewers during the Dutch Masters
      Woods and the panel discussed the Fulham boycott at Craven Cottage
      Woods is among the most popular presenters
      Darts enthusiasts watched from the edge of their seats until they found out who’s presenting the match between Fulham and Newcastle.
      And it was none other than Woods who has undertaken hosting duties for the FA Cup fourth round clash at Craven Cottage,
      And a number of fans switched the channel to watch the popular journalist on ITV4.
      One fan tweeted: “Sorry darts didn’t realise Laura Woods is presenting the game.”
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      Another commented: “Good idea…I like the build up…TBF Laura Woods..is a decent presenter.”
      A third posted: “Laura Woods doing FA Cup coverage… I NEED THAT.”
      This fan said: “Laura Woods you are magic, thank you.”
      And that one stated: “Good stuff from Laura Woods.”
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      This comes as Fulham fans planned to boycott the game against Newcastle due to ticket prices in West London.
      The cheapest adult ticket for tonight’s tie is priced at £40, which was also the case for Wednesday’s 1-0 Carabao Cup semi-final defeat against Liverpool.
      Some Fulham fans also praised Woods for mentioning the boycott during the preview show.
      Fulham and Newcastle are facing off in the FA Cup fourth roundCredit: PA More

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      Luke Littler takes on Harry Maguire in incredible darts challenge as fans say Man Utd star should ‘switch careers’

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      FANS reckon Harry Maguire has a future in darts as he took on Luke Littler in a competition on the board.The England and Manchester United star was challenged by Sky Sports to get the highest score he could in nine throws of the dart.
      Fans reckon Harry Maguire could have a career in dartsCredit: X/ SkySportsPL
      The Man Utd star took on Luke Littler in a darts challenge for Sky SportsCredit: X/ SkySportsPL
      Maguire impressed when he hit the treble 20Credit: X/ SkySportsPL
      Maguire racked up an impressive score of 171 including bagging himself one treble 20 in the process.
      But despite the surprisingly strong showing, Maguire was quickly put in his place by teen sensation Littler.
      Luke The Nuke had to try and beat Maguire’s score in as few darts as possible and the Bahrain Masters champ made it look easy.
      The 17-year-old banged all three of his darts into the treble 20 and earned himself a 180 – ending the match as quick as he possibly could.
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      Despite Littler showing Maguire up, fans still think that the towering centre-back could swap the pitch for the oche in the future.
      On social media, one fan wrote: “Harry is good at this! A career swap maybe?”
      While another added: “Maguire might have found himself a new sport.”
      A third wrote: “WTF maybe he should consider swapping sports.”
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      And a fourth chimed in writing: “Maguire cooked to be fair!”
      Maguire’s Man Utd teammates Rasmus Hojlund, Mason Mount and Christian Eriksen were watching on as he took on Littler.
      It was sure to be a special moment for darts superstar Littler who is a lifelong Manchester United fan.
      After his superb run to the World Championship final, the kebab loving teen was invited to watch his beloved team at Old Trafford.

      He’s also had a whole host of United stars sending him messages of support including legend David Beckham who messaged the youngster ahead of his heartbreaking final loss to Luke Humphries.
      As for Maguire, he and his teammates have to turn their attention away from the dartboard and back to the pitch.
      The Red Devils take a swing at their final chance to win some silverware this season when they travel to face League Two outfit Newport County on Sunday in the FA Cup fourth round.
      Littler spent the day meeting the squad at CarringtonCredit: X /ManUtd More

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      Luke Littler heads to Man Utd training ground and meets heroes as fans say ‘Erik ten Hag should sign him’

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      LUKE LITTLER was spotted enjoying a tour of Manchester United’s training ground and left fans begging for the club sign him.Littler picked up his first darts crown at the Bahrain Darts Masters last week that included an epic nine-darter.
      Luke Littler won his first senior darts tournament last weekCredit: PA
      Littler paid a visit Man Utd again
      Fans called on Erik ten Hag to sign the Nuke upCredit: Alamy
      The 17-year-old first shot into the limelight during the PDC Darts World Championship.
      Littler made it all the way to the final at Alexandra Palace before losing out to World No1 Luke Humphries in the final.
      The Nuke was invited to Old Trafford as a guest of Man Utd to watch the Red Devils draw 2-2 with Tottenham.
      While there he met club captain Bruno Fernandes, iconic manager Sir Alex Ferguson and legend Wayne Rooney.
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      And after his trip to Bahrain, Littler has now paid Man Utd another visit.
      This time the Warrington wonder was spotted at Carrington.
      He was snapped alongside Man Utd Women star Maya Le Tissier.
      Reacting to the snap on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, one fan said: “Best in the game.”
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      A second joked: “One legend in the making and Luke Littler.”
      Meanwhile, other fans called on men’s team boss Erik ten Hag to snap him up.
      One fan said: “The men’s team should sign him. At least he can hit the target.”
      Littler was also spotted attending Misfits Boxing over the weekend, posing with KSI and Apollonia Llewellyn while ringside.
      The Nuke will have a chance to exact revenge on Humphries when they face off on the opening night of the 2024 Premier League Darts on February 1.
      But before that he will be competing in the Dutch Masters which kick off on Friday.
      Littler visited Old Trafford earlier this month where he met Sir Alex FergusonCredit: INSTAGRAM
      He also met Bruno FernandesCredit: INSTAGRAM
      Littler was spotted at Misfits boxing and posed with KSICredit: Getty More

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      Emma Louise Jones poses with Luke Humphries & World Darts trophy but fans fear she’s ‘putting too much faith in buttons’

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      EMMA LOUISE JONES posed alongside Luke Humphries as he brought some silverware to Elland Road. Humphries was seen presenting his WDC Darts World Championship trophy which he beat Luke Littler to claim earlier this month.
      Emma Louise Jones posed alongside Luke Humphries PDC World Darts trophyCredit: X @eljonesuk
      World No1 Darts star Humphries paraded the trophy around Elland RoadCredit: PA
      Emma said the gong was ‘very heavy’Credit: Rex
      As well as showing it off to the fans at half-time, Humphries, 28, also posed with the gong alongside BBC presenter Emma.
      And it seems she was even offered the chance to try and lift the trophy.
      Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, she captioned the image: “A pleasure to be joined by @lukeh180 and his (VERY HEAVY) trophy in the studio 🏆.”
      Reacting to the snap, one fan said: “Winner winner trophy dinner.”
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      However, another fan said: “Sooo much faith in those buttons.”
      Leeds TV presenter Emma previously suffered a wardrobe malfunction when her jumpsuit broke following an interview at Leicester City’s training ground.
      It left her holding her top and “clinging on for dear life” as she made her way back to her car afterwards.
      Although on this occasion it seems no such clanger occurred.
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      Emma is a football presenter on BBCCredit: Instagram @eljonesuk
      She started out on Leeds TV in 2017Credit: Instagram @eljonesuk
      Both Emma and Humphries would have been delighted with Leeds’ comeback win over Preston.
      Will Keane had put the visitors ahead after just two minutes before Daniel James struck back in the sixth minute.
      Leeds then controversially won a penalty in injury time for a dubious handball.
      But Joel Piroe did not need a second invitation and dispatched from 12 yards to snatch a big victory for Leeds’ promotion hunt.
      Emma Louise Jones is a popular BBC sports presenterCredit: Instagram / @eljonesuk
      Jones covers rugby league for the BBC alongside other sportsCredit: Twitter / @eljonesuk
      Jones had put together a strong social media game and can boast over a quarter of a million followersCredit: Instagram / @eljonesuk
      Jones loves to share glam pics with her legion of followersCredit: instagram
      Jones’ posts attract a lot of engagement from her followersCredit: Instagram, @eljones90 More

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      Luke Littler now FAVOURITE to win World Darts Championship after Michael van Gerwen dumped out in worst loss in 13 year

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      SLOPPY Michael van Gerwen was kicked out of Ally Pally by Scott ‘Shaggy’ Williams – and it means Luke Littler is now the title favourite.The provisional world No1 was beaten 5-3 by the world No52 in a gigantic quarter-final upset of the PDC World Darts Championship.
      Tournament favourite Michael van Gerwen was dumped out by Scott WilliamsCredit: AP
      Williams is through to the semi-finalCredit: AP
      Luke Littler is now the favourite to win the tournamentCredit: PA
      Boston-born Williams, 33, produced the performance of his life to knock out the Dutchman and blow open the bottom half of the draw.
      It means 16-year-old Littler, at odds of just 13/8, is the person top of the money charts as far as sponsors Paddy Power are concern.
      Van Gerwen’s loss – ten years to the day since he won his first of three world crowns – is his worst in terms of rankings since a 2010 first-round exit to then unranked Mensur Suljovic.
      What a result for Williams, who sealed the win on double 16, and now faces either Luke Humphries after he beat Dave Chisnall 5-1.
      It means there will be an all-English semi-final line-up and a guaranteed home-grown winner.
      There is a bad boy lurking within relative unknown Williams, who has Batman and Joker tattoos on his arms.
      In the past he has been fined for making inappropriate gestures.
      And he may well be done at a future date for making reference to a vile football chant following his win over German Martin Schindler after Christmas.
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      In the other early game Rob Cross produced a stunning comeback to make the semi-finals and then vowed to kill another fairy-tale story.
      Voltage, 33, found himself 4-0 down to Chris Dobey and staring at a damaging quarter-final exit.
      But incredibly the eighth seed won the next five sets in a row, prevailing in the eighth leg of set nine.
      In the 2018 world final, Cross crushed the heart of the legendary Phil Taylor 7-2 in his retirement match.
      The former electrician will now want to play the role of Grinch again to stop the rise of Luke Littler.
      The Hastings thrower said: “Everyone loves an underdog story. As the public and people looking at the game, everyone loves an underdog story.
      “I’m not being rude, I’m on his side, I love an underdog story.
      “Luke is amazing, he’s 16 years old. I have a boy who is four years younger. Whatever he achieves, he is going to have a bright future.
      “He’s fantastic and he deserves all the luck in the world, he is a nice young boy. Tomorrow we play darts, though, and I have to go down to business.
      “In terms of the comeback, it was 100 per cent the best I’ve ever had. At one point, it didn’t seem likely for me, but then it did.
      “I’m not going to swear but I have got nerves of steel.”
      Cross is the first player to come from four sets behind to prevail at the Worlds since James Wade surrendered a 5-1 advantage to Adrian Lewis in the semi-finals in 2012.
      It brought back demons of the time Dobey led Cross 8-2 in the 2022 World Matchplay first round but then lost somehow 11-9.
      Hollywood, 33, said: “I’m absolutely devastated to lose that one.
      “Another tough one to take but I managed to overcome that last defeat like that so I’m sure I’ll overcome this minor setback.
      “I think at 4-0 down Rob went into relaxed mode and he played with freedom, which made him play a lot better than he had been.
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      “I didn’t do a lot wrong but there were too many times I missed one or two doubles at crucial times. Credit where it’s due, Rob was fantastic.
      “I’ll come back stronger. I’ve moved into the top 16 now and I’ll keep building on that.” More

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      Luke Littler celebrates Raymond van Barneveld win by taking in Tottenham clash as England star’s special guest

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      DARTS sensation Luke Littler underlined his newfound celebrity status by watching Tottenham as a guest of England star James Maddison.The youngest ever World Championship quarter-finalist, 16, recreated a little of the buzz he’s made at the Ally Pally as fans spotted him during Sunday’s home clash with Bournemouth.
      Luke Littler relaxed in the stands as Spurs hosted BournemouthCredit: Reuters
      Darts World Championship sensation Littler caused a stir at TottenhamCredit: Sky Sports
      Viewers were quick to point out the Warrington wonderboy is a Manchester United fan.
      But his relaxed look showed his mind was more on his own remarkable achievement the previous day than the Red Devils’ latest misfortune.
      Soon after United slumped 2-1 at Nottingham Forest, Little crushed his idol and four-time world title winner Raymond van Barneveld 4-1.
      And while Barney took defeat like a “gentleman” his fellow Dutchman Erik ten Hag is under far more strain – with his Red Devils’ boss job reportedly under threat.
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      Littler is racking up nicknames faster than shot-shy United score goals – with Luke the Nuke and the Kebab Kid two of the newest as he soars to second favourite for the PDC crown behind Michael van Gerwen.
      Arsenal’s England aces Aaron Ramsdale and Declan Rice posed with him before last Thursday’s shock 2-0 home loss against West Ham. 
      And there was an excited murmur when Littler was spotted by Sky Sports cameras as well as supporters at Tottenham on New Year’s Eve.
      Fans online joked he could be turned off United and onto Spurs.
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      Raymond van Barneveld took his defeat against Littler like a ‘gentleman’Credit: Alamy
      When some pointed out he was not a Spurs supporter, they attracted comments like: “He will be” and “he will now”.
      Tottenham YouTuber Chris Cowlin grabbed a selfie “with the man of the moment Luke Littler”.
      But after sharing the snap Cowlin himself added: “I’ve been told – he DOESN’T support Spurs. He is James Maddison’s guest.”
      Littler saw Pape Matar Sarr drill Tottenham in front early on.
      But the Londoners will enter 2024 in fifth place whatever the result against the Cherries.
      In contrast, Littler’s life could change spectacularly in the next few days – as he eyes the world title and a £500,000 jackpot.
      After beating Barney he said: “I fancy myself. I do fancy myself.
      “Barney said to me at the end, ‘you can go all the way. I hope you go all the way’. I said: ‘Thank you’. He is a true gentlemen.” More