"I made sure that people would never forget me" - Bobby George explains why winning trophies wasn't all important to him and his issues with the modern game

One of the most iconic figures in darting history, Bobby George is often regarded as one of the best players to never win a world title. Whilst he reached the Lakeside final on two occasions, in 1980 and 1994, Eric Bristow and John Part just proved one match too far for the "King of Bling".

It's for this reason, that despite everything George gave to the game of darts, such as the introduction of walk on music, as he came to the oche serenaded by the Queen classic 'We Are The Champions', his iconic rivalry with Eric Bristow that defined a generation, or even his post-retirement punditry work over the last couple of decades, the now 78-year-old has gone down in history somewhat under-appreciated and underrated. In a recent conversation with Online Darts, George touched on this very topic.

"It's probably because I didn't push myself for trophies," he answers when quizzed on his apparent under-appreciation. "I went for the money, I got a big contract and I was earning a lot of money. So I thought, why should I go to Denmark and earn 400 quid just to get my money back and a bunch of flowers?"

It's not the first time George can remember the topic being raised either. "I remember Eric (Bristow ed.) once said to me that's what he should have done. Shouldn't have went for the tournaments, should have went for the money," George recalls. "But, we're all different aren't we. I done very well when I first started, because I had to to get known. So I made sure that people would never forget me. That's why I wore all the glitter. People thought I was gay and they said I couldn't count because I went different ways. But now, today, all the players go them ways."

Despite never winning the World Championship or the World Masters, George is widely regarded as the master of the old News of the World format (best of three legs), winning the tournament in 1979 and 1986, including on one occasion, without losing a single leg in the entire event. "I won it twice, I got to the final five times, but it took 10 months to get there. You don't just walk in and plan your day, you've got to go through round after round after round to even get to the big stage," he recalls. "I averaged over 100 every time I went to the board in 79, with tiny trebles, from 8 foot. I must have been good."

Despite now being aged 78, George isn't yet done with darts. He still appears on the exhibition circuit and is a regular in his punditry role on the World Seniors Darts Tour. "I've always just done what I wanted to do," he says. "I talked to everyone. A lot of players these days don't want to talk to the people. Mustn't go near the crowd, mustn't do this, mustn't do that... In my day, it was part of the game and you couldn't say no. It's just as easy to take a selfie as it is to say no. It only takes a second, and everyone is happy."

Because of his love of the sport and all things darts, George still follows the modern game. "There's not one nasty one at the top. The top players are all nice and I get on with them. They ask me questions about what would I do and things like that. They treat me with respect," George explains. "But you can't teach them personality. Like Jonny Clayton, he's got a personality, but he can't show it on the tele. They all can't do it on the tele because it's so serious."

"I think the modern game is too long, in my opinion. They think the longer the game the better, but it just gets boring I think," George assesses of darts in 2024. "They play so many legs and so many sets, by the time they've finished they need to go and have a shave!"

There's no doubting who the biggest superstar of today's darts is though, the 17-year-old Luke Littler, who has already begun to transcend the sport. "If you get to the final of a World Championship playing that standard, you've got to be a good dart player. But the problem is, can he maintain it?" George questions carefully. "It looks good what they're doing but the travelling... there's no time. He's only young and it's just if they push him too much."