“Manley, Nicholson and Price tried it before too, didn't work. They've all changed tack” — Wayne Mardle advises Littler to alter his behaviour toward the crowd

Wayne Mardle has warned Luke Littler that taking on the crowd is a risky game, after several recent flashpoints involving the young global star.

The reigning world champion and world number one came under fire after a confrontation with Gian van Veen during Night 9 of the Premier League Darts in Manchester. It wasn’t the first time that “The Nuke” made his feelings known toward the stands. At the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, after his 4-2 win over Rob Cross, he also reacted sharply to jeering fans.

“It doesn’t bother me. Not at all,” Littler said at the time. “Can I say one thing? You guys pay for tickets and you pay for my prize money. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Come on!”

According to darts analyst Mardle, history shows that players who confront the crowd rarely come out better for it.

“Peter Manley tried it back in the day, didn't work. Paul Nicholson tried it back in the day, didn't work. Gerwyn Price tried it, doesn't like it. They've all become ingratiaters to the crowd in that regard. They've all changed tack,” said Mardle.

According to “Hawaii 501,” Littler isn’t someone who deliberately seeks confrontation. “"Luke Littler never set out to antagonise any crowd member, unfortunately he has done once or twice. He'd want it to stop.”

Mardle also understands that emotions can run high on stage. “It’s easy for me to say, ‘Luke, play your darts, show your class, pal, win the world title and walk away.’ But if you feel like it in the spur of the moment, it is building and building and you can’t hold back, then of course we want that emotion as well."

Still, he warns of the downside. “There is a fine line between negative emotion and raw emotion. We don’t want to see negative because we don’t want to see it impact a player. We don’t want to see anyone look as down as Gerwyn Price did a couple of years ago. That was not nice to see, and I am glad he pulled himself out of that.”

Mardle believes Littler is still in the middle of his development, both as a player and a personality. “I’m a believer the team around him have a responsibility. He has a responsibility. But I am always reticent to go on about his age.”

“When he was 16 or 17, it was just, ‘he is not even an adult yet, it is ridiculous.’ So it was always mentioned then. Now he is 19, he is a young man, let’s get it right. He is not a child anymore, even though I think of him as one because he is 33 years younger than me. What on earth? How is anyone 33 years younger than me? It’s just ridiculous. I really believe he is still finding his feet. I believe he is learning about himself and his trade. I believe he is learning so much about when defeat happens, maybe when he didn’t see it coming. Situations happening and he is not knowing how to deal with it."

The Englishman stresses that guidance is crucial at this stage of Littler’s career. “He needs to listen to friends and family and management. They need to get it right also. If I was to hear that they were to turn around and say, ‘don’t worry about them,’ as in don’t deal with it, that is not the way forward because no one likes being disliked.”

Littler is back in action tonight in the Premier League, with Night 12 scheduled in Liverpool. There, the current number 2 in the table faces a headline clash with Luke Humphries, a match that will once again be under the microscope – not only for the sport, but also for behavior on stage.