“The worst thing you can say as a referee is, ‘please don’t whistle’" - Russ Bray's advice to PDC after Premier League Darts controversy in Glasgow

Night Two of the 2025 Premier League Darts in Glasgow was taken by Luke Littler. Throughout the night however, the action was marred by consistent whistling of the players from the Scottish crowd, leaving players and fans alike in their disappointment.

In the opening match of the night, Rob Cross was hounded by those in attendance as Littler fought back from 5-1 down to take a 6-5 win. Then, in the semi-finals, it was Gerwyn Price's turn to feel the Glasgow crowds wrath, although the Welshman made sure to give them a taste of their own medicine after firing in a 180. Then even in the final, as Littler and Luke Humphries did battle for the first time in 2025, whistles from the crowd affected both players as they threw.

In the final, PDC referee Kirk Bevins attempted to gain back a semblance of control by ordering the crowd to "Stop whistling!" As noted by Littler himself post-match though, that only proved to make matters worse. "When Kirk told them to be quiet, it got even worse. And then I missed doubles. Luke breaks at 5-4 and I am just like: Kirk, you have made it worse for me," said the Nuke post-match. "If it is the same as what it was when Kirk said it, then yeah, just leave it."

As it turns out, legendary referee and 'The Voice of Darts' Russ Bray agrees with Littler and urges today's crop of referee to not give the whistlers the attention they crave. “The worst thing you can say as a referee is, ‘ladies and gentleman, please don’t whistle’, because all the idiots will start whistling. That’s the mentality of them,” says Bray in quotes collected by Express Sport. “All you can say is say, ‘ladies and gentlemen, please give the best of order’. Then it’s up to the security to do something about it, to get those idiots out."

"We don’t need them in there, it drives you nuts. It’s a thorn in the side of the game, for sure," continues Bray. “How you police it, it’s very difficult. It’s hard to pinpoint one person when you’ve got thousands of people in the audience. It really needs the people in the audience to point them out. If an idiot next to me was whistling, I’d turn round and have a go at him. You’re there to enjoy the game, not have some clown spoil it.”

As Bray notes, all whistling does is make the make the players play worse, so why ruin the night after paying for a ticket? “It’s their work. If someone was laying bricks, you wouldn’t go down there and play with his cement to put him off,” concludes the 67-year-old. “I know it comes with sport. An Everton player taking a penalty in front of the Kop at Liverpool is going to get booed and screamed at. But he’s got another 10 people who can help him out. I absolutely detest whistlers. The minute someone whistles, they should be thrown out. Get rid of them, you don’t need idiots like that.”