Welcome to the Barney Army!

Welcome to Barney's Blog, the place where I can let darts fans know what's going on in the sport and what I've personally been up to. I'll also be giving you a few insider tips when it comes to betting, and not just on the darts.

My year on the oche

The World Championships are here. It’s the biggest event on the darts calendar and this year I will be defending my crown.

Before last year’s tournament I was just pleased that I was seeded for the competition, then eight weeks later I was holding the trophy after an incredible final against Phil Taylor. Almost every day people still talk to me about that game on January 1st, 2007.

If I look back, I have to say that I am very proud about my performances since I joined the PDC in 2006, especially the last 12 months. The World Championships, the Masters of Darts, the UK Open and Las Vegas were all great but so was winning six Pro Tours/UK Open regional finals in Newcastle, Gibraltar, Frankfurt, Las Vegas, Wales and Dublin.

Of course, I was disappointed that I didn’t reach the final of the Premier League and my performances in the two big Dutch tournaments (International Darts League and Bullit World Darts Trophy) were not as good as I’d liked but if I can retain the World Championship title I’m sure I’ll be able to forgive myself.

Game on!

The World Championships tournament is the biggest thing on my mind right now. I believe I’m really prepared for my first battle at Alexander Palace. After the Grand Slam of Darts in November I worked out a thorough program of practice, including a daily visit to the gym.

I have just finished a training camp in Wageningen, Holland. There, I practiced with German talent Michael Rosenauer and Dutch players Michael van Gerwen, Joey ten Berge and Co Stompe. All of them showed a lot of interest in my new darts which are made of ceramic. I am very confident about these darts and looking forward to using them at the World Championships.

In my first match on December 20 I will have to play against a qualifier. It will be Akihiro Nagakawa from Japan or Anthony Forde from Barbados. They play in a preliminary round the day before but I’ll be there to watch and see what I’m up against. Until then, I will take some rest and enjoy some days off.

And the winner is...

I know I am one of the favorites and defending the title is a dream, but I think Phil Taylor, again, is the man to beat.

These days, though, there are so many other players who can win the Championship. One of the favorites is James Wade, thanks to his big wins in the World Grand Prix and the World Matchplay. And what talents we have these days with so many young players. Adrian Lewis, Kevin McDine, Jelle Klaasen and Micheal van Gerwen are all dangerous.

Michael hasn’t show the PDC what he is capable of yet but trust me, give the guy some time. It is always difficult to perform so soon in a new environment, especially when you are just 18 years of age. His first round will be very interesting against Phil Taylor because of the short, best-of-five-sets format in this round.

Barney's bets

As I said earlier, I'm feeling confident of retaining my World Championship title. If you want to back me to win the tournament I'm currently at 11/4. Here are some other selected players and their odds to win the World Championships:

P Taylor 7/5

J Wade 11/2

T Jenkins 14/1

A Lewis 14/1

M van Gerwen 33/1

M King 40/1

J Klassen 50/1

If you fancy a bet, go to PartyBets.com now.

Finally, thanks to all my fans and the Barney Army. Your support is appreciated so much.