RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD will arrive at Exeter's Westpoint Arena on Thursday night in confident mood as he prepares to take on Phil Taylor in the 888.com Premier League Darts.
The Dutchman endured a nightmare Premier League Darts campaign in 2010, when he missed out on the play-offs for the first time despite hitting a nine-darter amongst three successive wins to end the season.
However, he has put last year's personal problems behind him in an impressive start to the new Premier League Darts season, which has seen him bounce back from a narrow loss to Terry Jenkins in the opening week to defeat Simon Whitlock and Adrian Lewis.
He takes on old rival and 15-time World Champion Phil Taylor at the Westpoint Arena on Thursday night, and is in an upbeat mood.
"I'm very happy to have won the last two games and my doubles are going fine," said van Barneveld. "I'm happy again and that's what it's all about.
"I've kept focused and believed in myself since the first game against Terry Jenkins. I've lost matches averaging 103 and more so it's better to win by averaging less, because at the end of the day you just want to win matches.
"I get great support from the crowds too and it really makes me happy.
"I'm so proud to play every week in the Premier League and they call your name and sing 'Barney Army'. When they love you, it's brilliant."
Van Barneveld has won five World Championships during a career which has seen him become Holland's greatest player - but the 43-year-old has set his sights on taking glory in the Premier League and World Championship this year.
"I beat the World Champion [Adrian Lewis] last week, so why not?" he adds. "I'm trying and I could be World Champion again, but the standard nowadays is unbelievable.
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"I could be World Champion again, but the standard nowadays is unbelievable," Raymond van Barneveld.
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"Simon Whitlock had beaten me four times before we played in Nottingham and I won that, and it shows that if you believe in yourself you can beat anyone.
"I thought there would be a lot of draws this season but there haven't been any yet and every week the games are brilliant."
Van Barneveld has changed darts numerous times in the past four years, but has recently returned to using kite-shaped flights and his old design of barrel, to great effect.
He revealed: "I was playing with different flights in week one and lost to Terry Jenkins but I've changed back to my old kite-shaped flights since.
"Sometimes you have to try to change things, your flights, your stems or your darts. In 2006 I changed my whole system and used slim flights and other darts, and I won the World Championship, Masters of Darts, UK Open and the Las Vegas Desert Classic.
"Those days were maybe the best of my life, but for some reason, and I don't know what happened, the darts started going in differently to the board.
"It cost me concentration and you're thinking 'what's happening now? Why am I throwing so differently?'.
"Everyone was telling me to go back to my old flights, and there's a little voice in my head telling me I'm doing good now.
"For so many years, Phil Taylor was the best in the world but in 2008 he lost three games in the Premier League, changed his darts and has averaged 118.66 in one game since.
"That shows it's not bad to change sometimes, but you have to win your matches and be comfortable to make it work."
888.com Premier League Darts
Week Four - Westpoint Arena, Exeter
Terry Jenkins v Simon Whitlock
Mark Webster v Adrian Lewis
Gary Anderson v James Wade
Raymond van Barneveld v Phil Taylor
Tickets: 08444 99 99 55 or www.ticketzone.co.uk
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