Stephen Bunting

[Paddy McGinty]

Buntings problem was that he didn't get his share of the pixie dust..............his dietitian wouldn't allow it.

[Bag Carrier]

I think he now knows changing the darts we're a bad a bad idea, But how many players have signed with Target and changed there set up and gone the opposite way to which they should.

For me it's about time and effort put in behind the scenes for what you get out at the end, He was practicing a lot previously with Ana but for the last 18 months pretty much has not and I don't think he has many others to practice with.

He is a confidence player and when that's shot it's a hard thing to get back. Could see that after his win against kyle that his emotions took over as he has not been confident.

I think he will bounce back as he is to good not to, it how soon, Who knows, For me that's how much effort is put in behind closed doors.

[Murphio]

Except White is not a World Champion. So the comparison is not a great example. Maybe Walton, Webster, Klaasen or Kist? I will leave out Hankey and Fordham.

What are you on about? The point, at the time, was purely about form. The stuff Bunting was throwing may have been good enough to win the Masters and Lakeside but I said, standard wise, he would find a level between 16 and 10 in the world. He was not good enough to beat the likes of Lewis, Anderson, Wright, Taylor, Wade, Chisnall, Barney etc etc to win majors and would find a level alongside good but solid players like Ian White. I think that has been vindicated. It has nothing to do with Hankey or Klassen..

In your opinion, not shared by most (fanboys aside).

Yes, it was my opinion and it has been utterly vindicated. What I said I thought would happen has actually happened. As I said above, Stephen is clearly a better player than he is showing just now and if he does get his form back it wouldn't surprise me to see him get to as high as 10 or reclaim a Premier League place. But there was never a case to be made that Bunting was the third best player in the world at that point. Never. He was not a contender for winning major PDC events because while he was capable of beating any PDC player on any given day, getting past an entire field filled with Taylor, MVG, Wright, Chisnall, Lewis Anderson, Wade, Barney etc etc is an entirely different proposition than what he faced in the BDO. The stuff being spouted about Bunting was WAY over the top. The truth is, on top form, he is of a similar standard as Michael Smith; which means he is top 16 and 10 is certainly still within reach.

[Paddy McGinty]

How can someone be better than they are........one must not imagine that a player is better than he actually is........one swallow does not make a summer.

[oche balboa]

Basically he peaked in 2013/4 winning the world masters and Lakeside and semis of the WGP

[Ecky Thump]

Basically he peaked in 2013/4 winning the world masters and Lakeside and semis of the WGP

[Little Lonely Garry]

Think about that and tell me whether my statement that there are definitely only 2 or 3 players better in the world than Bunting right now.

It is absolutely impossible to prove one way or the other.

So we are in agreement.

And your comparison to Ian White really doesn't need me to comment on it at all. The stupidity of it speaks for itself.

No, we are not in agreement. You think talking about Bunting as a top 16 PDC player is an 'insult'. I see it as a completely fair assessment of his ability at this stage. No doubt a couple of years ago you'd have been describing Mark Webster being labelled a top 16 PDC player as an 'insult'. The quality of the fields at Lakeside and the World Masters is not of sufficient quality or depth to form a competent judgement. And one pro tour win is woefully short. You were engaging in hyperbole based on not very much. As for Ian White - why is that stupid? It is quite easy to guage the standard at which someone performs consistently if you pay attention. Ian White, right now, is every bit as good a player as Bunting - the Lakeside and Masters wins in fairly sub standard fields are blinding you to the reality.

I've watched Bunting tear apart fields in opens that contain many top PDC (and other top BDO players). I don't need you to tell me about the respective qualities of the Lakeside fields versus masters fields to tell me how good the guy is. I think if you understand the game you can realise how good he is.

So I don't need to keep labouring the same point. If you think Ian White and Stephen Bunting are on a par, you carry on pal. Set a reminder, and in two years time, lets revisit this thread and see which of the two of us looks utterly ridiculous.

You do

[Little Lonely Garry]

I think bunting is a decent player and is no doubt full of confidence at the moment


But he is not a top 3 player in the world, not even close.I have twice already mentioned why I believe so.
Give bunting a couple of months in the PDC where he will get some hammerings alonf the way and see how he responds when that confidence is tested., thats what separates the top players from the midcarders.

winning one weekend event on top of a stagnant bdo Lakeside title dont make any player a top 3 player.
Will he end up in the top 16 ? I think he might be around that mark, but not much higher .

Time will tell and judging him on one weekend in the pdc is too much too soon

Never doubt JC.

[Lee Taylor]

Bunting is a brilliant player, there is absolutely no doubt about that surely.

Trouble is, he is one of dozens of players who are there battling week in, week out.

The standard of modern day darts is incredible and if you are slightly off your game, or lacking in confidence, there are players snapping at your heels.

The young breed coming through seem to have absolutely no fear and are brimming with confidence.

The standard of darts has reached ridiculous standards.

[The Knowledge]

Bunting is a brilliant player, there is absolutely no doubt about that surely.

Trouble is, he is one of dozens of players who are there battling week in, week out.

The standard of modern day darts is incredible and if you are slightly off your game, or lacking in confidence, there are players snapping at your heels.

The young breed coming through seem to have absolutely no fear and are brimming with confidence.

The standard of darts has reached ridiculous standards.

The standard of PDC darts has reached ridiculous standards, the same cannot be said for the BDO.

[Black Velvet]

What could possibly be the reason?!?!

[Lee Taylor]

Bunting is a brilliant player, there is absolutely no doubt about that surely.

Trouble is, he is one of dozens of players who are there battling week in, week out.

The standard of modern day darts is incredible and if you are slightly off your game, or lacking in confidence, there are players snapping at your heels.

The young breed coming through seem to have absolutely no fear and are brimming with confidence.

The standard of darts has reached ridiculous standards.

The standard of PDC darts has reached ridiculous standards, the same cannot be said for the BDO.

On the TV screens maybe that is true, but on the floor tournaments the standard is great.

The trouble is the BDO lads never get much tv exposure so never get the chance to get used to the tv cameras.

The darts you see at Lakeside aren’t necessarily the darts they produce on the floor tournaments to get there in the first place.

[Black Velvet]

Don’t confuse him with logic, Lee.

[Addicks Fan]

Bunting is a brilliant player, there is absolutely no doubt about that surely.

Trouble is, he is one of dozens of players who are there battling week in, week out.

The standard of modern day darts is incredible and if you are slightly off your game, or lacking in confidence, there are players snapping at your heels.

The young breed coming through seem to have absolutely no fear and are brimming with confidence.

The standard of darts has reached ridiculous standards.

The standard of PDC darts has reached ridiculous standards, the same cannot be said for the BDO.

On the TV screens maybe that is true, but on the floor tournaments the standard is great.

The trouble is the BDO lads never get much tv exposure so never get the chance to get used to the tv cameras.

The darts you see at Lakeside aren’t necessarily the darts they produce on the floor tournaments to get there in the first place.

The standard at Lakeside (if you just use tournament average as a gauge) has been going up in recent years since the nadir of 2012/2013, it's just that it will never be judged on its own terms, and the PDC top players have stretched the gap. As far as I'm concerned it takes more than stratospheric averages to make a good tournament, but once people have taken the view of which is the best, it's extremely hard to shift that point of view. Bunting is a really good player, but clearly his confidence has taken a battering, and that's not an easy thing to get back in an individual game like darts.

[Lee Taylor]

Bunting is a brilliant player, there is absolutely no doubt about that surely.

Trouble is, he is one of dozens of players who are there battling week in, week out.

The standard of modern day darts is incredible and if you are slightly off your game, or lacking in confidence, there are players snapping at your heels.

The young breed coming through seem to have absolutely no fear and are brimming with confidence.

The standard of darts has reached ridiculous standards.

The standard of PDC darts has reached ridiculous standards, the same cannot be said for the BDO.

On the TV screens maybe that is true, but on the floor tournaments the standard is great.

The trouble is the BDO lads never get much tv exposure so never get the chance to get used to the tv cameras.

The darts you see at Lakeside aren’t necessarily the darts they produce on the floor tournaments to get there in the first place.

The standard at Lakeside (if you just use tournament average as a gauge) has been going up in recent years since the nadir of 2012/2013, it's just that it will never be judged on its own terms, and the PDC top players have stretched the gap. As far as I'm concerned it takes more than stratospheric averages to make a good tournament, but once people have taken the view of which is the best, it's extremely hard to shift that point of view. Bunting is a really good player, but clearly his confidence has taken a battering, and that's not an easy thing to get back in an individual game like darts.

Good post mate!

[nikkiboy]

I think some of the players who switch struggle with the professional aspect, by that I mean having to get results in order to earn the money to pay your bills. There is definately less pressure when you are working and getting a wage than when darts is your only wage and it is performance related.

[Little Lonely Garry]

double post

[Little Lonely Garry]

If you think Ian White and Stephen Bunting are on a par, you carry on pal. Set a reminder, and in two years time, lets revisit this thread and see which of the two of us looks utterly ridiculous.

Beautiful

Ian White is in the top ten now.

Bunting not even in the top 20.

an oh yeah...white is over ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS MORE

[foggy]

If you think Ian White and Stephen Bunting are on a par, you carry on pal. Set a reminder, and in two years time, lets revisit this thread and see which of the two of us looks utterly ridiculous.

Beautiful

Ian White is in the top ten now.

Bunting not even in the top 20.

an oh yeah...white is over ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS MORE

Fs he doesn't forget 2 years on, Major prediction flop, just like my footie bets one day i will get it right.

[ChrisW]

If you think Ian White and Stephen Bunting are on a par, you carry on pal. Set a reminder, and in two years time, lets revisit this thread and see which of the two of us looks utterly ridiculous.

Beautiful

Ian White is in the top ten now.

Bunting not even in the top 20.

an oh yeah...white is over ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS MORE

At the expense of Wade.