Nathan Aspinall has fired back at Dave Chisnall and Mike De Decker after refusing to take criticism of his Premier League selection lying down.
The Asp was one of the four wildcard picks for the annual darting roadshow, which begins in Belfast on February 6. The selection of Aspinall and Gerwyn Price has triggered plenty of debate among darts fans and hasn’t gone down well with players who missed out.
World Grand Prix champion De Decker called his omission “scandalous”, telling Belgian media that Aspinall has only been selected for “entertainment” reasons due to his popular walk-on song, Mr Brightside by The Killers.
Chisnall, the highest-ranked player not to be in the Premier League, aimed a similar jibe at Aspinall. Writing in his blog, he said: “Gezzy [Price] has had a lot going and struggled in 2024, whilst Nathan has done similarly. His run to the quarter-finals of the Worlds probably got him involved. That and everyone loving his Mr Brightside theme song.
“It’s a great entrance, but it should be about the darts, and not your walk-on that gets you involved in these big competitions. Nothing against them personally, as both great lads and get on well with, but it should be about your actions on the dartboard, not on a song and a dance.”
Aspinall was stung by Chisnall’s comments in particular. Speaking to Mirror Sport ahead of the Bahrain Masters, he said: “He [De Decker] can say what he wants. He’s not helping himself, in my opinion.
“I’m very disappointed in Dave, who I class as one of my close mates on the tour. That post was directly aimed at me.
“Whether that was Chizzy or Roger, his manager, I don’t know. That was the one I took to heart. Mike De Decker, I couldn’t really give a s*** what he says, to be honest.
“I’ll be addressing the one with Dave when I see him, I’m disappointed in him. But at the end of the day, I’m in it and they’re not. I’m in Bahrain talking to you and they’re wherever they are.”
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The criticism of his place has reinforced Aspinall’s change of approach for 2025. He added: “I’ve always been worried so much about what people think, ‘I need to do this, I need to prove people wrong’.
“It’s a change of attitude, I don’t really care anymore, I’m there for myself and to provide for my family. If I don’t speak to Dave or Mike or anyone else who is jealous that I’m in it, I’m not going to lose any sleep over it. That’s all that matters.”
Prior to his Premier League call-up, Aspinall, who endured an injury-disrupted 2024, felt his chances of selection were 50/50.
“I missed three months with injury and I played six months injured,” he added. “If I’d played in those three or four months, I probably would have won another 20/30 grand and would have been sixth in the world. There’d have been no question marks then.
“It was a challenging year, but I’m glad the PDC have shown belief and trust in me, and now I’ve got to return the favour by putting in some good performances.”
Aspinall is determined to put on a show with his darts, not just his walk-on, for the thousands who will pack out arenas around the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.
“It’s the highlight for me, that’s why I’ve harped on about it for so long,” he said. “There’s a lot of people who criticise it but it’s a massive, massive show.
“I’m just happy that they’ve included me again. I think I bring something extra to the Premier League. And it isn’t only the walk-on!
“I’ve got a massive fanbase. If you look at any event, there are Van Gerwen shirts, Luke Littler shirts and Nathan Aspinall shirts. You rarely see other players’ shirts out in the crowd but there’s tens and hundreds of mine everywhere.
“People want to see me and, generally speaking, I do put a good show on. I love it. It’s tough but I’m not going to moan about it and I can’t wait until Belfast.”
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