Paul Nicholson believes the good times are about to roll again after enduring ‘a horror show’ for most of 2010.
After his history-making first TV ‘Major’ title at the Players Championship Finals a year ago, it all went horribly wrong for the Unicorn ace.
But now he is vowing to come back stronger, as he chases his dream of one day being crowned World Champion….and that means a new focus, a new attitude and a new steely determination to prove the critics wrong.
And that may well mean toning down his on stage bad boy antics!
The trademark sunglasses will stay but the self-styled ‘Bad Boy of Darts’ may not be that bad after all!
“I may just scale things down a touch,” he revealed. “Looking back, there were a couple of occasions when I got caught up in the moment and it backfired on me. Don’t get me wrong, you will still see the same Paul Nicholson but I will just tone things down a touch – perhaps more banter with the crowd!”
“I am not making excuses but after beating Phil Taylor at the Circus Tavern and then winning the Players Championship Trophy, a lot of things went wrong away from darts and it clearly had an effect on my game. I have dealt with all that and it is onward and upward for 2011,” he added.
Nicholson vehemently believes that one day he will be World Champion.
“I have no doubt in my mind,” he said. “I am still only 31. I have set a target of winning six ‘Major’ titles in my career and the World Championship has to be one of them. That has to be my goal. I may have had some tough times, but I have learnt a lot over the last few months and out of all the bad stuff, I have found positives, which is very important for me going forward.”
Nicholson heads to Germany for the start of the new darts year, with two important Players Championship events in Halle…..the tournaments mark the start of competition in 2011 and the likes of Phil Taylor and Raymond van Barneveld will be competing, although Team Unicorn World Champion Adrian Lewis has chosen not to travel and James Wade is also giving the event a miss.
There’s no doubt that it is a big year for ‘The Asset’ – his disappointing World Championship exit and his failure to qualify to defend his Players Championship crown, were major blows for Nicholson.
Remember, he missed a stack of doubles in losing to Peter Wright in the 2nd Round at the Alexandra Palace…..and he just missed out on a place in the top 32 of the Players Championship Order of Merit, which means no place at Doncaster next weekend and no chance to defend his crown.
“That was the low point of the whole year when I failed to qualify….not being able to go as defending champion to Doncaster left me shattered to be honest….but I am taking it on the chin and I will go to the tournament, because as defending champion, I think it is the right thing to do even though I am not playing,” Nicholson said.
Nicholson has also moved from his native North East to Lancashire and insists the move is all part of the plan to succeed. He has dropped down to No.18 in the World rankings and has targeted a place in the top ten by the end of 2011.
“I am ambitious,” he said. “I have to believe. I have learnt a lot from my mistakes and I also know that I have to stop thinking about stuff too much and get on with playing!”
Nicholson is determined to put things right and re-establish himself as a major player on the PDC Pro Tour to help prepare himself for the big TV tournaments of the year.
“It is important that I stop looking back at my failures and instead look forward to successes,” he added.
Nicholson enjoyed two weeks holiday in Canada after the World Championship and is ready and firing to get going, despite slipping on ice and bruising his ribs!
“I can’t wait,” he said. “Hopefully 2011 will be a big year for me and I can find that winning formula. I am sticking with my darts and the pear shaped flights, which suit me. Unicorn have been brilliant in helping me to find the right configuration. Now it is up to me to deliver!” he said.
And there will be first news of events in Germany right here on the Unicorn website, so stay in touch over the weekend.
By STUART PYKE (Twitter @stuartpykesport)
Photo courtesy Chris Sargeant