Luke Humphries rubbishes claims that teamwork was England鈥檚 problem (Picture: Jenny Segers/PDC Europe)
Luke Humphries insists there was no teamwork issue with Luke Littler, after they were criticised for their efforts at the World Cup of Darts.
England went into the tournament as runaway favourites as they boasted a partnership of the two best players on the planet.
However, Littler and Humphries fell at their first hurdle, stunned by host nation Germany in their opening match.
Gerwyn Price, who reached the final with Wales where Northern Ireland scored a dramatic victory, felt it was clear why England had underperformed.
鈥榃hen we all turned up鈥nd I鈥檓 not just saying this because they lost鈥he only two players who didn鈥檛 turn up together, didn鈥檛 sit together, didn鈥檛 play as a team鈥鈥檓 not saying who they are, but they didn鈥檛 win their first game,鈥 said the Iceman.
鈥榊ou need it. You need to turn up as a team, practice together, sit together, it鈥檚 a team ethic and it didn鈥檛 show with England and it showed on the board.
鈥楾hey鈥檙e great players individually, but you need to be a team. You need that team ethic, you need to be together as a team all the way though, but it didn鈥檛 happen.
This Welsh pair of Price and Jonny Clayton have been to four finals together (Picture: Jenny Segers/PDC Europe)
鈥業 wanted them to do well but they didn鈥檛. I鈥檓 not just saying that, I wanted them to do well but they were rubbish.鈥
Humphries says that it was all part of the plan for the England duo to do their own thing and operate on their usual schedules, which meant a different arrival time.
鈥楾here was a lot of talk about me and Luke not being a team, but coming from the horse鈥檚 mouth I can assure you we were a team. We were!鈥 Humphries told Online Darts.
鈥榃e didn鈥檛 arrive at the same time because I said not to. I told Luke: 鈥淒o your own thing, there鈥檚 not point us trying to change the way we play.鈥
Humphries and Littler failed to find their best form (Picture: Jenny Segers/PDC Europe)
鈥楬e gets there about two hours before, I get there four hours before, I need more practice. I said to him to do what he does before, don鈥檛 change yourself for me. He turned up two hours after I did and that was not us not being a team.鈥
Cool Hand added: 鈥榃e sat right by each other. When I arrived I was on the same table as my manager, someone who works with my management and my girlfriend on a four-seater. I鈥檓 not going to kick them off the table. He was sat right beside me.
鈥楢ll that sort of stuff about us not being a team was not true. We were well up for playing together, we get along really well, it just didn鈥檛 happen and that鈥檚 it.鈥
Humphries did suggest that the rowdy atmosphere in Frankfurt may have got to the world champion, who has admitted before he does not enjoy playing in Germany.
Germany鈥檚 Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko enjoyed the support (Picture: Jenny Segers/PDC Europe)
鈥楩air play to the Germans, they create a great atmosphere. Obviously it was an incredibly tough environment to be involved in,鈥 said Humphries.
鈥業 could tell by Luke鈥檚 face he didn鈥檛 enjoy it. I kind of relished it, but he鈥檚 still young, he didn鈥檛 enjoy the environment he was in and I don鈥檛 blame him. We had to get on with it, we didn鈥檛 win and that was it.
鈥業t seems to have carried on a lot. I thought it would have been nice if Northern Ireland had a bit more talk about them winning it rather than us losing it.鈥
The Nuke is no fan of playing in Germany
Luke Littler is in no rush to play in Germany again (Picture: Getty Images)
Littler has made it clear he doesn鈥檛 relish playing in front of the partisan German crowds.
After losing in the semi-finals of the German Darts Grand Prix in April, he posted on social media: 鈥楽houldn鈥檛 have been in Munich but had to play anyway.
鈥楴ext one in Germany for me is Dortmund and I am glad to say that.鈥
That statement means he is not playing in Germany again until the European Championship in October, planning to miss a string of events in the country before then.
Although clearly he did return to play the World Cup, that experience is unlikely to have changed his mind over competing in Germany.