Somewhere deep in the Welsh Valleys sits a quaint, tranquil village populated mainly by sheep and a certain professional darts player named Rob Owen.
Occasionally that peaceful bliss will be disturbed by a yell of jubilation as Owen cracks in another maximum during a light practice workout. What was once dubbed ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ – a place which inspired Thomas Harris’ bestselling novel – has now been ruined by a loud local.
So much so, if the author paid a visit to that beauty spot again, we might have had Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster star in a Hollywood blockbuster named, “Shut the f*up Rob Owen”. But they didn’t. And subsequently, that wasn’t the case.
I decided it would be fun to chat with the man who regularly disturbs sheep. Firstly, I wanted to know the origins of his nickname, Stack Attack. But being the impatient soul I am, I did some research.
Apparently, several years ago, whilst shopping in Lidl, Rob was confusingly angered by a perfectly displayed and arranged sizeable pyramid of baked beans. In a rage of fury, he charged at them and … well, cans everywhere. Thus wrecking the stack in a baffling attack.
Hence, he was christened by the staff ‘Stack Attack’ and subsequently banned for life.
Of course, that’s a joke. It’s due to his darts landing in such a way that he is able to ‘stack’ one on top of the other. Absolutely nothing Heinz-related. Although you have to admit, my theory was more interesting.
Not wishing to get sheep crap all over my shoes, I opted for a phone and email method.
Right buddy, introduce yourself to the readers please:
“I’m Rob Owen, just a normal guy from the Welsh Valleys and very proud of where I’m from. I’m married to my awesome wife, Robyn, who is a Band 6 Senior Occupational Therapist within the NHS. We have three children: Freya, who is 15, Jack, who is 11, and Imogen, who is 2.”
Perfect. Can’t say I was aware Occupational Therapists were musicians, but you live and learn.
When you are not at the oche – or annoying the crap out of livestock – what is a typical day in the life of Robert Owen?
“In my spare time (which is very limited), I like to spend as much of it with my family as possible. Taking my son to karate and taking the kids swimming are things I really enjoy.”
“We do a lot of family activities whenever we can, just to spend some quality time together. We all love going camping, which we’re looking forward to doing again next month. When I’m at home, I just like to be Rob and Dad and not care too much about the darts side of things.”
You see, that’s the problem with life on the road. There is very little precious time for family, but clearly Rob makes the most of that. At least with Owen’s “Carry On Camping” expeditions, his woolly neighbours can get some peace and quiet.
It’s been a decent season so far for Stack Attack. But what does he make of it?
“My year so far on tour has been quite good. I’ve had quite a few quarter-finals and last-16 finishes on the floor, and I’ve qualified for three European Tour events, so it’s pretty much the same as I do every year.”
“I find the Euros really hard to qualify for, though, as there are only 10 spots available. There’s still plenty more to go for. I’ve defended all of my money from two years ago so far this season, so in the second half of the year I’m just going to try and put my foot on the gas even more and climb the ladder. I’ll just focus on me, myself and I.”
I have to say, I’m inclined to agree. For such a top-quality and experienced player (he paid me to say that), it’s surprising to see Rob spending less time in Europe than Manchester United in recent months. After all, as you rightly said, there are ten spots open in each qualifying event. Pull your finger out, mate!
Rob is currently in that danger relegation zone where he is in jeopardy of losing his Tour Card status. Personally, I don’t think it will happen. He’s playing some good stuff and is more than capable of getting out of peril. (He didn’t pay me to say that, but I will invoice him nonetheless.):
“I don’t really want to think about losing my Tour Card because I believe I deserve to be on the tour. My results over the last few years have shown that, along with some of my records against the top players.”
“I’ve done the two years off tour before and, financially, it was very good for me a few years back. But I have no intention of slipping off the tour again. I believe I can now start progressing up the rankings with the level of play I’m producing at the moment.”
“There’s not much difference compared to a few years ago, but my confidence to beat people is now quite high and the self-belief is there. If you don’t believe you can win on tour, you’ll be wiped aside by everyone.”
So by not wanting to think about it, it doesn’t help when someone asks him, I guess! But there you go – a question well answered.
However, nowadays, with so many other windows open for darts players who don’t have a PDC Tour Card, it’s not the end of the world if you lose it. Right, mate?
“I think these days it’s not the end of the world if you’re off the tour.”
I literally just said that, pal. Use your own words!
“There are many other avenues to take. I’ve done that myself, playing MODUS, the Challenge Tour and WDF events. I’ve won titles in all of them and also played Pro Tours at the same time as a top-up player, which I was quite successful at.”
“During those two years away from the tour, I was probably away from home for nine months of the year. That’s not for everyone and, financially, if you don’t do well, it can cripple you.”
“For me, I was one of the lucky ones and did very well. It puts stress on the family and stress on your bankroll. But like I said, I was lucky, and I don’t really want to be doing that again.”
Personally, I don’t think it’s considered lucky if you win games of darts at the highest level. For me, what I would consider lucky is not throwing a dart in my mate’s arse after six pints of cider down the local. Each to their own, I guess.
Now onto something which boils many a player’s piss. Social media. Owen has his thoughts on that and, boy, he wasn’t one for sitting on the fence when it came to this particular subject!
“Social media absolutely sucks. There is so much hatred these days that it’s almost at a point where it can affect sportspeople. Most of it is probably due to the amount of gambling that goes on in the world.”
“I’ve received hundreds of messages saying things like, ‘Go kill yourself’, ‘You’re shit, get a real job’, and ‘I can do better on a Friday night in the local’. Those phrases are mild compared to some of the things we as darts players receive.”
Not very nice. Usually posted anonymously by someone who has just lost a fiver betting on one of Rob’s matches.
At this point, Mr Owen was on a rant. So I went off to boil the kettle, stick some popcorn in the microwave and intently allow him to continue:
“If you walked into someone’s office and blurted out some of those obscene comments, you’d probably be arrested. For me, though, I’m thick-skinned. I don’t care what people say. I can laugh it off and carry on with my day as if nothing has happened.”
“On the other hand, if they want an argument, I can quite happily oblige, lol. The problem is that these people hide behind fake profiles and don’t want to be seen for what they are — absolute scumbags.”
“I mean, Paul, you’ve seen some of the crap that was being posted this week. It’s laughable for me anyway. To be honest, it just pushes me further in the direction I want to go. Proving people wrong motivates me even more. I turn it into a positive.”
Sadly, I have seen said crap. It’s disgusting. But the key is not to take it personally. Yet if Rob can use this as fuel for the fire, bring it on!
What’s the ideal plan for the remainder of the season then, my small Welsh friend?
“For the rest of the year, my goals are simply to keep motoring on as I have been, keep adding to my Order of Merit earnings as much as I can, and hopefully be where I need to be by the end of the World Championship.”
“It’s one game at a time. For me to take the next step, it’s all about fine margins — just a few doubles here and there and maybe being a little more consistent. In my eyes, that’s very achievable. When you’ve got the best darts management in the PDC behind you, anything is possible”
It is indeed my friend. Oh, and Rob is, of course, referring to MODUS, who, returning to the subject of brown envelopes, are definitely NOT paying him to say that. He is genuinely grateful for all they have done to help and push his career forward. You can’t put a price on strong support. Although paying for Owen’s flights and hotels seems to cover it nicely.
Then, to wrap things up – a phrase I love to use – Stack Attack pays a warm tribute to the real heroes behind not just Rob the player, but also Rob the man:
“Lastly, all I want to do this year is spend quality time with my wife and kids and make memories. After all, if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be doing this. They’re what push me on and make me strive for bigger and better things.”
“Diolch yn fawr!!”
No idea what the last bit means. Must ask Jonny Clayton or Polly James.
Thanks a million to the gentleman Rob Owen and all the very best wishes for the rest of the year, mate.
