VAN GERWEN TOLD HE THROWS ‘LIKE A DRAIN’
26/05/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN has been brutally told he can go from “throwing like a dream to throwing like a drain” within days.
Sky Sports commentator Rod Studd delivered the damning assessment of the Dutch legend after another frustrating season for the three-time world champion.
MVG has £419,500 in prize money to defend before the end of the year and is provisionally set to slip to World No20 after Ally Pally.
Mighty Mike’s last ranked major title win came back in 2022 and he has failed to reach a quarter-final on the big stage so far this campaign.
Studd believes Van Gerwen still has the brilliance to blow away anybody in darts but says his alarming inconsistency is now the biggest problem in his game.
He told the Weekly Dartscast: “He went from throwing like a dream to throwing like a drain in a matter of days.
“It’s inexplicable really, isn’t it? But I suppose it’s not inexplicable because it’s what Michael has been doing.
“He’s been throwing in a shocker perhaps once in every five or six games.
“In tournaments, when you’re trying to win a tournament like the [World] Matchplay, you’ve got to win five games. It’s tough if you’re going to throw in a shocker in one of those five.
“So, it’s tough for Michael to win tournaments throwing so poorly once every five or six games.
“If he could replicate what he’s doing at his best, then my word, he’d be a danger to everybody.”
Yet despite the criticism, Studd insists Van Gerwen still possesses a terrifying level few players can live with when he clicks into top gear.
The world No4 recently won Players Championship 15 and averaged more than 122 during a stunning 7-0 semi-final demolition of Martin Schindler in Leicester.
Studd added: “But I don’t care who you are, if you’re on the wrong end of what he produced in that semi-final in Leicester.
“Luke Humphries, [Gerwyn] Price, [Wessel] Nijman, they’d be in trouble.
“There’s no question about it. So, it’s the consistency that Michael’s lacking. And if he knew why it was happening, well, I’m sure he’d fix it.”
Van Gerwen also missed out on Premier League Finals Night for only the third time in his career after finishing sixth in the table.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
