"Helped me out when I was crying on the stage": Paul Nicholson calls for fans to rally behind Michael van Gerwen in Blackpool

Michael van Gerwen heads into the World Matchplay not in the position where he reached the final last year. Van Gerwen lost out to Luke Humphries but since then he has won a European Tour and hasn't been winning games.

Part of that reason has been due to off the oche struggles with Van Gerwen going through a divorce right now and trying to get his personal life in order.

While that is the case, MVG has returned having lost weight and looks rejuvenated as despite still wrangling with the background matters he knows he needs to return to work. But Paul Nicholson sees him as approaching the final part of his career and that he needs the next few months to assess.

But while Nicholson sees it as being a position MVG is in, he will never bet against him upsetting the apple cart again.

"Michael is one of the most selfless individuals I've ever met. He's incredibly kind and if you're in a tough spot he's more than willing to help you out to get you out of this spot. We all know he's in a bit of a tough personal spot at the minute. I think what he needs to do over the next six months is figure out where he moves on from here what kind of stuff he needs to succeed even more.

"This is now the second half of his career, it might even be the final third depending on when he's earmarking retirement. But this is a difficult game for him for two reasons. Raymond's going to turn up in this game we know he is because he's going to want to beat Michael on this stage. He did it in 2009 (winning the title) different circumstances of course. Raymond's going to lift his game the same way Gary (Anderson) always lifts his against Michael as well."

"It's going to be a spectacle. Michael just needs to grind and get himself ready for a dust-up. I think Michael's got a lot more to offer to the sport, whether he's in the right spot right now to have a massive run. Questionable. But I will never bat against Michael van Gerwen. He's got a massive amount of tenacity and when he's up against certain people he always seems to find that extra spark. I have a feeling he's going to need it."

Michael Bridge also on the podcast said that he wants Van Gerwen to just go out there without the pressure of all the pomp and circumstance but sees his tie with Raymond van Barneveld as a true coin toss.

"He's always got a feeling of a responsibility as one of the greats. I've always said if you get a ticket to Michael van Gerwen with the green lights, you're in for a treat and you're lucky you've got Michael van Gerwen. I think sometimes in the past he's felt that pressure to deliver for the people. He's got no pressure."

"If I saw him before I'd say just be you, go out there and do the best you can. He could go out and whack Barney, Barney could whack him. It's a genuine coin toss match for me."

But Nicholson added that perhaps it is time for the fans to rally behind the Green Machine amid his struggles and how he has helped others over the years including himself.

"If you look at Phil's career, maybe 1998, 1999. He didn't win the World Matchplay. Rod Harrington won it twice. At that time Phil was having personal troubles that were way more important than darts. At this time stuff away from darts is definitely more important for Michael.

"So he's focusing on other things and moving on. Do we judge Michael on 2025? I don't think we do. As for the next six 18 months, don't judge him on that. Judge him on 2035 as we may look back and think this is just a blip."

"Michael has helped me out in the past when I was crying on the Blackpool stage. He's helped others out financially and emotionally, maybe it's time we helped him. He's one of us, if he needs you, chant his name and he will love you for it."