‘Pub player’ – Michael van Gerwen gave brutally honest verdict on rival at Poland Darts Masters

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Michael van Gerwen pulled no punches after his Poland Darts Masters win over Pero Ljubic.He beat the Croat Tour Card holder 6-4 in the first round to set up a best of 11 second round clash with Rob Cross.Van Gerwen had to battle past Ljubic in PolandProductionDartsTVHowever, the Dutchman was seriously unimpressed by the quality of his opening game – and his opponent.Van Gerwen is finding his feet at the oche again after a spell away from darts.He took time out following his divorce but returned at the US Darts Masters in New York, losing in the quarter-finals to Gerwyn Price.The Green Machine continues his comeback at the PreZero Arena in Gliwice but wasn’t complimentary about his first rival.“It wasn’t a good game at all,” said Van Gerwen. “Pero needs to be happy that he won one leg. Pero is not a good player. Pero is a pub player — we all know that.“I’m not harsh — he is a lovely man but when you throw treble 12 for treble 20 then you need to go back to the dartboard.“Did you ever see me do that? I can only blame myself, I didn’t play well.  “I’m the one to blame. But I made Pero look good today. Pero won a few legs and it feels like his birthday! I was going to win anyway. “You want honest answers — I give you honest answers. Tomorrow is a different story — then I am up against the big boys.”Ljubic didn’t give up in their match but eventually succumbed to a 6-4 lossProductionDartsTVVan Gerwen was equally unimpressed by the crowd and the local qualifier for the Poland Darts Masters.“I’m a bit disappointed with the qualifiers today to be fair if I am honest. If you see Pero and Kciuk, I know they can all play a lot better. “They have tour cards and they disappointed me a little bit because if Pero was good he would have beaten me today because I was not playing well.“They are still too quiet. They all have to visit Germany, Holland and England then they will see what a crowd really is. But when I play so bad there is nothing to cheer for.”Up next for Van Gerwen is No.3 seed Cross and a win would see him face either Welshman Price or Chris Dobey.The Dutchman will once again be wearing a new look, having thrown out his trademark all-green shirt for a black number which features just a green collar and sleeve accents.ProductionDartsTVVan Gerwen didn’t hold back after the match[/caption]It’s a change we saw in New York and one that’s set to stick around according to friend Vincent van der Voort.“This is going to be his regular shirt for the foreseeable future,” he said on the Darts Draait Door podcast.“That old shirt, according to him, just didn’t do the job anymore. He said it was broken—done. This new look represents something bigger.”“He wore a black shirt [at the Masters] as well and got a lot of compliments,” Van der Voort added.“So maybe that stuck with him. Plus, black is more slimming—and he’s lost quite a bit of weight, which helps. He really liked this design but made sure to keep those signature green accents.”