Van Gerwen said ‘this isn’t where I want to be’ after World Darts Championship but things have gone from bad to worse

THIS is the year the Oche Old Guard have looked old, pale and stale.

The emergence of teenager Luke Littler and the consistency of Luke Humphries — who is still under 30 — have ushered in a new era.

And if they are not careful, Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price and Michael Smith — all former world champs — could soon slide out of elite contention.

The next tungsten generation has arrived. There have been SIX different major winners in 2024 and the list does not include those ex-winners of the Sid Waddell Trophy.

Take MVG, for example. If you told him in 2019 when he won a third title that he would not be champion of the world for at least six years, he would have laughed in your face.

But the Dutchman, 35, has not lifted a TV major for 15 months. This is his worst year since 2011.

A shock defeat last New Year’s Day to outsider Scott Williams in the Worlds quarter-finals set the tone for a mediocre season.

Van Gerwen blamed his poor results on several factors, including a lack of confidence, saying: “This isn’t where I want to be.

“In the coronavirus period, it was tough — I underperformed. But I battled back.

“Now it’s time to answer with some great darts. Winning games is the best medicine for your form.”

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For so long MVG was the main man but he has been eclipsed by the two Lukes and that does not sit well with him.

Sixteen-time world champion Phil Taylor always said it gets harder to dominate when your family expands.

And Mighty Mike — a father of two — is constantly on the road.

Being positioned in the bottom half of the Ally Pally draw is a plus but his title odds are 12-1, the longest for 15 years.

But if Van Gerwen has had it bad, it is nothing compared to Price who has had to rubbish claims from ex-champion Dennis Priestley he might retire.

The Welshman has invested his money in property and is a shrewd businessman off the oche.

But on it the 39-year-old failed to qualify for last month’s Grand Slam of Darts and unless he has a good run over Christmas, he will miss out on the 2025 Premier League.

Mohawk-haired, tattooed Wright, 54, is crashing down the world list.

Not only did he finish rock bottom of the Prem but his Euro Champs defence was pitiful — he averaged 74.81 as he was thrashed 6-0 by Jermaine Wattimena.

Age catches up with everyone and this has been an abysmal year for Snakebite, a sign that his time is nearly up at the top.

Chopping and changing his darts — as Wright does on an almost hourly basis — is not making him competitive.

Then there is Smith, one of the most naturally talented individuals around.

Yet if Bully Boy, 34, has a stinker at these Worlds, he will plummet down the rankings.

Almost two years on from his 2023 triumph and the Greatest Leg of All Time — when the  St Helens man nailed a nine-dart finish just after MVG missed his double for a perfect leg — Smith is on a slippery slope if he is not careful.

Nobody has a right to be at the top.

And as we enter this new era, those who scaled the Everest of Darts at least once might soon find themselves falling back down without a rope.