West Ham Till I Die
Comments
Talking Point

'If they are good enough, they are old enough' - Is it time to select Nathan Holland?

There have been a number of articles on Hammers social media sites suggesting that Slaven Bilic will be ringing the changes for Monday’s match versus Huddersfield Town. We can only speculate at this stage, on what those changes will be, but one crucial area is likely to be who will occupy the wide positions. This area is particularly interesting, as injuries to Ayew and Lanzini, plus the suspension of Arnautovic, has severely restricted Bilic’s options. Antonio self-selects for the right flank berth, but the left is something of a problem that needs solving.

The idea has been floated on at least one site that Bilic should consider playing Cresswell wide on the left, in an advanced role, ahead of Masuaku at left-back. This is a logical proposal, considering Cresswell’s attacking abilities and, in particular, his propensity to deliver accurate balls in to the box. If you want the cast iron assurance of going with an experienced option, then Cresswell could very well be it. However, there is another, more daring and (some would say) more risky option also available and that is to give Nathan Holland his full PL debut on the left flank or, alternatively, on the right wing if Antonio is moved across to the left. If Bilic genuinely does want to shake things up then this could be the way to go. It would signal that the manager is willing to promote youth over more established first team options and that the older players need to perform consistently well to meet the challenge of the emerging youngsters playing well, week in-week out, in the U-23s. As well as sending a clear message to the squad, it would also boost the morale and ambitions of the other youth players, such as Quina and Martinez, demonstrating that progression/consistently good form can lead to a break through at senior level. They have already seen it happen with Declan Rice and a further such move would serve to augment the positive impact of that development,

Holland has been excellent since joining the club from Everton last season. He has impressed both in first team training sessions, U-23 games and the club’s summer pre-season matches. This has moved Holland closer to his first team debut and arguably now is the time to grant it, because he has genuinely earned that opportunity. To ignore his claims could be counter-productive in that it could disillusion, isolate Rice’s elevation as a one-off and plant the idea that the majority of youngsters are not going to get the nod, regardless of how well they develop/perform; or how severe the first team selection crisis is at any particular juncture.

Personally, I am open to selecting Holland because he looks good enough to rise to the challenge. Alternatively, we could go with Cresswell and have Holland on the substitutes bench as a plan B. That latter option is probably what the more nervous/cautious fan would advocate. It will be interesting to see if Bilic goes down one of these two paths in confirming his selection for Monday evening? The squad does need a shake up and an urgent injection of intensity in their play. Selecting Holland is one way of achieving that. Yes, there is a risk, but Holland’s maturity and undoubted ability will ameliorate that sufficiently to allow Bilic to pursue the option. Especially with more experience professionals there, guiding and supporting him through his home debut.

At the end of the day, it comes down to whether we still trust our Academy and have the courage to blood the talent emerging from it. Left unselected, talent can whither and die on the vine. Appropriate loan deals are vital and have an important role to play, but where youngsters perform to the required standard they should be selected. Sir Matt Busby once said ‘if they are good enough, they are old enough.’ All available evidence is that Holland is good enough and the clinching factor is arguably the poverty of current wide options (outside of re-deploying a full-back in to the role) due to injury and suspension. If it is not going to happen now, in these circumstances, when is it going to happen?

SJ. Chandos.

About us

West Ham Till I Die is a website and blog designed for supporters of West Ham United to discuss the club, its fortunes and prospects. It is operated and hosted by West Ham season ticket holder, LBC radio presenter and political commentator Iain Dale.

More info

Follow us

Contact us

Iain Dale, WHTID, PO Box 663, Tunbridge Wells, TN9 9RZ

Visit iaindale.com, Iain Dale’s personal website & blog.

Get in touch

Copyright © 2024 Iain Dale Limited.