Holland the realist aims for the stars

He was rejected by Arsenal as a youngster because he wasn't strong enough and released by West Ham at the age of 20 without playing for the first team.

" Harry Redknapp offered me another year but then said that there were five or six midfield players in front of me," he recalled.

"I was desperate to play firstteam football, so I thought the best thing to do was drop a couple of divisions."

After spells at Bournemouth and Ipswich, Alan Curbishley signed him for a bargain £750,000.

Curbishley knew that, with Holland, what you see is what you get. He's the only Charlton outfield player, for instance, to play in all 31 firstteam games this season and the sale of Scott Parker has given him room to broaden his game further. His goalscoring contribution in last week's win over Middlesbrough was outstanding.

"When you lose a player of Scott's ability, everyone has to take extra responsibility," he said. "Perhaps, because I'm one of the more experienced, I feel that responsibility more. It was a real blow to lose him. For me, he's not that far short of Patrick Vieira or Roy Keane."

As a youngster, Holland's hero was the England and Manchester United captain Bryan Robson.

Today he talks with the same admiration of the Arsenal captain Vieira. "He's the captain of the best team in the country." he said. "They're at the very top of their game. Vieira and Thierry Henry are right up there with the very best. As a midfield player I can appreciate what Vieira does. I love playing against him.

"You want to test yourself against the best and he's one of the best. He's a real gentleman off the field too.

"As a pro I recognise that they're on a different planet to the rest of us at the moment. After 14 seasons in the game, I know that if I was going to experience football at that kind of level it would probably have happened by now.

"Arsenal are terrific to watch but that doesn't make them unbeatable. If you get your game together and they have an off day, then they can be beaten.

As players they're top class but as a group they also have a togetherness that's essential for success.

"I think we have the same spirit in our dressing room. Everyone gets on with everyone else. The humour is terrific. Look at Paolo Di Canio. He works really hard in training but, off the field, he's one of the first to have a laugh and a joke. We might not have the resources of some of the bigger clubs but no one has a better team spirit."