John “Dutchy” Holland is back in the server – but in a strictly observational capacity. The Scotsman is joining NOM, who is currently boasting an Israeli majority lineup, as the team’s coach.
The Scot best known for his stints with Royals and EKO Esports left full-time team CS behind last August, citing university and other life commitments as the reason. This effectively disbanded the Next in Line lineup he helped create and take from Open to Advanced. While he played with mix team Pufflepals and briefly stood in for Verdant in January, Dutchy otherwise left CS behind until April when he announced he was looking for a role as a coach.
He has found that role with NOM Esports, an Israeli organisation that has been involved in Counter-Strike on and off since 2018. Counting the likes of Guy “NertZ” Iluz amongst their alumni they returned to the esport last year with an Israeli core and new Team Liquid AWPer Roland “ultimate” Tomkowiak.
Though there have been many roster changes since they still have an Israeli core including Doron “Zax1e” Prizent, who joined Verdant earlier this year; he returned to NOM at the start of July following his removal in favour of Remi “Diviiii” Alexandre. UK CS fans may also recognise Tal “meztal” Hahiashvili, who has played with Endpoint, EXO Clan and K10 as a stand-in on multiple occasions.
Dutchy told us he has been working behind the scenes since May, but the official announcement was delayed due to the player break. NOM are currently competing in the BetBoom Dacha 2 Closed Qualifier, winning one of the two open qualifier spots.
NOM are currently:
Tal “meztal” Hahiashvili
Mori “MOREE” Mizrahi
Daniel “dan1” Gligorov
Mateusz “m4tthi” Szambelan
Doron “Zax1e” Prizent
John “Dutchy” Holland (coach)
🧠 After a few months lurking in the shadow please welcome him officially to our CS2 Team🧠
Show him some 🥰 👇 #NOMFAM pic.twitter.com/HxFwwv57yf
— NOM (@NOM_Esports) July 29, 2024
