Very true PPRuNe Radar, but there is also the paragraph in MATS part 1 which says that nothing within the publication shall prevent an ATCO from doing what he or she deems necessary for flight safety (obviously paraphrased).
I'd defy any ATCO not to try to give vectors or suggest safe headings in the situation above - particularly when it happens in a hold for an LTMA airport, such as Scuzi mentioned in his post - the incident was shown on TRUCE a while back and it was horrendous.