It is definitely not too late. We recently adopted a 3-year-old EM from the local shelter and discovered he would NOT go into a kennel for anything and had to be physically forced in after which he kept us up all night whining to be let out. We always crate at night and when we're not in the house (we've got two cats, wouldn't want something unfortunate to happen when we're not around to stop it). We're not sure if the previous owner used crating as a punishment or if he just never had one, but we've had to start from square one teaching Oscar that crates are NICE places. It's got a couple of dog-only blankets in it (smell association) and a safe chew toy (a braided rope) if he gets bored. We started out just rewarding him with treats and praise when he was inside and leaving him for only short periods of time (going out for lunch, to the bank, etc.) all the while reinforcing the command "Kennel Up". Two weeks later, he still sometimes whines when he's feeling lonely but he'll walk in on his own and doesn't keep us up ALL night like he used to. I would definitely crate train, and I agree fully with BlackShadow: lavish attention and exercise when you can.
As a side note, make sure any toys you leave in the crate with your pup are safe; no rawhides or fluffy toys. Last thing you need is a choking or impaction incident. Also, 8 hours can be a stretch for a pup, so until he gets used to things I'd advise a waterproof kennel mat.
~Marrow