Pat Dolan
Encyclopedia
Patrick Dolan is a former football
player, manager, and executive. He is a soccer analyst on Setanta Sports
Ireland.
, were born to Irish parents and both began life as trainee footballers. Eamon signed with West Ham United
and Pat signed for Arsenal
. They both played for the Republic of Ireland at the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship
http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=193005/index.html and Under 21 level. Although injuries forced Pat to cut his playing career short.
forms with Arsenal
when he turned sixteen and made numerous appearances for both the youth and reserve team. In 1988 he was loaned out to Walsall
to gain experience and soon made the move permanent. The following year, having failed to make the impact expected of him, he was loaned out to League of Ireland side St. Patrick's Athletic. He made his League of Ireland
debut at Richmond Park
on the 28th of February 1988.
After a handful of appearances he returned to Walsall but was promptly released. He joined Galway United
, the home town team of his father, before moving to Shamrock Rovers. He was an unused substitute in the 1991 FAI Cup
Final when Rovers lost to Galway United. After 3 goals in 23 appearances for Rovers he joined St Patrick's Athletic on a full time deal in 1992.
when the club was in a state of poverty. They were playing in Harold's Cross Stadium
while they tried to raise enough funds to return to Richmond Park
. As St Pats could not justify his salary purely on footballing grounds, Dolan was employed with the St Pats office. Within months he had ignited the local business community and new sponsors came on board. As Dolan's injuries got worse, and after 3 goals in 12 League appearances, he retired from football and appointed marketing manager for the club. Dolan worked closely with manager Brian Kerr and new chairman Tim O'Flaherty (a respected local businessman), and in December 1993 St Pats returned to Richmond Park
.
Over the next 3 years the club went from strength to strength as Dolan's marketing and Kerr's team building saw the Saints win the league title in 1996. In December that year Kerr was appointed Director of Coaching by the FAI
. Chairman O'Flaherty surprised most with his appointment of Dolan for team manager with most commentators believing that Kerr's assistant Liam Buckley
would get the job. Buckley resigned in protest but crucially, Dolan kept respected coach Noel O'Reilly on his staff. After a disappointing finish to his first season, Dolan spent relatively large sums on securing the top young Irish players available and signed three of the Ireland
team that finished third in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship
. His large squad won the 1997/98 League championship on the last day of the season as arch rivals Shelbourne
lost a 2 point lead. After leading St Pats to a credible performance in the Champions League against Celtic
Dolan resigned as manager to concentrate on his new role as Chief Executive one game into the 1998/99 season. Liam Buckley was persuaded back into the club to take the managerial hot seat. Buckley would lead the Saints to a second straight league title and Dolan continued to work effectively as chief executive. The following December Pats lost 3 successive games and despite lying in third position in the league, Buckley was sacked. Dolan was immediately reinstated as team manager but could only steer the club to sixth place.
notes to lambaste the Pats travelling fans and, inevitably, the fans hit back. The team finished in fifth position. The following season, acting in his capacity as CEO, Dolan began negotiations with St Francis F.C., with a view to merging. His use of terms like 'Dublin Saints' and 'Pats-Francis' in both his programme notes and his column for national newspaper the Irish Daily Star
angered many Pats fans and in a stormy meeting held by the club to announce their plans, many sought his resignation. Backed by staunchly loyal chairman O'Flaherty, Dolan remained in both jobs. Before the end of the season the merger was off but the damage was most certainly done in the eyes of many fans.
The following season saw the Saints improve dramatically on the pitch and they were leading the league when the FAI
announced they were deducting 9 points from St Pats total as they played an ineligible player, Paul Marney
, for 3 games. St Pats strongly argued it was a clerical error and as Marney had been registered properly they did not seek to gain an advantage. The FAI overturned this decision and re-instated the nine points, much to the annoyance of closest rivals, Shelbourne
's chief executive Ollie Byrne. Dolan and Shelbourne manager Dermot Keely
traded insults in their competing tabloid columns on a weekly basis. After receiving an anonymous tip off, the league investigated the registration of every St Pats player and found that one, Charles Livingstone Mbabazi
, wasn't correct. They deducted fifteen points and St Pats' title challenge lay in tatters. St Pats, again, angrily denied the charges and a leaked report (to the Evening Herald
) commissioned by new league CEO Roy Dooney apparently exposed several minor irregularities in player registrations on several teams but was never released. However only St Pats were punished and they would settle for third place in the league. St Pats started the season as they ended the previous one and for the first time progressed in Europe beating HNK Rijeka
in the Intertoto Cup. Only an away goals defeat to KAA Gent stopped further progress.
However the levels of performance dropped and a section of the St Pats support openly protested against Dolan, with a "Dolan Out" banner appearing at games. The majority of St Pat's fans had huge appreciation for what Dolan had achieved for the club, and they still do to this day. It took a late winner at home to Cork in St Pats' last home game for Dolan to avoid bringing the team into the relegation playoff. In February 2003, Dolan parted company with St Pats to take the high profile job at Cork City. It left St Pats fans divided with the following season seeing many terrace debates between Pro and Anti Dolan camps.
. Cork had finished in fourth place in 2003 but with the exciting partnership of John O'Flynn
and George O'Callaghan
, many pundits expected their challenge to be stronger. Dolan caught the imagination of the Cork public and much like his Saintmania and Supersaint tags, and along with Brian Lennox re-branded Cork City as the Rebel Army. He would lead Cork to 3rd position in his first season, 16 points behind league winners Shelbourne. The following season, Dolan invested heavily in players and it seemed to pay off as Cork beat Malmö FF
and NEC Nijmegen in the Intertoto Cup before falling to Nantes
. Dolan would improve Cork to second place in the league and they finished only three points behind winners Shelbourne. Shortly before the beginning of the 2005 season, Cork announced that Pat Dolan was no longer manager of the club.
Much like his departure at St Pats, no formal announcement was made as to the reasons behind it. In another mirroring of the St Pats departure, Cork fans were split into Pro and Anti Dolan camps. Dolan had finished building a strong team at Cork, following the good work first laid out by Dave Barry
and then Liam Murphy, and the club went on to win the league title in 2005 under new manager Damien Richardson
, with the notable addition of Roy O'Donovan
. A key factor in the victory in 2005 was the ability for Cork City to finally beat Shelbourne, something which they never managed while Dolan was in charge.
He brought in James Claffey to work as a Sports Psychologist alongside him. In the eight games they were there Waterford only lost once, a remarkable feat, considering they hadn't won a game since the previous April. They eventually finished 8th place in the Premier League seven points clear of the relegation playoff spot that for so long looked theirs.
After Dolan's former side Cork City drew with Waterford, Dolan gave a surprising interview in which he spoke about Waterford in the 3rd person and referred to Cork as "we", despite his role with Waterford and his behaviour during the match which included protesting to have Cork player Danny Murphy (footballer born 1982)
booked and subsequently ruled out of the FAI Cup Final.
. His outspoken and often controversial column saw Dolan's profile rise outside the League of Ireland scene. After his departure from Cork City, Dolan joined Setanta Sports
as their main football pundit. He continues to front their Setanta Sports Cup
coverage, as well as commentating on Serie A
, Champions League
and UEFA Cup
football. He is also now a regular guest on soccer radio show and podcast World Soccer Daily
. Dolan is parodied, to some acclaim, by Apres Match. On 7 December 2009, in his weekly Star column, Dolan was fiercely critical of the Irish international team's pursuit of players born outside Ireland.
on a part-time basis due to his current media commitments.
to the CFAI Cup.
When it was announced to almost universal approval that Giovanni Trapattoni
, one of the most successful and highly-respected managers in European football, was to be the new Ireland manager, Dolan derided the appointment, saying on a Setanta UEFA Cup broadcast that the only person who should be pleased with this outcome is Trapattoni's accountant. He also stated that he believed Trapattoni was "past it" and it was "sad" that an Irish candidate wasn't even considered for the appointment.
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player, manager, and executive. He is a soccer analyst on Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...
Ireland.
Early life
Dolan, and his twin Eamonn DolanEamonn Dolan
Eamonn Dolan is an Irish-English ex-professional footballer, now working as a coach. Dolan played as a striker, beginning his career with West Ham, before moving on to Birmingham City and then Exeter City...
, were born to Irish parents and both began life as trainee footballers. Eamon signed with West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
and Pat signed for Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
. They both played for the Republic of Ireland at the 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship
1985 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1985 FIFA World Youth Championship, the ninth edition of the FIFA World Youth Championship, was held in the Soviet Union from August 24 to September 7, 1985. The tournament took place in eight venues — Baku, Yerevan, Leningrad, Minsk, Moscow, Hoktemberyan, Tbilissi and Sumqayit — where a total...
http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=193005/index.html and Under 21 level. Although injuries forced Pat to cut his playing career short.
Early career
Dolan signed YTSYouth Training Scheme
The Youth Training Scheme was the former name in the United Kingdom of an on-the-job training course for school leavers aged 16 and 17, managed by the Manpower Services Commission...
forms with Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
when he turned sixteen and made numerous appearances for both the youth and reserve team. In 1988 he was loaned out to Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
to gain experience and soon made the move permanent. The following year, having failed to make the impact expected of him, he was loaned out to League of Ireland side St. Patrick's Athletic. He made his League of Ireland
League of Ireland
The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...
debut at Richmond Park
Richmond Park
Richmond Park is a 2,360 acre park within London. It is the largest of the Royal Parks in London and Britain's second largest urban walled park after Sutton Park, Birmingham. It is close to Richmond, Ham, Kingston upon Thames, Wimbledon, Roehampton and East Sheen...
on the 28th of February 1988.
After a handful of appearances he returned to Walsall but was promptly released. He joined Galway United
Galway United
Galway United F.C. was founded as Galway Rovers in 1937. They are a football club currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division, the top tier of the Irish football....
, the home town team of his father, before moving to Shamrock Rovers. He was an unused substitute in the 1991 FAI Cup
FAI Cup
The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...
Final when Rovers lost to Galway United. After 3 goals in 23 appearances for Rovers he joined St Patrick's Athletic on a full time deal in 1992.
St Patrick's Athletic
Dolan joined St PatsSt Patrick's Athletic F.C.
St Patrick's Athletic Football Club is a football club from Dublin, Ireland. They compete in the League of Ireland Premier Division. Founded in 1929, they are based in the Dublin suburb of Inchicore and play their home matches at Richmond Park. They have won the League of Ireland title 7 times and...
when the club was in a state of poverty. They were playing in Harold's Cross Stadium
Harold's Cross Stadium
Harold's Cross Stadium is a greyhound racing stadium in the south Dublin city district of Harold's Cross, owned and operated by the Irish Greyhound Board. In the late 1990s, major redevelopment work saw the venue transformed from a basic gambling driven venue to a fairly well known social event...
while they tried to raise enough funds to return to Richmond Park
Richmond Park (football ground)
Richmond Park is a football stadium in Dublin, Ireland. It is the home ground for Irish football team St. Patricks Athletic of the League of Ireland. It is situated in the Dublin suburb of Inchicore...
. As St Pats could not justify his salary purely on footballing grounds, Dolan was employed with the St Pats office. Within months he had ignited the local business community and new sponsors came on board. As Dolan's injuries got worse, and after 3 goals in 12 League appearances, he retired from football and appointed marketing manager for the club. Dolan worked closely with manager Brian Kerr and new chairman Tim O'Flaherty (a respected local businessman), and in December 1993 St Pats returned to Richmond Park
Richmond Park (football ground)
Richmond Park is a football stadium in Dublin, Ireland. It is the home ground for Irish football team St. Patricks Athletic of the League of Ireland. It is situated in the Dublin suburb of Inchicore...
.
Over the next 3 years the club went from strength to strength as Dolan's marketing and Kerr's team building saw the Saints win the league title in 1996. In December that year Kerr was appointed Director of Coaching by the FAI
Football Association of Ireland
The Football Association of Ireland is the governing body for the sport of association football in the Republic of Ireland. It should not to be confused with the Irish Football Association , which is the organising body for the sport in Northern Ireland.For the full history, statistics and records...
. Chairman O'Flaherty surprised most with his appointment of Dolan for team manager with most commentators believing that Kerr's assistant Liam Buckley
Liam Buckley
Liam Buckley , is an Irish former professional football player and manager.-Playing career:Liam began his League of Ireland career with Shelbourne F.C. and signed for Shamrock Rovers as a full time player in the 1979 close season...
would get the job. Buckley resigned in protest but crucially, Dolan kept respected coach Noel O'Reilly on his staff. After a disappointing finish to his first season, Dolan spent relatively large sums on securing the top young Irish players available and signed three of the Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
team that finished third in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship
1997 FIFA World Youth Championship
The 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship was the 11th staging of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It was held from June 16 to July 5, 1997 in Malaysia.-Venues:-Qualification:The following 24 teams qualified for the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship...
. His large squad won the 1997/98 League championship on the last day of the season as arch rivals Shelbourne
Shelbourne F.C.
Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....
lost a 2 point lead. After leading St Pats to a credible performance in the Champions League against Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
Dolan resigned as manager to concentrate on his new role as Chief Executive one game into the 1998/99 season. Liam Buckley was persuaded back into the club to take the managerial hot seat. Buckley would lead the Saints to a second straight league title and Dolan continued to work effectively as chief executive. The following December Pats lost 3 successive games and despite lying in third position in the league, Buckley was sacked. Dolan was immediately reinstated as team manager but could only steer the club to sixth place.
Dublin Saints and the registration season
Early into the 1999/2000 season saw the first cracks in the relationship between Dolan and St Pats fans, as he accused a section of fans of being drunk and overly abusive to a new player, Martin Garrett. Dolan used his match day programmeEvent programme
A programme or program is a booklet available for patrons attending a live event such as theatre performances, fêtes, sports events, etc. It is a printed leaflet outlining the parts of the event scheduled to take place, principal performers and background information. In the case of theatrical...
notes to lambaste the Pats travelling fans and, inevitably, the fans hit back. The team finished in fifth position. The following season, acting in his capacity as CEO, Dolan began negotiations with St Francis F.C., with a view to merging. His use of terms like 'Dublin Saints' and 'Pats-Francis' in both his programme notes and his column for national newspaper the Irish Daily Star
Irish Daily Star
The Irish Daily Star is a tabloid newspaper published in Ireland by the Independent Star Limited. Independent Star Limited is a joint venture between Richard Desmond's UK based Express Newspapers Limited, which owns the British Daily Star, and Irish news magnate Denis O'Brien's Independent News &...
angered many Pats fans and in a stormy meeting held by the club to announce their plans, many sought his resignation. Backed by staunchly loyal chairman O'Flaherty, Dolan remained in both jobs. Before the end of the season the merger was off but the damage was most certainly done in the eyes of many fans.
The following season saw the Saints improve dramatically on the pitch and they were leading the league when the FAI
Football Association of Ireland
The Football Association of Ireland is the governing body for the sport of association football in the Republic of Ireland. It should not to be confused with the Irish Football Association , which is the organising body for the sport in Northern Ireland.For the full history, statistics and records...
announced they were deducting 9 points from St Pats total as they played an ineligible player, Paul Marney
Paul Marney
Paul Marney is an English footballer currently unattached.Marney first came to prominence for all the wrong reasons during the 2001/02 season when his "improper" registration for St...
, for 3 games. St Pats strongly argued it was a clerical error and as Marney had been registered properly they did not seek to gain an advantage. The FAI overturned this decision and re-instated the nine points, much to the annoyance of closest rivals, Shelbourne
Shelbourne F.C.
Shelbourne Football Club is an Irish professional football club based in the Drumcondra area of Dublin, currently playing in the League of Ireland Premier Division....
's chief executive Ollie Byrne. Dolan and Shelbourne manager Dermot Keely
Dermot Keely
Dermot Keely, is the former manager of Irish football team Shelbourne.-Family:Keely's family have played League of Ireland football at various levels. His late father Peter Keely played for Shelbourne, his brother Joe played on the same Home Farm FAI Cup winning side of 1775 as Dermot Keely himself...
traded insults in their competing tabloid columns on a weekly basis. After receiving an anonymous tip off, the league investigated the registration of every St Pats player and found that one, Charles Livingstone Mbabazi
Charles Livingstone Mbabazi
Charles Livingstone Mbabazi is a footballer from Uganda who achieved fame at St Patrick's Athletic Football Club in Ireland. Mbabazi is a versatile player with the ability to play on either wing or as a forward...
, wasn't correct. They deducted fifteen points and St Pats' title challenge lay in tatters. St Pats, again, angrily denied the charges and a leaked report (to the Evening Herald
Evening Herald
The Evening Herald is a mid-market tabloid evening newspaper published in Dublin, Ireland by Independent News & Media. It is published Monday-Saturday, and has three editions — City Edition, City Final Edition and National Edition...
) commissioned by new league CEO Roy Dooney apparently exposed several minor irregularities in player registrations on several teams but was never released. However only St Pats were punished and they would settle for third place in the league. St Pats started the season as they ended the previous one and for the first time progressed in Europe beating HNK Rijeka
NK Rijeka
HNK Rijeka is a Croatian football club, from Rijeka on the Croatian coast.-History:The club was founded as NK Kvarner in 1946, after Rijeka passed from Italy to Yugoslavia following the end of World War II. During its early period in Yugoslavia, the club had moderate success in various Yugoslav...
in the Intertoto Cup. Only an away goals defeat to KAA Gent stopped further progress.
However the levels of performance dropped and a section of the St Pats support openly protested against Dolan, with a "Dolan Out" banner appearing at games. The majority of St Pat's fans had huge appreciation for what Dolan had achieved for the club, and they still do to this day. It took a late winner at home to Cork in St Pats' last home game for Dolan to avoid bringing the team into the relegation playoff. In February 2003, Dolan parted company with St Pats to take the high profile job at Cork City. It left St Pats fans divided with the following season seeing many terrace debates between Pro and Anti Dolan camps.
Cork City
In March 2003, Dolan was appointed team manager of Cork CityCork City F.C.
Cork City Football Club is an Irish football team that plays in the League of Ireland. Founded and elected to the league in 1984 to continue the long tradition of Association Football in Cork, City's traditional colours are green and white with red trim, and the crest is a variant of the Cork...
. Cork had finished in fourth place in 2003 but with the exciting partnership of John O'Flynn
John O'Flynn
John O'Flynn is an Irish footballer, who plays for Exeter City as a striker.He spent six years with Cork City, winning the League of Ireland and FAI Cup. He scored twice on his league debut for Cork on 5 July 2002...
and George O'Callaghan
George O'Callaghan
George Paul O'Callaghan, Jr., is an Irish football player who plays as an attacking midfielder for DPMM FC....
, many pundits expected their challenge to be stronger. Dolan caught the imagination of the Cork public and much like his Saintmania and Supersaint tags, and along with Brian Lennox re-branded Cork City as the Rebel Army. He would lead Cork to 3rd position in his first season, 16 points behind league winners Shelbourne. The following season, Dolan invested heavily in players and it seemed to pay off as Cork beat Malmö FF
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white...
and NEC Nijmegen in the Intertoto Cup before falling to Nantes
FC Nantes Atlantique
Football Club de Nantes is a French association football club based in Nantes, Pays de la Loire. The club was founded on 21 April 1943, during World War II, as a result of local clubs based in the city coming together to form one big club. From 1992–2007, the club was referred to as FC Nantes...
. Dolan would improve Cork to second place in the league and they finished only three points behind winners Shelbourne. Shortly before the beginning of the 2005 season, Cork announced that Pat Dolan was no longer manager of the club.
Much like his departure at St Pats, no formal announcement was made as to the reasons behind it. In another mirroring of the St Pats departure, Cork fans were split into Pro and Anti Dolan camps. Dolan had finished building a strong team at Cork, following the good work first laid out by Dave Barry
Dave Barry
David "Dave" Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and columnist, who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comedic novels.-Biography:Barry was born in Armonk, New York,...
and then Liam Murphy, and the club went on to win the league title in 2005 under new manager Damien Richardson
Damien Richardson
Damien John Richardson is an Irish football manager and former player. He currently has no club attachments, having left Cork City at the end of the 2007 season. Richardson formerly managed Gillingham in England and Cobh Ramblers, Shelbourne and Shamrock Rovers in Ireland.Richardson's father...
, with the notable addition of Roy O'Donovan
Roy O'Donovan
Roy Simon O'Donovan is an Irish footballer who plays for Football League Championship side Coventry City. He has been capped for his country at Under-19, Under-21 and B level.-Club career:...
. A key factor in the victory in 2005 was the ability for Cork City to finally beat Shelbourne, something which they never managed while Dolan was in charge.
Waterford United
In September 2005 Dolan was appointed as an "advisor" for the Blues.He brought in James Claffey to work as a Sports Psychologist alongside him. In the eight games they were there Waterford only lost once, a remarkable feat, considering they hadn't won a game since the previous April. They eventually finished 8th place in the Premier League seven points clear of the relegation playoff spot that for so long looked theirs.
After Dolan's former side Cork City drew with Waterford, Dolan gave a surprising interview in which he spoke about Waterford in the 3rd person and referred to Cork as "we", despite his role with Waterford and his behaviour during the match which included protesting to have Cork player Danny Murphy (footballer born 1982)
Danny Murphy (footballer born 1982)
Daniel Thomas "Danny" Murphy is an English-born Irish football who plays as a defender for Cork City.-In England:Murphy, a left full back, previously played for Queens Park Rangers, Swindon Town, and Margate.-Queens Park Rangers:...
booked and subsequently ruled out of the FAI Cup Final.
Media
Throughout his St Pats and Cork City days Dolan wrote a weekly column in the tabloid newspaper Irish Daily StarIrish Daily Star
The Irish Daily Star is a tabloid newspaper published in Ireland by the Independent Star Limited. Independent Star Limited is a joint venture between Richard Desmond's UK based Express Newspapers Limited, which owns the British Daily Star, and Irish news magnate Denis O'Brien's Independent News &...
. His outspoken and often controversial column saw Dolan's profile rise outside the League of Ireland scene. After his departure from Cork City, Dolan joined Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports
Setanta Sports is an international sports broadcaster based in Dublin, Ireland. Setanta Sports was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Irish sporting events...
as their main football pundit. He continues to front their Setanta Sports Cup
Setanta Sports Cup
The Setanta Sports Cup, commonly known as just the Setanta Cup, is a club football competition featuring teams from both football associations on the island of Ireland...
coverage, as well as commentating on Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
and UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
football. He is also now a regular guest on soccer radio show and podcast World Soccer Daily
World Soccer Daily
World Football Daily is a sports radio talk show hosted by Martin Rogers and Sophie Nicolaou. The show broadcasts live on the show's official website, WorldFootballDaily.com, Monday through Friday 9–11 a.m, PST, and is later made available as a podcast...
. Dolan is parodied, to some acclaim, by Apres Match. On 7 December 2009, in his weekly Star column, Dolan was fiercely critical of the Irish international team's pursuit of players born outside Ireland.
Wexford Youths
Dolan has recently taken on the role as Head Coach of the newly formed League of Ireland First Division outfit, Wexford Youths. It is believed that Dolan will assist manager and owner Mick WallaceMick Wallace
Mick Wallace is an Irish independent politician, property developer and former football manager.-Early life:He was born in Wellingtonbridge, Wexford...
on a part-time basis due to his current media commitments.
Search for new Ireland manager, and appointment of Trapattoni
Through his weekly column in the Irish Daily Star and regular appearances on Setanta Sports, Dolan was fiercely critical of the FAI's recruitment process to find a new senior International team manager. He believed that James Claffey and Mick Dunne should have been part of the panel to decide the next Ireland Manager, as both were Colleges Football Association of Ireland (CFAI) members. James Claffey had captained Waterford Institute of TechnologyWaterford Institute of Technology
Waterford Institute of Technology is a state funded third-level educational institution situated in the city of Waterford, Ireland. The Institute has six Schools and 16 Departments....
to the CFAI Cup.
When it was announced to almost universal approval that Giovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni
Giovanni Trapattoni , sometimes known as "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian football coach and former player, considered the most successful club coach in the history of Serie A. As a player he was part of Italy's squad at the 1962 FIFA World Cup....
, one of the most successful and highly-respected managers in European football, was to be the new Ireland manager, Dolan derided the appointment, saying on a Setanta UEFA Cup broadcast that the only person who should be pleased with this outcome is Trapattoni's accountant. He also stated that he believed Trapattoni was "past it" and it was "sad" that an Irish candidate wasn't even considered for the appointment.