By Paula Marcus
I generally try not to mention Reading too much (I did say too much), but sometimes that just goes out the window. On the day Wales qualified for the knockout stages of Euro 2016, Reading’s academy manager Eamonn Dolan died after a brave battle against cancer at the age of 48. What links these two events is that Dolan never got to see a Wales squad featuring two players he coached (Simon Church and Hal Robson-Kanu) top their group and go on to the quarter finals.
A few months ago the club decided to allow fans to rename our North Stand, and the suggestion to now call it the Eamonn Dolan Stand may seem like a knee-jerk reaction, but it is far from that. Reading Football Club is better for the time Dolan spent here, and it’s not just me that thinks that. Everyone from the fans, local journalists, ex-players, current players even up to Sir John Madejski himself has confirmed as much. It is what he has done on and off the pitch that has really resonated. I don’t remember hearing so many kind words said about one person, he truly was a special man and we were lucky to have had him at our club.
Dolan has been at Reading since 2004, a time which has seen the most successful period in the clubs history, and that’s no coincidence. Our academy is without doubt one of the best in the country and it has played a big part in getting us to where we are now. From the time Dolan took over the academy in 2004 (five years after its creation) we have seen an impressive 32 players make first team debuts, 14 of those in the last three years. We ended last season with five academy players in the first team, the stand outs being Jordan Obita and Jake Cooper who have become key players in our back four despite being 22 and 21 years old.
Things are pretty good on the international front too, with multiple players capped at youth levels, including for England. Along with the Welsh contingent, Gylfi Sigurdsson of Iceland and Shane Long of the Republic of Ireland are also academy graduates at Euro 2016, whilst Michael Hector played for Jamaica in the Copa America tournament. Whilst Dolan may not have seen Wales top the group, hopefully he was able to see Robson-Kanu and Sigurdsson both find the net in a major international tournament, something I’m sure he would be proud of.
For clubs outside the top division, academies provide more than just the next generation of players, they can also be a lifeline for the club. The sale of just three of our players made around £15 million at a time when the club really needed the money (especially in the case of the last two sales). Another academy graduate, Aaron Tschibola is reportedly wanted my multiple clubs as well.
The effect Dolan has had on the academy and players can’t be highlighted enough. A large number of Reading graduates can be found around the leagues, with Sigurdsson (Swansea), Long (Southampton) and Hector (Chelsea) currently in the top division. Whilst as fans we obviously want to retain our best players, it must be somewhat fulfilling to see players you have coached playing at the highest levels.
It might be too soon to talk about what happens now to the academy he worked so hard to create. We have retained our top level status which is a key component and obviously the people he worked with are all still here. What we need to do is ensure that the academy continues to encourage excellence in his name.
But his legacy will live on at the club, and round the country as players he coached ply their trade. A little bit of every award, promotion and title won by our academy graduates will always belong to Dolan. So thank you Eamonn Dolan for everything you have done for my club and the most heartfelt condolences to your family and friends.
As former academy player Ryan Edwards said ‘once a Royal, always a Royal.’ RIP.
The funeral will take place at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Wokingham at 11am on Tuesday 5th July.
Donations can be made in Eamonn’s memory to Action on Bladder Cancer UK (ABC) or Cancer Research UK here
Listen to Paula’s latest Championship podcast at Premier Punditry.