He arrived at Dale in January 2006, initially on loan from Blackpool but the move was soon made into a permanent one. Coming to Spotland was the most drawn out signing in the history of the club, following almost annual attempts to bring him into the club.

He made a decent start at Spotland, and there was certainly no questions raised when he signed a permanent move, but questions were raised about his form during the remainder of the season.

Indeed, there was a much discussed moment when he entered the field of play to chants of "Ernie, Ernie, Ernie" where fans called for the introduction of Ernie Cooksey in his place. To his credit, Doolan made light of the incident whilst promising to show supporters what he was capable of.

And indeed he did. Doolan's displays during the 2006-7 season was one of the highlights and he certainly became an integral member of the side. He formed good partnerships with both Gary Jones and David Perkins.

He provided a steadying influence, and he brought a certain intelligence to the Dale side. Yes, sometimes passes went astray, but more often than not it was because it was far from being the easy ball in the first place and it was this which made him such an influential player over the past season.

He ended the 2006-7 season on something of a sour note when he was involved in an "incident" with Hartlepool player Monkhouse in our final home game of the season. When Monkhouse unleashed a shocking challenge on Glenn Murray, Doolan decided to out do him with a less than fair challenge above the knee, studs up. He didn't wait around for his red card.

That card will mean that he will start the 2007-8 with a two game suspension.