FOOTBALL fans are a fickle bunch. They love their club but often have a love-hate relationship with the people who run it.

For instance, is there a tougher job in all of sport than that of football manager?

When the team plays well the supporters praise the players. When the team does badly the fans call for the manager’s head.

Over the weekend two directors have resigned from the board of Darlington FC in the wake of a social media storm after the club’s promotion hopes were dashed because the ground doesn’t have enough covered seating.

Officials said director Richard Cook, a successful businessman who holds a senior role in an international organisation, had quit after “disgraceful and completely unjustifiable” criticism.

At the top level football club directors are very well paid. The financial rewards for directors of Premier League clubs easily outstrip the remuneration given to directors at non-football companies of a similar size.

But in the lower leagues the situation is very different.

Directors often take nothing at all. They give their time and expertise for the love of the game and the good of the club.

Richard Cook was that kind of director. He gave his professional services for free and, as Wayne Raper, chairman of the Quakers’ Supporters Group, said he was “a vital member of the club board with a broad skill set which was a huge asset”.

After a near-death experience in 2012, Darlington FC has bounced back magnificently.

The players, management and fans all deserve kudos for this remarkable achievement.

The loss of promotion hopes on a technicality is a big blow but the club has come through far worse. Now is not the time for recriminations.

Better to stick together, regroup and come back stronger than ever.