THE king is dead. Long live the king. We all knew a day would come when Martin Gray was no longer manager of Darlington but I suspect the speed with which he has decided to leave and take up the opportunity to manage a full-time outfit with a budget more Gray-pleasing will surprise most.

Despite having a long-term contract, Gray’s future with the club has been less than sure ever since a coup failed to materialise at the end of last season. Despite a good first couple of weeks to the season which seemed to paper over the cracks that had formed following that infamous fans’ forum, form has deteriorated and while the nature of the league mean we are still within striking distance of the playoffs, performances and results told a whole different story.

Considering us Darlo fans had been starved success for over 20 years, we have an awful lot to be grateful of Martin Gray and his service. What has never been in doubt throughout all of the years he has served us as a player, a coach and a manager is his commitment to the Darlo cause. The success he oversaw was unprecedented in the club’s history and will almost certainly never be replicated. For that, we are all thankful.

For all of the positives, there is also another angle to the critique of Gray’s reign that can’t be overlooked. Yes, we have almost always been in a league where other clubs have been funded by generous benefactors. However, we have always provided the Gray with very competitive budgets at all levels. Until the last season, we have usually only been outspent by one club and the differential between us and the rest of the league has usually been significant. Gray has always had the opportunity to add quality players as and when required and that advantage over some of our rivals has been a difference maker. With our budget pretty much spent this season, that move hasn’t been an option available and clearly, reading the statement put out about his resignation, it frustrated Gray.

In a world of football where the ‘sign as many players as you can’ approach espoused by the likes of Barry Fry and Harry Redknapp is thankfully on the wane, you always got the feeling that Gray was more aligned to that school of thought rather than happy to work with what he had. Ultimately, the players are his signings and the tactics are his. When you find yourself in a rut despite having a generous run of playing the league’s weaker sides, questions inevitably have to be asked.

I guess the rest of this season will be a case study of whether Gray was right about his call for investment. He leaves us for a club that is better funded than ours. A full-time outfit that will allow him to work with his players all week long and have a group of players who don’t turn up to games weary from a week’s work. Time will tell whether he will thrive in that environment.

From here on in, we need to get behind our new managers, Brian Atkinson and Sean Gregan, as well as the players. I suspect Atkinson and Gregan will not be as divisive as their predecessor. Hopefully, they can get a group of players who possess enough quality to challenge for the playoffs to play to their true potential and get everyone feeling a bit more positive about the outlook of our wonderful club. Heaven knows, we need a bit of positivity around the club. Hopefully, we can kick on from here and introduce the feelgood factor from Heritage Park to Blackwell Meadows.