Apparently I have the aptitude to become either an economist or a physician. My niece has just had a go on one of those career path finding websites where you put in a little bit about your likes and dislikes and it tells you what to do for the next 40 years. It worries me that apparently I'd be as at home running the economy of the country as pulling out your appendix.

I was discussing my missed career opportunities with an AFC Wimbledon fan the other day, who suggested it would be a good idea to try the same website for 99% of those currently in charge at non-league football clubs.

The ensuing conversation is probably best left out of the slandering eye, but suffice to say we doubted a large proportion of those running grassroots football clubs actually had the right credentials for the role. We imagined, he and I, that the computer probably said "no".

So what does it take to run a football club? Mick Woodward at Grays thought he knew; enthusiasm and passion in abundance, a fair bit of cash and a whole lot of drive to get the club off the ground. Where Mick went wrong, he admitted this week, was trying to do "too much by managing the team too".

Mick is everything I love and ultimately hate about the world of non league. I love the fact he wanted to run something he was passionate about, tried to take it as far as he could, and all, he maintains, for the love of the club. But that's where the whole process falls down. If Grays Athletic were a hobby, for Mick it would be like jumping out of an aeroplane; there's a risk he'd end up dead.

On a weekly, and sometime daily, basis we all come across pleas for help at our clubs, whether it's about raising money or opening up the ground and giving it a lick of paint. The trouble is the majority of the time those pleas go unnoticed, as the majority of football fans want to be just that. Fans.

So, what happens when you cross that line and decide to do that bit extra for your club? Well, with people like Mick, supporting your club can become more than a career path, it becomes a lifestyle.

We all know people that have chosen Mick's path, to a greater or lesser extent, and decided to throw caution to the wind and envelop their club. It can be the greatest experience in the world. However as a large-lipped wise man once drawled "you can't always get what you want".

If a club ever is truly to succeed you need a little bit of love and business sense in equal measure. Mick's learned this the hard way and is now pulling back, a loss which could ultimately devastate Grays. Let's hope there's plenty more "old romantic fools" behind him, as that's how all clubs survive, on goodwill and plenty of elbow grease, thankfully ignoring the direction of a computer. Anyone seen my copy of the Economist?

Caroline Barker/BBC Non League Football Show

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