Dean Saunders, the former manager of Wrexham, acknowledges that he initially believed Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s takeover of the team to be “a joke”.
Consequently, what happened?
In February 2021, the Hollywood pair formally declared their intention to acquire the Welsh-based club. Their selection of Wrexham sparked criticism, particularly in light of the club’s lengthy history of negligent ownership. Former Red Dragons manager Saunders, a 15-year veteran of 77 Wales appearances, acknowledges that he was first cautious but, like most of football, has come to appreciate Reynolds and McElhenney.
WHAT SAUNDERS SAID
The former centre-forward said in an interview with Instant Casino: “When I was managing Wrexham, I always believed that I could get them into the Championship. I remember thinking that we’d get 15,000 fans in for games in that league, but you’d have to double that now. I thought it was a joke when I heard Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were taking over Wrexham. A lot of people tried to buy the club during my time there. I think the owner of Direct Line was interested, and I thought even that was a joke. I wondered what Reynolds and McElhenney’s intentions were and why they chose Wrexham.
“I knew the catchment area between Wrexham, Newport County, and Cardiff, and it’s a three-hour journey with no English Football League clubs in between. There’s a massive catchment area between the cities, and they also have Chester, Liverpool, the Manchester clubs, and Stoke poaching the best Wrexham players from the satellite academies. I thought the owners chose the club because they could see the potential – and they’ve done so much for both the town and the football team. I think they’ve been brilliant. Reynolds and McElhenney also seem like good men. They’ve pumped money into the local community and the club. They’ve also managed to get out of the National League without having to go through the playoffs.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Not only did the celebrity pair help Wrexham seal promotion to the Football League at just the second time of asking, but the Welsh outfit are now flying high in League Two. Phil Parkinson’s side are eyeing sensational back-to-back promotions as they sit just two points off top with a game in hand over leaders Stockport. Success has extended to off-field matters, too, with Reynolds and McElhenney’s famous Welcome to Wrexham documentary winning big at the Emmys this week.
WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?
Saunders’ dreams of Championship football may not be too far away, then, with even Premier League status touted for the not-too-distant future. For now, though, focus will remain on their fight for League Two promotion, which resumes against Newport on Saturday.
