Wrexham - Boreham Wood

[Port Said Red]

Anybody watching? Mullins has just put them in front with an absolute screamer. 2-1 up after being 1 down after 45 seconds. The Yanks are getting their moneys worth. 

[Davefevs]

11 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

Anybody watching? Mullins has just put them in front with an absolute screamer. 2-1 up after being 1 down after 45 seconds. The Yanks are getting their bang for a buck. 

[Port Said Red]

4 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

And Mullin again.

[East Londoner]

Assume in years to come Notts County will be the answer to a quiz question of a side with over 100 points and didn’t go up automatically (or at all if they mess up a the playoffs)

[cityexile]

4 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

And Mullin again.

Two cracking finishes in fairness.

[mozo]

I just find the whole thing irritating 

[City_USA]

A really enjoyable game to watch as a neutral. Some well taken goals

[Port Said Red]

Just now, mozo said:

I just find the whole thing irritating 

I would if it wasn't for the fact that they seem to have gone about it in the right way, they started with work in the local community and have invested in the whole area, not just the club. They are honest about how litle knew/know about football but have become passionate about it. They may be Hollywood now, but Reynolds in particular grew up in a proper working class area of the USA and understands those people. 

[joe jordans teeth]

5 minutes ago, mozo said:

I just find the whole thing irritating 

Money will get them so far then they will get fed up

[Super]

5 minutes ago, mozo said:

I just find the whole thing irritating 

They are a breath of fresh air. Its a great story reckon they'll go up again.

[BasSavage88]

Just now, joe jordans teeth said:

Money will get them so far then they will get fed up

As with Salford. There's no ffp in non league and they will.be hamstrung the second they go up and won't be able to overspend 

[WessexPest]

10 minutes ago, mozo said:

I just find the whole thing irritating 

As do I. Get stuffed Wrectum; why does everyone think this is some sort of rags to riches story a la Oxford or Wimbledon. Just another rich man’s plaything. I find the media fawning all over that club nauseating.

Edited April 22, 2023 by WessexPest

[miketh2nd]

7 minutes ago, mozo said:

I just find the whole thing irritating 

Yes if only RR had bought a prem team and thrown money everywhere , at least he is playing football manager the most satisfying way . Also being wise enough to get a grant for the new stadium,  yes he spent loads from a non league team but it still isn't easy . 

I much this approach then the idiot that bought chelsea and said we should have no relegation.... one day SL will sell up and I'd prefer getting a RR then Vincent tan... but its just luck of the draw really. 

[TinMan's left peg]

5 minutes ago, BasSavage88 said:

As with Salford. There's no ffp in non league and they will.be hamstrung the second they go up and won't be able to overspend 

True although their income is massively above most in L2 (and probably L1) - big sponsorships from huge multinationals (TikTok , Expedia etc) and big gate receipts. 

[Northern Red]

They really should be looking to go up again next year. After that is where they might hit a wall.

[Port Said Red]

5 minutes ago, joe jordans teeth said:

Money will get them so far then they will get fed up

 

3 minutes ago, BasSavage88 said:

As with Salford. There's no ffp in non league and they will.be hamstrung the second they go up and won't be able to overspend 

A new 25 million pound stand being added, probably more to come. They have the whole of the North/Mid Wales catchment area to themselves, they have little or no competition when it comes to league clubs, unlike Salford. Wales will be looking to play international games there again and they will get more and more income locally. That along with the kind of sponsorship that the Americans can bring in like Tiktok, they will have plenty to spend.

[Dredd]

The fact they are getting a thread on here every time they play, national coverage, being all over social media and has half of football swooning over there is getting annoying already. It's not an underdog story, it's rich owners buying their way out of non league. I actually like RM and RR, they seem like good guys doing stuff for the wider community in Wrexham but I'm already sick of it. 

[Robbored]

Promoted back to the EFL at last. They beat Boreham Wood 3-1.

A real Hollywood victory 

[Dredd]

No thread for Leyton Orient the other night?

[Loco Rojo]

If they'd got promoted but without RR and RM being around you'd hardly hear anything about it.

Power of the media love in.

[Super]

Great scenes.

[formerly known as ivan]

Would never be able to bring myself to congratulate them. Notts County deserve more congratulations for keeping pace with them all season on a much lower budget.

People love the Wrexham circus. The Hollywood script. If you ask me, paying players the equivalent of high end league 1/low end championship wages makes their promotion far less of an achievement. More about what a failure it would have been had they not got promoted.

[Stedge]

Ryan Reynolds F.C. Right up there with Frank Lampards Derby County. Getting far too much attention by the gushing media.

[Northern Red]

As I've said before, I live nearby and what they've done to revitalise a club and town that was dying on its arse is quite remarkable. I can only congratulate them for that, they've clearly caught the bug and seem to get what it means. And their comments about Yeovil in midweek were a very classy touch.

However, this idea of it being a fairytale and great underdog story is absolute nonsense and it is irritating to see it described as such. The amount of money they're paying that squad means that anything other than promotion would have been a huge failure.

[Northern Red]

Definitely needed another thread...

[Port Said Red]

6 minutes ago, Northern Red said:

As I've said before, I live nearby and what they've done to revitalise a club and town that was dying on its arse is quite remarkable. I can only congratulate them for that, they've clearly caught the bug and seem to get what it means. And their comments about Yeovil in midweek were a very classy touch.

However, this idea of it being a fairytale and great underdog story is absolute nonsense and it is irritating to see it described as such. The amount of money they're paying that squad means that anything other than promotion would have been a huge failure.

That's true now, but when you hear the stories of the fans having whip rounds to pay the players less than 10 years ago, that's where the fairytale bit comes in to my mind.

[Super]

11 minutes ago, formerly known as ivan said:

Would never be able to bring myself to congratulate them. Notts County deserve more congratulations for keeping pace with them all season on a much lower budget.

People love the Wrexham circus. The Hollywood script. If you ask me, paying players the equivalent of high end league 1/low end championship wages makes their promotion far less of an achievement. More about what a failure it would have been had they not got promoted.

Money only helps it doesn't guarantee success.

[formerly known as ivan]

1 minute ago, Super said:

Money only helps it doesn't guarantee success.

To an extent. I would say however at that level, it definitely guarantees you success

[TonyTonyTony]

Bollocks to Wrexham I say tbh. They should be spunking that league easily with the money floating about. It’s not a romantic story at all. 

[Super]

1 minute ago, formerly known as ivan said:

To an extent. I would say however at that level, it definitely guarantees you success

It doesn't.

[joe jordans teeth]

25 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

 

A new 25 million pound stand being added, probably more to come. They have the whole of the North/Mid Wales catchment area to themselves, they have little or no competition when it comes to league clubs, unlike Salford. Wales will be looking to play international games there again and they will get more and more income locally. That along with the kind of sponsorship that the Americans can bring in like Tiktok, they will have plenty to spend.

Maybe you know more about this than me but what is it with TikTok about to be  banned (I know it’s a Chinese company who kinda owns it)and could that effect sponsorship deals 

[East Londoner]

5 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

That's true now, but when you hear the stories of the fans having whip rounds to pay the players less than 10 years ago, that's where the fairytale bit comes in to my mind.

This and the fact that the two Hollywood actors chose to buy Wrexham in the first place after everything their fans had been through is the fairytale 

[formerly known as ivan]

6 minutes ago, Super said:

It doesn't.

 

[Loco Rojo]

21 minutes ago, Port Said Red said:

That's true now, but when you hear the stories of the fans having whip rounds to pay the players less than 10 years ago, that's where the fairytale bit comes in to my mind.

For me, a fairytale story would have been a team earning promotion when the fans were still having a whip around to pay wages and the team were genuine underdogs compared to those around them - not when millionaire owners come in and buy the their way out of the league. 

This is not a fairytale story. This is a typical media love in with popular hollywood celebs doing something unusual. Where has this same level of media attention been shinning this much light on non league football before? 

Enough said...

 

Edited April 22, 2023 by Loco Rojo

[The Swan and Cemetery]

Rumours of Larry Wilcox and Erik Estrada being en route to bring some CHiPs pizazz to Rochdale’s fortunes are still to be confirmed. 

[AberRed]

Even if you take away all the Hollywood stuff, when I was a kid Wrexham were a staple League One team (and I'm only 30!) so it's a bit weird that quite so much is being made of their promotion to the football league. Isn't this them just getting back to the level they were usually historically at?

[tin]

I couldn’t give two shits about Wrexham and would’ve preferred the oldest pro club in the world to be back in the English Football League over another Welsh lot. 

[The Gasbuster]

Just now, tin said:

I couldn’t give two shits about Wrexham and would’ve preferred the oldest pro club in the world to be back in the English Football League over another Welsh lot. 

Agreed.

FOUR welsh clubs now in the English leagues. They should be in the League of Wales.

[Selred]

The owners really got the Club, the community and are really invested. 
Welcome to Wrexham is a great TV series and would highly recommend. 

[Port Said Red]

14 minutes ago, East Londoner said:

This and the fact that the two Hollywood actors chose to buy Wrexham in the first place after everything their fans had been through is the fairytale 

Maybe, but they will easily replace them with another international brand.

[tin]

Just now, The Gasbuster said:

Agreed.

FOUR welsh clubs now in the English leagues. They should be in the League of Wales.

Exactly. I’ve never understood why there’s one rule for them and another for the Jocks.

[2015]

Hopefully Notts County win Promotion in the Playoffs. A side who play really good football for the level and have the League's top goalscorer too, yes more than Mullin. Sod Wrexham

[AberRed]

I do find stuff like this pretty extraordinary though. I'm not sure I've ever seen National media so biased towards one club...

 

[shelts]

Lot of expectation with the amount of money and the high profile owners . Spending the most doesn’t always guarantee success. Be interesting to see what they do pre season . Great game and an enjoyable watch this season . Standard is pretty good . 

[Unan]

Reynolds is a hyper successful person, business, marketing, acting, etc etc. Some people are just highly highly successful and nail everything they do, he’s one of those people. Don’t get me wrong, he’s set himself up with a good gig for success, but that’s part of the planning. Done a great job and every credit to them.

[formerly known as ivan]

28 minutes ago, Super said:

It doesn't.

Another point I forgot to add earlier sorry…

How many other non-league teams do you think would get sponsored by the biggest social media app in the world? As well as a documentary on one of the worlds biggest streaming platform?

Edited April 22, 2023 by formerly known as ivan

[Midlands Robin]

Am I right in remembering when it all started to go financially wrong for them back in the early 2000*s, it was our match at their place they chose to stage a huge protest against their board at? 

Anyway, let them have their moment. Well done and all that jazz and then hopefully Notts County will win the play offs. 

I fully expect Wrexham to do the double promotion as a lot of clubs coming out of the National league tend to do and then we'll see how the Hollywood story goes. League 1 is a different reality these days. 

[Mike Hunt-Hertz]

1 hour ago, Port Said Red said:

Anybody watching? Mullins has just put them in front with an absolute screamer. 2-1 up after being 1 down after 45 seconds. The Yanks are getting their moneys worth. 

Isn't one a Canadian?

[southside]

4 minutes ago, Mike Hunt-Hertz said:

Isn't one a Canadian?

Ryan Reynolds is Canadian

[Northern Red]

8 minutes ago, Midlands Robin said:

Am I right in remembering when it all started to go financially wrong for them back in the early 2000*s, it was our match at their place they chose to stage a huge protest against their board at? 

Anyway, let them have their moment. Well done and all that jazz and then hopefully Notts County will win the play offs. 

I fully expect Wrexham to do the double promotion as a lot of clubs coming out of the National league tend to do and then we'll see how the Hollywood story goes. League 1 is a different reality these days. 

Yes that's right, I think it was the last time we played them. Think it was promoted as Fans United or something like that, I remember there were a load of Brighton fans there as they were going through something similar.

[Robbored]

It’s an extraordinary story. Two Hollywood stars invest massively in a football club little known outside of the UK that have been thru hard times and now are back in the EFL

Their involved in Wrexham has attracted many tourists from overseas mostly the USA and that influx has boosted the area  tremendously.

Fair play to all concerned I say.

[AberRed]

24 minutes ago, Midlands Robin said:

Am I right in remembering when it all started to go financially wrong for them back in the early 2000*s, it was our match at their place they chose to stage a huge protest against their board at? 

Anyway, let them have their moment. Well done and all that jazz and then hopefully Notts County will win the play offs. 

I fully expect Wrexham to do the double promotion as a lot of clubs coming out of the National league tend to do and then we'll see how the Hollywood story goes. League 1 is a different reality these days. 

I expect them to get promoted again too but you're right about League 1 being the level where it'll get a lot tougher.

If you look at the stature of the clubs in the top half (Sheffield Weds, Ipswich, Derby, Charlton, Portsmouth etc) vs those at the bottom (Forest Green, Morecambe, Accrington Stanley) it's a pretty big chasm.

[Red Shadow]

44 minutes ago, The Gasbuster said:

Agreed.

FOUR welsh clubs now in the English leagues. They should be in the League of Wales.

FIVE if you count Merthyr Town in the Southern League Premier South.

[1960maaan]

36 minutes ago, Mike Hunt-Hertz said:

Isn't one a Canadian?

Reynolds is Canadian, McElhenny is American

[formerly known as ivan]

23 minutes ago, Percy Pig said:

Haven't County had by far the biggest budget in that league for the 5 years before Wrexham's new owners? Feels like saying Abramovic's Chelsea were at an unfair disadvantage once Mansoor bought Man City... 

There is having the biggest budget, and then there is blowing everyone out the water. I don’t think any Notts County players are in £10k a week

[formerly known as ivan]

2 minutes ago, Percy Pig said:

I don't think there are many players outside the top two who are on John Bostock's wages either. For years they had the Surinamese winger whose name I can't recall on 4k a week. 

Same scale as the example I chose. 

Care to find a graph of wages in the conference?

I tried but gave up 

[CodeRed]

1 hour ago, The Gasbuster said:

Agreed.

FOUR welsh clubs now in the English leagues. They should be in the League of Wales.

Spot on,  Northern Irish clubs, Scottish clubs, play in their own countries leagues.

#### the Welsh !

[BS4 on Tour...]

2 hours ago, Port Said Red said:

... Reynolds in particular grew up in a proper working class area of the USA and understands those people. 

Didn’t Reynolds grow up in Canada, in Vancouver?

[PHILINFRANCE]

1 hour ago, shelts said:

Lot of expectation with the amount of money and the high profile owners . Spending the most doesn’t always guarantee success. Be interesting to see what they do pre season . Great game and an enjoyable watch this season . Standard is pretty good . 

I assume you are referring to new signings, but they are also undertaking a pre season tour to the USA, where they have friendlies arranged against Manchester UTD and, I think, Chelsea.

[PHILINFRANCE]

Just now, BS4 on Tour... said:

Didn’t Reynolds grow up in Canada, in Vancouver?

Indeed he did, and I’m not so sure his childhood was particularly deprived.

[Port Said Red]

1 minute ago, BS4 on Tour... said:

Didn’t Reynolds grow up in Canada, in Vancouver?

Yes. I meant McElhinney.

[spudski]

Kinnel...the hypocrisy on this thread is ridiculous. 

Imagine where we'd be if we hadn't had an owner who's ploughed £millions into the club over the years. 

He may not be ' Hollywood '...but still. 

Yes we could have had another owner...but money is essential.

Chelsea and Man City come to mind in recent years as well. 

What's the difference? 

Edited April 22, 2023 by spudski

[The Journalist]

I think the whole “media love-in” thing is interesting - it’s very much a two-way street. You can promote the shit out of a story/event but if people aren’t interested it doesn’t land (and, believe me, we do plenty of that).

The interest in this story has been genuinely phenomenal today though - the traffic some of the content has driven has been extraordinary and blown me away, I guess because it’s a story that transcends sport.

So yeah, just wanted to make that point from a position of actual knowledge - yes, the media have bought in but so has the audience. Why? Because whether you like it or not it’s a good - and pretty ridiculous - story!

[Baba Yaga]

Think I have complained about the media coverage they have had in the past which I stand by, 2 people from Hollywood show up and suddenly a 5th tier team become relevant. 

Also I keep reading people saying they are investing in the community but never any specifics on how or how much which makes me think the slick marketing machine working behind the scenes is very convincing to the people who tend to lap these things up. 

However I like that they have given exposure internationally to the lower leagues when everything is usually prem dominated, and their project is very interesting and I will be watching to see what level they can get up to and also if they can pull off revitalising that area of the country. As already said things will be much more competitive when they hit the top half of league 1 and their commitment and their pockets will need to be much deeper by then I would guess.

Fair play to the Wrexham fans though because 15 years in that division it must have been a great feeling to finally get over the line. Personally I won't mind too much when they overtake Cardiff and Swansea and they are the no 1 team in Wales again. 

Edited April 22, 2023 by Baba Yaga

[Davefevs]

1 hour ago, spudski said:

Kinnel...the hypocrisy on this thread is ridiculous. 

Imagine where we'd be if we hadn't had an owner who's ploughed £millions into the club over the years. 

He may not be ' Hollywood '...but still. 

Yes we could have had another owner...but money is essential.

Chelsea and Man City come to mind in recent years as well. 

What's the difference? 

He certainly isn’t Withywood either.

[Selred]

2 hours ago, Baba Yaga said:

Also I keep reading people saying they are investing in the community but never any specifics on how or how much

A few examples: 

- They are actively learning Welsh.
- They often engage with the community; be it regularly visiting the pub next to the ground, buying drinks for everyone during special occasions (a few times they have put money behind the bar), often support the women’s football (actually attending Wrexham ladies games), and finally really pushed for equality (ensuring the disabled liaison officer was a paid role, creating quiet zones, ensuring the stadium is wheelchair friendly etc). 
- oh and finally Ryan Reynolds has bought a house nearby too.

[Oh Louie louie]

7 hours ago, Red Shadow said:

FIVE if you count Merthyr Town in the Southern League Premier South.

I'm think I'm right in saying five and a half, the deva stadium Chester?

[Silvio Dante]

44 minutes ago, Oh Louie louie said:

I'm think I'm right in saying five and a half, the deva stadium Chester?

Strictly speaking yes. The footprint of the ground straddles both England and Wales as shown below. I recall in COVID due to differing lockdown regulations Chester played games under the English rules but the Welsh government accused them of breaching regulations

[tin]

8 hours ago, The Journalist said:

I think the whole “media love-in” thing is interesting - it’s very much a two-way street. You can promote the shit out of a story/event but if people aren’t interested it doesn’t land (and, believe me, we do plenty of that).

The interest in this story has been genuinely phenomenal today though - the traffic some of the content has driven has been extraordinary and blown me away, I guess because it’s a story that transcends sport.

So yeah, just wanted to make that point from a position of actual knowledge - yes, the media have bought in but so has the audience. Why? Because whether you like it or not it’s a good - and pretty ridiculous - story!

Is that traffic predominantly from within the UK, though, or is there a spike in traffic from North America? 

[The Journalist]

Just now, tin said:

Is that traffic predominantly from within the UK, though, or is there a spike in traffic from North America? 

Predominately the UK. It’s fair to say the story has done relatively big traffic in North America (last month the Wrexham page was the fourth-most visited by US readers, more than Man City!), but actually BBC audience numbers for sport in the US aren’t that huge in the grand scheme of things.

What is interesting though, as you allude to, is the type of audience coming to the story. Yesterday’s live page was particularly popular with younger readers, for example.

We were also interested in the thumbs up/thumbs down balance on the goal posts. I’d have expected it to be relatively even, a mixture of well wishers and cynical fans who want Wrexham to fail (a bit like on this thread), but there were 3,300 ups v 130 downs on the third goal. That’s fairly unprecedented.

So yeah, I think it just goes to prove this is way more than just a straight football story/run-of-the-mill ‘non-league team wins promotion’ tale. It’s a great news story which the audience has engaged with to a level way beyond my expectations.