Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac | Wrexham AFC Watch | Have Sold Minority Stake

BeforeKeanetherewasRobson said:
I think it’s maybe because people who are fine with it don’t really comment on the money/contacts… while people who bash them ignore the fact that money BY ITSELF doesn’t gtee anything, as loads of teams have shown. Like most threads, there’s extremes and the truth tends to lie somewhere in between.

I live local so I’m slightly biased because it does bring some money and focus to the area and a few mates are fans, but I don’t ignore that the sponsors specifically are only involved due to Ryan/wife owning them OR Ryan’s contacts/pull OR the Disney publicity (though you could say that’s clever from the sponsors as they know their brand gets more publicity than other clubs’ in same league).

What they have done is manage the process fantastically, spent wisely, used the publicity and ignored heartstrings when it comes to moving players on (even if they were key at some point).
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ericking said:
Spending money doesn't guarantee success at all, and can even result in disaster.
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Of course it doesn't guarantee success but it can sure as heck help. Same with the other advantages. As I said, they deserve credit for the way they've done it, but they've done it with advantages that other clubs in the leagues below just didn't and don't have.
 
Melbourne Red said:
Is it that bad that they attract sponsorship money because Ryan Reynolds offers them exposure? Clubs attract sponsors because of the prospect that they'll offer them exposure.
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I personally don't really like it but the point was more that some people are trying to argue that they don't have an advantage in some respects or that things they have aren't because of their celebrity owners.
 
It's a fairytale in the sense that I don't think anyone in Wrexham saw their town and football club receiving such international attention or ever rising through the leagues as they have.

From an "on the pitch" perspective though, not really. They've not overcome any odds, even if the back to back promotions remain an impressive achievement.
 
For what it's worth, I might be the only one in the world who was far more familiar with Rob Mac than Ryan Reynolds. I haven't seen the cünt in anything since Two Guys, A Girl and A Pizza Place in about 1997.
 
Alex99 said:
It's a fairytale in the sense that I don't think anyone in Wrexham saw their town and football club receiving such international attention or ever rising through the leagues as they have.

From an "on the pitch" perspective though, not really. They've not overcome any odds, even if the back to back promotions remain an impressive achievement.
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Yeah this is a point for sure. In fact all the statements in this post are sound. Well done Alex99.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
It's evidently not the same, though. You're leaving out some key "details" to make a really weird point.
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Is what I've said not true then? Because it sure as hell seems to be.

My issue with Wrexham is solely on the fact that they have risen through the leagues based on outspending the competition with zero comeback, they are still losing money despite the fact they self sponsor and receive money from their owners by way of other ventures.
It is very similar to City and part of their 115 charges.

It's not a fairytale, it's just money ruling the roost yet again and it's killing football. It used to be concentrated at the top of the pyramid but Forest Green, Salford, Birmingham, and now Wrexham amongst others have infiltrated the lower leagues.
 
SilentWitness said:
Of course it doesn't guarantee success but it can sure as heck help. Same with the other advantages. As I said, they deserve credit for the way they've done it, but they've done it with advantages that other clubs in the leagues below just didn't and don't have.
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Are you saying that Wrexham had advantages that other clubs didn't have before the Hollywood duo bought in?
 
utdalltheway said:
Are you saying that Wrexham had advantages that other clubs didn't have before the Hollywood duo bought in?
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No. I'm saying they have had them since the Hollywood duo came in and they range from the money to the exposure etc.

They're very much a face of the operation despite perhaps others in the operation running it more on a daily basis.
 
Wrexham were the ones that got lucky cos they were picked by Rob & Ryan. It could have been any club.
Yeah, those two threw money at the club to improve it and it's borne fruit. I've no problem with that. It's not like it's a pariah state that poured hundreds of millions into a club.
The only way to stop things happening like they did at Wrexham is to put much tighter caps on investment & spending. But I suppose the question then is: is that fair?
 
Melbourne Red said:
For what it's worth, I might be the only one in the world who was far more familiar with Rob Mac than Ryan Reynolds. I haven't seen the cünt in anything since Two Guys, A Girl and A Pizza Place in about 1997.
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If not for Deadpool, I'd probably be in the same boat too. I used to watch Two Guys and a Girl when I was in high school, no idea what else he'd been in until Deadpool. For someone so famous, his IMDB credits are largely forgettable.
 
Ish said:
Sort of assumed something similar, yeah. Do you think the 'fairytale' narrative would have been washed away if the owners weren't as likeable (and the PR with the reality show etc not as strong) or if they were, say, some US VC firm or so?
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Probably, I guess. I was also in no way comparing the owners, but more the approach. Outspending the league but not going over board with it. Gradually climbing and having to switch out almost all players every summer because of promotions.

The ownership situation couldn’t be more different. On the one hand a soft drink company founded by a right wing idiot who invented a club in a country where clubs are usually fan owned. On the other hand two seemingly nice blokes in a league that has been selling out to billionaires, oligarchs and dictatorships for decades.
 
duffer said:
They've not changed their name into a gross soft drink though.

If "Wrexham AFC" had become "Sprite Wrexham", they'd have less goodwill!
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Hey, the RB in RB Leipzig does not stand for Red Bull! It has a totally different meaning.
 
Champ said:
It's is though, but nevermind,
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City were already in the EPL; are owned by a state with infinite money of their own that make them stand out financially in football worldwide; and are under investigation for becoming rich through malpractice. The comparison is valid only in a very narrow sense (became rich due to new owners), and there are much better clubs to compare them with across the leagues. Nonetheless picking City on a United forum suggests bias on your part.
 
whitbyviking said:
To be fair their spending in the championship isn’t obscene. It was a lot more disproportionate in League 2 and League 1 from what I remember. Lot of rich owners in the championship and as others have said they don’t stand out if not for their fame. Other clubs have done the same if not more, Newcastle were famous for it.
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Acrobat7 said:
Probably, I guess. I was also in no way comparing the owners, but more the approach. Outspending the league but not going over board with it. Gradually climbing and having to switch out almost all players every summer because of promotions.

The ownership situation couldn’t be more different. On the one hand a soft drink company founded by a right wing idiot who invented a club in a country where clubs are usually fan owned. On the other hand two seemingly nice blokes in a league that has been selling out to billionaires, oligarchs and dictatorships for decades.
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Thanks both and it makes sense. A bit of positive “PR”, plus owners who are seemingly invested. Plus the advantage diluting in the championship wrt spending etc. Still…I think the narrative is partly “curated” as a fairytale, versus a few clubs (depending on ownership), who wouldn’t have the same story written about their success. Not that I’m too bothered. I like RR.
 
whitbyviking said:
To be fair their spending in the championship isn’t obscene. It was a lot more disproportionate in League 2 and League 1 from what I remember. Lot of rich owners in the championship and as others have said they don’t stand out if not for their fame. Other clubs have done the same if not more, Newcastle were famous for it.
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I think it kinda is actually. The spent basically 40 million in the summer. No incoming fees either.
Absolutely no championship club can do that. Even the relegated clubs whilst they spend they tend to have more going out.

I can’t be certain but I’d be amazed if any championship side have ever had a 40 million net spend in a single summer.
 
Cheimoon said:
City were already in the EPL; are owned by a state with infinite money of their own that make them stand out financially in football worldwide; and are under investigation for becoming rich through malpractice. The comparison is valid only in a very narrow sense (became rich due to new owners), and there are much better clubs to compare them with across the leagues. Nonetheless picking City on a United forum suggests bias on your part.
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They both have spent far beyond their means, the comparison is very very valid.
I could pick on Chelsea if you'd like, I could pick on Forest Green, I don't care, I just don't like the skewed unfair nature of football.

Just for context, I Left a club because they got bought out by an owner worth millions, it didn't sit well with me because they threw money around and started winning games because of that money.
It doesn't sit well with me, and I don't understand why it does with other football fans.
Football is unfair already, yet alone having an unlimited amount of money to skew the competition.
 
Champ said:
It's is though, but nevermind,
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It’s not though.

Have Wrexham paid parents of a tfr target tens of £Ms? Have Wrexham paid managers as consultants to get round tax laws? Have Wrexham paid people threw off shore accounts? Have Wrexham denied the authorities the chance to check documents as evidence? Have Wrexham created sponsorship deals worth tens of £Ms? Have Wrexham been charged with ONE offence?

If you don’t like Wrexham, Reynolds, Disney, whatever.. fine, just be honest. Saying it’s the same as City is disingenuous.
 
BeforeKeanetherewasRobson said:
It’s not though.

Have Wrexham paid parents of a tfr target tens of £Ms? Have Wrexham paid managers as consultants to get round tax laws? Have Wrexham paid people threw off shore accounts? Have Wrexham denied the authorities the chance to check documents as evidence? Have Wrexham created sponsorship deals worth tens of £Ms? Have Wrexham been charged with ONE offence?

If you don’t like Wrexham, Reynolds, Disney, whatever.. fine, just be honest. Saying it’s the same as City is disingenuous.
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That's the thing. I don't like the obscene money in football, the way the rich clubs get richer, the way rich owners can buy success for their clubs, or most anything else that comes with football's unbridled (or should I say: unhinged) capitalism. But there are still degrees among all that, and except if you see only two or three categories (which to my mind would be unhelpfully simplistic), I think it's hard to see how Wrexham belong in the same bracket as City.
 
Ludens the Red said:
I think it kinda is actually. The spent basically 40 million in the summer. No incoming fees either.
Absolutely no championship club can do that. Even the relegated clubs whilst they spend they tend to have more going out.

I can’t be certain but I’d be amazed if any championship side have ever had a 40 million net spend in a single summer.
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Probably not quite clearly wording enough. Lots of championship teams spend big but most of it is in effect self funded. You are right on net spend, quick bit of research suggests the high point for that is around €20m most seasons, but usually between €10-20. Going back 10yrs though there were clubs who had similar net spends to get out the league - Villa, Wolves, Newcastle to name a few.

As I said though they also sold players, which Wrexham are not in a position to do now and probably won’t be for at least a few more seasons, it’s why I think they are a lot less sustainable than those who spent big previously to them. Especially with the stricter rules in the championship on finances.

Edit - even Derby and Stoke have had seasons where they have spent over €30m net
 
Slightly off topic - I know it’s transfermarket.com and things can be a bit inaccurate but running a table on expenditure in the Championship for the last 10 seasons was an interesting exercise. Newcastle obviously top of the clubs that have been int he championship that time with a reported spend over the years of €1.2bn, but villa also there with €1.04bn and then Wolves with €962m, Brighton with €896m, Bournemouth with €788m and Southampton with €770m. All with big net spends, that decrease as you come down the list, bit only Southampton near parity with about €20m.

Some unexpected figures there, but it just shows that buying lots of small transfers soon adds up, Brighton for example have the rep of a selling club that make money, their net spend is still €250m in the period, which is the same as Middlesbrough’s to total expenditure in that period and they are always near the top for transfer spend intent championship (their net spend is circa €6m in the period).
 
Cheimoon said:
That's the thing. I don't like the obscene money in football, the way the rich clubs get richer, the way rich owners can buy success for their clubs, or most anything else that comes with football's unbridled (or should I say: unhinged) capitalism. But there are still degrees among all that, and except if you see only two or three categories (which to my mind would be unhelpfully simplistic), I think it's hard to see how Wrexham belong in the same bracket as City.
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The degree thing can go both ways, I think. There's the shady and likely rule breaking way City spent money to get around regulations post FFP, which Wrexham hasn't done. Then there's the amount spent. Obviously in absolute terms City is way worse, while in relative terms (compared to their competitors), Wrexham has been way worse.

Though I think it makes more sense to name RB Leipzig or Abramovich's Chelsea as comparative fairy tales. Or the Robinho era of City.
 
Salt Bailly said:
100% a fairytale given the complete lack of experience of the owners. Not a single person could've predicted how well it's gone.
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The owners lack of experience is the reason they are where they are. That's the whole premise of the TV show.
 
NotThatSoph said:
The degree thing can go both ways, I think. There's the shady and likely rule breaking way City spent money to get around regulations post FFP, which Wrexham hasn't done. Then there's the amount spent. Obviously in absolute terms City is way worse, while in relative terms (compared to their competitors), Wrexham has been way worse.

Though I think it makes more sense to name RB Leipzig or Abramovich's Chelsea as comparative fairy tales. Or the Robinho era of City.
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Championship FFP is far stricter than the premier league so it is hard to see how Wrexham will remain in that without some financial doping.
 
OnlyTwoDaSilvas said:
If not for Deadpool, I'd probably be in the same boat too. I used to watch Two Guys and a Girl when I was in high school, no idea what else he'd been in until Deadpool. For someone so famous, his IMDB credits are largely forgettable.
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I think it's why he clings to Deadpool imo as a real success of his.

I'm the same, I find it weird Rob tends to be missed out of comments etc when by all appearances on the show, he was the driving factor, just didn't have the cash to do it by himself.
 
Alex99 said:
It's a fairytale in the sense that I don't think anyone in Wrexham saw their town and football club receiving such international attention or ever rising through the leagues as they have.

From an "on the pitch" perspective though, not really. They've not overcome any odds, even if the back to back promotions remain an impressive achievement.
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Beating a PL club was definitely against the odds, to be fair. Whatever their spending was, it was a fraction of Forrest’s.
 
BeforeKeanetherewasRobson said:
It’s not though.

Have Wrexham paid parents of a tfr target tens of £Ms? Have Wrexham paid managers as consultants to get round tax laws? Have Wrexham paid people threw off shore accounts? Have Wrexham denied the authorities the chance to check documents as evidence? Have Wrexham created sponsorship deals worth tens of £Ms? Have Wrexham been charged with ONE offence?

If you don’t like Wrexham, Reynolds, Disney, whatever.. fine, just be honest. Saying it’s the same as City is disingenuous.
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Wrexham have self sponsored, they've spent far beyond their means, paid ridiculous wages and had EFL regulations been as stringent as they are at the top of the game then they would have been charged by now.

So yeah, there's definite parallels with City...
 
Champ said:
Wrexham have self sponsored, they've spent far beyond their means, paid ridiculous wages and had EFL regulations been as stringent as they are at the top of the game then they would have been charged by now.

So yeah, there's definite parallels with City...
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Regulations in the championship are strict, there are multiple examples of teams that have been punished under them. Some clubs only escaped sanctions due to being promoted. I think Wrexham will need to be promoted or they will also be in trouble, unless they pull some sponsorship shenanigans
 
GDaly95 said:
I'm sure there's far more nuance than I'm accounting for here, but on the face of it, it's pretty humilating for the Class of 92 Salford City owners isn't it?

Unless Reynolds / Rob Mac are by comparison pouring far more money into their club than Class of 92/Lim are putting in Salford.
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Why would it be humiliating? The Wrexham project is the "Class of 92"s Salford project on steroids.
 
I'll go back to my prior point people moan about terrible owners in football like the Glazers who only take money out of a club and at the same time moan about owners who are engaged in making not only the football club but the town better and people still moan incredible really
 
Champ said:
There's no fairytale here, just another money team outspending the rest, they deserve the same level of respect as City.
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Throwing money at something isn't a recipe for success. If it was you lot would have been doing a lot better after Sir Alex than you have.
 
Hakara said:
Throwing money at something isn't a recipe for success. If it was you lot would have been doing a lot better after Sir Alex than you have.
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No it isn't, not sure what that's got to do with anything though.
 
whitbyviking said:
Regulations in the championship are strict, there are multiple examples of teams that have been punished under them. Some clubs only escaped sanctions due to being promoted. I think Wrexham will need to be promoted or they will also be in trouble, unless they pull some sponsorship shenanigans
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Yeah they probably will, but this is where the dubious nature of their sponsorship comes into it's own I guess.
 
Gavinb33 said:
I'll go back to my prior point people moan about terrible owners in football like the Glazers who only take money out of a club and at the same time moan about owners who are engaged in making not only the football club but the town better and people still moan incredible really
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You can do that without blowing unsustainable amounts of money on transfers and cheating the league(s).

What happens to the club and town if there is another crash and the owners/backers withdraw their funds? Not an unknown situation. The club on its current terms will be bankrupt very quickly.
 
Champ said:
No it isn't, not sure what that's got to do with anything though.
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That they still deserve respect for how they have spent well and gradually improved as they went up the leagues, it's not like they had a championship level squad in the national league and pummeled through the leagues with that squad. Comparing them to city is laughable. If spending more money than the clubs in your division is reason to not be respected then United should get none, especially when the results aren't even there. Think the only club that has spent more than you the last 10 years is City.
 
whitbyviking said:
You can do that without blowing unsustainable amounts of money on transfers and cheating the league(s).

What happens to the club and town if there is another crash and the owners/backers withdraw their funds? Not an unknown situation. The club on its current terms will be bankrupt very quickly.
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You can't though, the only way the town gets the investment is by the team being as close or in the top division as possible, no way you can do it sustainably we'd be talking in decades to get to this point alone if at all, the vagaries of making the right appointments and transfers are pretty much a lottery unless you are able to over reach, the investment from outside into the club have been strategically taken the Alleyn family are billionaires, Reynolds alone is probably worth over 600 million I'm pretty sure they'll be safe.
 
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