There’s no denying that Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds have done a fantastic job at Wrexham so far. They set out to get the Welsh club promoted back to the EFL, and did exactly that last season, setting standards not many have seen before in the National League – which has helped their asset triple in value.The Hollywood stars have truly placed Wrexham on the map, culminating in a USA tour in their current pre-season, where they’ll face the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.Behind the big-name friendlies and flashy destinations, however, problems are beginning to mount for the A-list actors. And, for the first time in their ownership, difficult questions are coming their way.Something tells us that this wasn’t in the script…
What are the problems McElhenney and Reynolds face at Wrexham?
According to Alan Smith of The Mirror, there are some names at the club that feel as though playing against weakened versions of Manchester United and Chelsea will not prepare Wrexham for the season ahead in League Two, where they expect to push for a play-off place at the first time of asking.
The time frame of the tour is also not considered ideal, with the Welsh club still on their tour of America just six days before the campaign gets underway. Whilst a storm hasn’t exactly brewed just yet, a poor start to the season could lead to the blame being pointed upwards by those at the club.
As shown in their documentary – Welcome to Wrexham – McElhenney and Reynolds have integrated themselves and understood the community of the club impressively well so far. But, taking pre-season to America may make that same community feel somewhat distant.
On top of this, the resale price of tickets to watch the open training session is $300 (£229.23). And if you did want to see the Welsh club in action against Chelsea, it will cost a whopping $550 (£420.25).
Whilst the argument over touring America could come down to revenue, the club are also charging £30 to enter a ticket ballot, making 150 tickets available for every home game. Yet, this will also result in less away tickets for season ticket holders, who have already suffered price rises of 70%.
In a Tweet, Smith summarised the issues saying “it’s not all good vibes all the time”, before noting there are “questions” over owners’ high-interest loan, and adding that some staff even quit over “rude, arrogant” board member, while also claiming there is “fury” over those aforementioned ticketing arrangements.
Releasing a statement on the matter, the advisory board told The Mirror: “We have and will always listen to fans about all matters relating to the club.
“The decision to increase the cost of membership was taken after an assessment of the benefits that fans would receive including access to the priority period to purchase tickets and the new ballot, ticket exchange processes we have put in place.”
As it turns out, it’s not always sunny in Wrexham…
Will Wrexham get promoted in 2023/24?
With the likes of Paul Mullin to call on once more, Wrexham once again have a high chance of earning promotion – in fact,
a supercomputer has predicted back-to-back promotions for the club as they’re tipped to win League 2 next season.
In usual circumstances, it would be quite the call to predict a newly-promoted side to go up at the first time of asking, but it seems the Red Dragons are more than capable of causing a shock or two.
McElhenney and Reynolds must first solve a few problems off the pitch, however.