Ryan Reynolds’ and Rob McElhenney’s acquisition of Wrexham FC sure seems like a project spawned by the pandemic that got laughably out of hand. The duo of actors hastatic.aayyy.com/topic/dn/’t even met until the deal had gone through, pouring millions into an endeavour for a sport neither of them really knew the rules for. Now the cash has been spent, the team needs to win big.

I don’t follow football, but given I was born in the UK, I tend to absorb major happenings and events in the sport through sheer osmosis. People were chuffed when Leicester killed it a few years back and my boss gets really excited when Newcastle wins, while the international tournaments warm my cockles enough to actually give a shit. Aside from that though I’m out of the loop, so the Wrexham FC documentary on Disney Plus is a new experience for me.

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I’m also from Wales and accustomed to the small town banter, lacking public transport, and economic neglect the show makes a deliberate point to focus on. McElhenney and Reynolds don’t seem to view their tenure of Wrexham FC as a moneymaker, instead a means to give back to smaller communities and embrace a lifelong love of sport from a different level now they have the funds and privilege to do such a thing. As outsiders they are welcomed with open arms, either because they’re famous or the local people simply have no other option.

You can see the warm enthusiasm dripping from the populace as they realise that after so many decades of neglect there is a small chance of redemption. That these two superstars possess the knowledge and resources to claw up the table and back into the Football League’s good graces. It isn’t that simple though, and I admire how the show doesn’t sugarcoat all of the bullshit that comes with managing not only a football team, but one that firmly exists on the periphery. Wrexham FC might have a passionate local following, but its players make a fraction of the sport’s biggest names and local people depend on its continued success to support their families. There are real things at stake here, and the owners seem to care.

Fireworks and flares erupt outside the stadium when the takeover is confirmed, contrasting with a wide-eyed Reynolds and McElhenney realising that now they actually need to run a football team holding up the livelihoods of dozens. Their first match is a loss as they fail to climb the league tables and face another season of hard battles. It becomes clear that their only option is to sack the manager, invest in new signings, and start again. Just because a couple of celebrities are calling the shots doesn’t mean that hard decisions can be avoided.

One striker hits a vicious tackle and is struck with a red card in a moment that costs Wrexham its biggest game in years. He retreats to the changing rooms and is visibly torn up, only for on-screen text to notify us he was released when his contract expired the very next day. The club has huge plans and sadly has to leave behind those who don’t fit in with that vision. Fans and players alike express similar anxiety, that the sudden addition of more attention and money will result in a changing local image or rejection of what makes Wrexham so special. Letting such things go was always going to be necessary though, regardless of whether McElhenney and Reynolds were calling the shots. You can feel the loss, knowing it could eventually result in victory.

I’ll be clear that I don’t follow football - and that includes Wrexham - so this entire show is a rollercoaster ride of unpredictable emotions in spite of its grounding in reality. I have no idea what is going to happen, and refuse to look things up as I continue watching because it may tear away the investment I’ve developed. Football fans at TheGamer tell me a Wrexham match that just happened will make for incredible viewing in the documentary’s next season, and I refuse to look it up.

McElhenney and Reynolds are adjusting to not only a sport that feels alien, but an entire culture is oddly enthralling. They make mistakes, often in ignorance, and have to spend more money or meekly apologise to improve their team and the club as a whole for the better. It doesn’t shy away from the clear celebrity excess of it all either, with the duo more than happy to use their standing to put more eyes on Wrexham and turn it into a name worth caring for, even if right now the team still needs to prove itself. Four episodes in and I’ve never cared about football more my entire life. Glory to Wrexham.

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