No Longer Singing the Blues

When Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over at Wrexham FC and the Welsh club were christened ‘Hollywood FC’ due to their subsequent ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ docu-series which featured a succession of Hollywood elites apparently finding their inner-love for a small, provincial football club - initial sneers and knowing looks from football fans and commentators suggested that they would make Wrexham a running joke.

‘Here for five minutes before disappearing, leaving the club in an even worse position than when they arrived’ was the common prediction.

However, four years and three promotions later, most of the football supporting public have developed a genuine affection for Reynolds and McElhenney and their Wrexham project. Sincere, passionate, engaged and caring are words often used to describe their ownership of the Red Dragons and the development of not only a failing, ailing, ancient club, but also the local community which has profited enormously from the takeover. Their journey from National league to The Championship has been an unprecedented rise and ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ has fascinated the sporting public.

When Birmingham City also announced new, American owners therefore, there wasn’t the usual sneering and suspicion, in fact, it barely registered across national sports media in the UK. After all, this was the third group of owners at St Andrews in a relatively short period and there was even a ‘here we go again’ attitude towards the news.

However, very early into Tom Wagners tenure as Chairman, he began to make quite sensational statements regarding his plans for the historic ‘sleeping giant’ and Blues fans began to take notice!

A new, 62,000 capacity was not only planned, but the site was purchased. Wagner announced not just a new stadium, but a £3 billion ‘Sports Quarter’ which would revolutionise the east of the city and when the UK government also confirmed they were also investing £2.4 billion in transport infrastructure connected to the project, it sent Blues fans into ecstasy!!

For too many years, Blue-Noses had suffered under poor and at times, corrupt ownership - Wagners statements and, crucially, actions herald a new dawn for the club.

Despite relegation to league 1 in the new owners first season (due to the catastrophic decision to employ Wayne Rooney as manager), this years promotion, securing record points in English football history, along with Wagners promise that ‘this is only the start’ have given Blues fans genuine hope of a quick return to the Premier League and those explosive second-city derbies against fierce rivals Aston Villa.

Not as soft and cuddly as Reynolds and McElhenney, but Wagner and his fellow owners are serious about returning the club to where they feel they belong and seem to be doing the right things on and off the field – time will tell if the second city can look forward to at least two teams fighting it out in the Premier League for bragging rights.

National sports media are certainly paying attention now!

Image Credits: Yusky via commons.wikimedia.org