Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson ahead of the FA Cup fourth round replay at Bramall Lane, Sheffield. Picture date: Tuesday February 7, 2023.
Wrexham’s celebrity owners have high ambitions for the League Two club – and manager Phil Parkinson has had three seasons of working alongside them to observe their methods
As co-owner of Wrexham, Phil Parkinson has disclosed the precise role Ryan Reynolds plays in the club’s operations.
In February 2021, Hollywood stars Reynolds and Rob McElhenney assumed control of the Welsh side. After a 15-year hiatus, they brought new life to the old club, which resulted in their promotion to the Football League last season.
Manager Parkinson, who they hired at the conclusion of the 2020–21 campaign, is essential to their success. And Parkinson, who acknowledges that it surprised him, has now revealed the A-list couple’s hands-on approach despite their other interests.
On the Fearless In Devotion podcast, the 56-year-old was asked about Reynolds and McElhenney’s ownership style. “The first time I met them properly, when they came over, we had a meeting and I was surprised by how engaged they were about every single player, how much they’d been watching every match,” the man said.
“Sometimes when you’re talking to owners you don’t know how much they know about the game. They want to know about every single lad. They want to know anything personal which goes on in the lads’ lives, they’re engaged in that.”
He added: “Do I speak to them less or more than before? Probably around the same really. The great thing about Rob and Ryan is they trust us and let me get on with my job. They said initially: ‘we don’t profess to know how to run a football club in the UK, so we’re going to let you do the job’.
“They obviously want to know what’s going on and have an input but they’re very supportive of any decisions we make.”
Parkinson will certainly require their support as he endured a tough run of form over the past month. The Red Dragons had suffered four straight defeats in all competitions prior to last week, with some even calling for Parkinson to be sacked.
They were able to turn their fortunes around with a late 2-1 win away at Sutton United and a 1-0 win over Notts County on Saturday, leaving them third in the League Two standings.
