James McClean makes telling admission on Wrexham and Ryan Reynolds' involvement
Wrexham skipper James McClean has lifted the lid on how involved co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney get in running the club. The Hollywood actors have transformed the Welsh side's fortunes since taking over more than four years ago.
The Red Dragons have enjoyed three successive promotions under manager Phil Parkinson, taking them from the National League to the Championship. Former Republic of Ireland international McClean played a key role in their two most recent campaigns in League One and League Two.
And the 36-year-old wing-back has praised Reynolds and McElhenney for resisting the temptation to interfere in playing matters. The pair are heavily involved in supporting the club in other ways, including boosting its profile through the Welcome to Wrexham documentary, providing players with advice and making savvy business deals to increase revenue.
However, McClean believes that leaving key football decisions to Parkinson and his coaching staff has been a masterstroke by the two A-listers. He also spoke in glowing terms about his time at the club to date and how it has helped to prolong his career.
"It's class and I've found a place where I'm appreciated," McClean told the Irish News. "People have got a lot of respect for me and when that's the case, obviously I'll go above and beyond to repay that.
"It has given me a new lease to life, I'm enjoying my football and I feel like I can do this for a long time yet. Rob and Ryan are 100 per cent part of it, but they are very clever men. They are part of it to a certain extent.
"They obviously don't get involved with team affairs, they leave that to the managers, but to have owners involved as they are in the right way, it's class. There are no words to describe the impact that they've had and the praise they deserve, because it's absolutely above and beyond."
Wrexham are currently preparing to play in the Championship for the first time in 43 years. Parkinson has also brought in two new faces to help his side compete in the second tier, with Plymouth striker Ryan Hardie and Leicester goalkeeper Danny Ward joining, and more expected to follow.
While the manager is expected to be well-backed in the transfer market by Reynolds and McElhenney this summer, some pundits have already dismissed Wrexham's chances of pulling off an unprecedented fourth promotion in a row. But McClean was bullish when asked about the club's hopes of reaching the Premier League for the first time ever and warned people not to write them off.
The ex-Sunderland and West Brom player said: "The rise of the club from where it was a few years ago to where it is now is great. We're on a roll at the minute, momentum is like a steam train, the buzz around the place is brilliant.
"From our point of view, it's the same as every year. We'll go into the season with people telling us 'this can't be done' and 'that can't be done' and 'this is a step too far', but with Wrexham it's the old fairytale story and let's see how we get on."
McClean added: "We we told two in a row would have been tough, three in a row would be impossible and four in a row is just non-existent and it won't happen. We've done the previous ones, so I wouldn't put it past us doing the unthinkable."
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Wrexham AFC is the arguably the fastest-growing club in the world at the moment thanks to a certain Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The Dragons have achieved two consecutive promotions and are cheered on by crowds from not only North Wales but also from all over the globe, thanks to the success of the Disney+ documentary 'Welcome to Wrexham'.
But does it have a dedicated, quality source of information piped through to your inbox each week, free of ads but packed with informed opinion, analysis and even a little bit of fun each week? That's where Wrexham is the Game steps in...
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