When Ryan and Rob Wrexham came to visit…
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are preparing for a possible takeover of Rexham, according to former Liverpool manager Peter Moore.
Moore has agreed to take on the role of unofficial advisor and says the two men’s relationship with the North Wales club will not be short-lived.
It’s not a gadget, Moore said.
It’s not about whether it doesn’t work, it’s about removing it. They recognize that membership is a commitment to the community, not just the football club.
Moore grew up in the Wrexham area before starting a successful sales career with Microsoft and EA Sports. He left his post in Liverpool in October after three years at the head of the company and has now agreed to put his experience and expertise at the service of a new era on the racetrack.
According to him, he was assured of the authenticity and sincerity of the intentions behind the agreement after talking to the movie stars. Reynolds and McElhenney made headlines when it turned out they were behind a deal to buy the club from the Supporters Trust. They have promised to invest £2 million in the National League and plan to make the club a global force.
The 64-year-old also had an interview in California with the creator of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, McElhenney, where he warned him of the difficulties of owning a football if things don’t go according to plan.
In a conversation with Sporting Wales, Mr Moore said that I had asked this question. I said: You’re about to enter the world of football and everything that goes with it, warts and everything. The Victory Summit and the city celebrate with you on a Saturday night. Beneath that and the abuse you suffer if your team doesn’t perform…. and the fork isn’t right.
Peter Moore (right) with Virgil van Dijk after winning the Champions League final of 2019 in Liverpool.
They are highly skilled social media players with several million followers between them. I think they know there will be ups and downs, but they’re definitely in it for the long term.
Their main goal is to bring hope and optimism to a community that Rob probably knows about life in South Philadelphia and that Ryan really understands.
Moore says that McElhenny got an idea about the property after seeing the Netflix documentary Sunderland Until I Die – and was moved to tears. He compared it to his own experience as a fan of his hometown, Philadelphia, with a disappointing NFL Eagles franchise.
He started thinking about it and talking to Ryan about how they – the happy people in life – can give back, and soccer, soccer, it seems, is the way they can do that, Moore said.
And that’s how they discovered Wrexham.
Moore, who met Deadpool star Reynolds and McElhenny through a common business partner, was clearly pleased with the reactions and ambitions that emerged in the conversations. He agreed to be available for advice when he had just finished one of the toughest jobs in football.
As CEO of Liverpool, he oversaw a period in which the club won the Champions League and – after a waiting period of 30 years – the national title, although he is just as proud of the work he has done in the community.
Moore itself has close ties to North Wales. The former physical education teacher at Ysgol Dinas Bran High School in Llangollen says he has been friends with Welsh and Wrexhamese legends Joey Jones and Mickey Thomas since high school.
After following Wrexham’s success in the 1970s and also having family in the area, he would like to help Reynolds and McElhenney in their quest to restore the club’s fortune, which has been out of the Football League since its relegation in 2008.
It is very clear to me that while football is very important to them, they are both big sports fans, Mr Moore said.
It is just as important to do good in a community that needs a little help and support.
Despite the success of Liverpool in recent years, walking the streets and talking to people, you realize what football means, especially in a city that is going through difficult times, the only thing you can sometimes hold on to is the football club.
Where it is
Moore adds that Reynolds and McElhenney have done a lot of research, not just on the football club but on North Wales as a whole, with examples of how the potential population understands what a successful Wrexham could have and – unlike the pair of champions Cardiff and Swansea in the south – are not so clearly competitive with rugby.
Moore said that talks have already begun on the impact on the community and infrastructure of the club, including the youth structure, the training field and women’s football and all the things I think they need to get the club back on track, back in the football competition where it belongs and get it back on its feet.
He went on to say: Ryan and Rob are very busy – we have threads on WhatsApp groups; they are not absent in any way.
Moore was present in a relatively deserted Anfield when Liverpool raised the Premier League trophy and said the moment he shared with Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish will be remembered for a long time.
He is now trying to put an end to the long wait in Wrexham, albeit in almost surreal circumstances.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds are the elected owners of Wrexham.
He warned the Hollywood couple that even with cameras rolling down the track – and filming began earlier this month on a documentary about the proposed takeover – no one can predict how many twists and turns will take place on the ground.
The Wrexham are back in the football league and the long-term goal should be to get out of a very difficult competition…. I have every reason to believe they can do it, go back to the second division and get out of the way, Moore said.
There are no guarantees in football, you know, compared to the things that bounce off the posts and come out, there can often be a difference between promotion and relegation, but I think what you see here is a group of owners who are going to take this club back to where it belongs.
I think the backbone of the club is solid, in the stadium, with the people behind it. There is now a good team, a good management and a good staff.
Like everything, everything can be improved and I think that’s what we strive for and everything I can do, I am more than happy to do it, because this club has given me so much pleasure, especially in the 70s, that I feel obliged to give back what I can.
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