‘Shut up’ spending message sent on behalf of Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney as record-breaking Wrexham react to ‘ruining football’ claims

Plenty of headlines have been made in North Wales since a couple of Hollywood stars completed a remarkable takeover in 2021. The history books have been rewritten since then, with three successive promotions lifting the Red Dragons into the Championship.

Wrexham’s A-list co-owners have been prepared to splash the cash, allowing a meteoric rise to be enjoyed, but their exploits have not earned universal acclaim. Critics have questioned their business model, but many are missing the point.

Record-breaking revenue figures have been posted at SToK Racecourse, as the award-winning ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series aids that cause, with Reynolds and McElhenney not digging as deep into their own pockets as many have accused them of doing.

Wrexham director Humphrey Ker has told The Chris Moyles Show on Radio X: “Everyone's been incredibly nice, but you do see lots of people online like, 'Oh, they're ruining football, and it's disgraceful. This is everything that's wrong with modern football'.

“You do end up thinking, well, hang on, there's a lot of football clubs that are going out of business because their owners are grinding money out of the fans. Also, just because you've got loads of money behind you, there's no guarantee that you are going to get back-to-back-to-back promotions.

“It's never been done before and the other bonkers thing about us is that we've actually lived within our means. In the National League, we spent way more than anyone else. In League Two, we spent a fair bit more than everyone else.

“In League One, we were basically spending about the same or less than a number of other clubs. Birmingham spent way more than we did and I think Huddersfield spent about the same, but all our money comes from sponsorship.”

Ker went on to say of Wrexham’s spending habits: “We get crazy sponsorship deals because of the documentary and because of Rob and Ryan. Everyone's like, 'They're going to run into PSR problems, financial fair play is going to catch up, and they're going to get bored.' Actually, we have only been spending what we've been earning so far, so shut up people.”

Reynolds and McElhenney remain fully committed for now, as they chase down the ultimate dream of one day reaching the Premier League. More money will be spent this summer in what promises to be another busy transfer window for Wrexham.