Ryan Reynolds overruled on Wrexham pre-season plan as star reveals who has the real power

Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds has shared how manager Phil Parkinson rejected one of his ideas as the Red Dragons prepare for their first season in the Championship

Ryan Reynolds has highlighted the significant role of Phil Parkinson at Wrexham after sharing how the manager vetoed one of his proposals. The Welsh team are currently on a high, having secured promotion from League One in April.

The club is now gearing up for their first season in the second tier in 43 years. Wrexham recently revealed plans for a pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand in July, with the Red Dragons gaining worldwide recognition under the stewardship of Reynolds and co-owner Rob McElhenney.

The “Wrexham Down Under Tour” will pit them against Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix. Speaking on the Men in Blazers podcast, Reynolds disclosed that he had also hoped to arrange a friendly match against Auckland FC. However, Parkinson dismissed the idea of playing against the newly formed club, opting instead for an early return home.

“I really wanted us to play Auckland FC, which is a new team,” Reynolds said. “I just like the idea of the third-oldest football club playing one of the newest. But Phil was like, ‘Absolutely not, we are getting these players back to Wales ASAP after Wellington’.”

Parkinson’s decision came in the wake of criticism over poor scheduling, which was blamed for Wrexham’s sluggish start to life in League Two in 2023. That year, the club embarked on a summer tour of the United States but didn’t return until a week before the season kicked off, leaving little time to readjust.

Later on in the podcast, Reynolds mentioned he had complete faith in the manager, providing insight into Parkinson’s significant influence at Wrexham. The co-owners have consistently said they would not interfere with football-related decisions since buying the club.

It’s a strategy that seems to have been successful, given Parkinson’s three back-to-back promotions. Former Wrexham and Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster believes it is to the co-owners’ credit that they have given him so much control.

When asked about the dynamics in December, Foster said: “Phil Parkinson is the guy that has the say so on everything, with players in, players out, new contracts, and even when it comes to media duties. He wants to know what’s going on.

“I love the way that they give him all that power. When you’ve got two massive A-list Hollywood stars running the football club, money could become a massive problem, and you could be haemorrhaging cash all over the place, but he makes sure it doesn’t happen.”

He added: “The manager nowadays is a coach, and they just get the players that the big dogs have brought in, and they have to work with them. But Phil Parkinson still maintains that he is the guy that brings every single player in.”

Parkinson is evidently thrilled with the support from Wrexham’s owners. He praised their impact after promotion to the Championship was sealed.

Parkinson said: “The owners have come in and done an amazing job. I’m so pleased for them because they deserve it. There’s lots of ways you can be supportive as owners.

“It can be making sure we get a key player when it matters the most. But it can also be support when the results don’t go quite as well as you want them to, but still allowing us to do our jobs.”

He added: “That’s what they’ve always done. They’re invested in all of the decisions, but they trust us in our decision making and that’s why we’ve had success over the last three years.”

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