Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney vowed they are in it for the long-haul at Wrexham as they target a fairytale rise to the Premier League with the non-league club.
The two actors braved the wet weather in North Wales to address the press for the first time at the Racecourse Ground since sealing their takeover back in February.
With Wrexham currently sat 11th in the Vanarama National League, the owners shared smiles as it was pointed out just how long it could take to join Manchester United and Liverpool in the top flight – but they would not back down.
Reynolds, who said ‘f**k’ live on TV without realising earlier in the media event, said: ‘We’d be lying if the dream wasn’t Premier League. It won’t be overnight, that’s impossible!
‘Look, our goal is to get back in the (Football) League and continue our way upwards.’
‘The perfect ending for this season is promotion,’ McElhenney added.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds held their first press conference at Wrexham since taking over the club
Both of the Hollywood stars spoke of their big plans for the club which includes the Premier League
‘We have a goal for the end of this club as well as this season and hopefully it’s a story to be told for years to come.’
The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star added: ‘As a sporting fan I would want the owner to say we’re going to win the championship and do it as quickly as we can.
‘Whether that’s this year, or next year or the year after. You want that level of optimism.’
The duo invested £2million into the club when their takeover from the Wrexham Supporters’ Trust was sealed – with some of that being given to furnish a much-changed playing squad.
In came Cheltenham Town captain Ben Tozer for £200,000 and Carlisle defender Aaron Hayden for £150,000.
But McElhenney was able to laugh off any suggestions that, like some Premier League owners, oil is behind their wealth.
The pair were greeted by fans outside the ground with some waiting from 10am in the morning
They attended their first game on Tuesday when Wrexham lost 3-2 away against Maidenhead
He said: ‘Why not dream big? I read that ‘Oil Money’ was coming into Wrexham. I can confirm I have NO stocks in oil.’
One question away from events on the pitch was who fans could expect to see off it.
‘Will Ferrell,’ Reynolds replied. ‘That’s who I’d like (to come over). He’s a good friend of mine.’
McElhenney was more tight-lipped on who is on his invite list but fellow Hollywood star Jason Bateman is among those to have been sent Wrexham clothing in recent months.
Much was made of the two owners FaceTiming family members while they took their first steps across the pitch at the Racecourse ground on Wednesday. McElhenney described it as ’emotional’ on his social media.
With slick answers to the media impressive, and everything being filmed for the FX documentary that will air on Disney+ early next year, it was the undercurrent of what it meant to their families that really resonated.
‘I remember sitting on the couch in the middle of the pandemic and watching a football game and I turned to my wife and said ‘I think I want to buy a football team’,’ McElhenney explained.
‘From that point forward I talked about it with her and of course the sport had something to do with it but it is more about the community and I recognise the people.
‘I remember looking at the screen and said ‘I know those people’. I think we can do something special here.’
Reynolds and McElhenney enjoyed a shot at the Turf Hotel the night before the conference
He added: ‘I have a ritual with my eldest son on matchday where we walk the dog, put on the shirts and watch the games together.’
Reynolds said: ‘I’ve been surprised by how emotional invested my friends and family are if there I a match on.
‘They are always watching and following on social media. I don’t profess to be a football expert but I see the beauty of the fan and I see it through others.’
The press conference marked their second day in the town of Wrexham and they are addressing 100 supporters at a fans’ forum this evening.
On Wednesday night they sat with a select group of around 20 people inside the Turf Hotel where they got a taste of Wrexham Lager as well as turned to stiffer shots of Aviation Gin, a company Reynolds has had a major stake in.
A lot was made of the owners needing to watch from afar, tracking on filmsets and at their children’s various sporting games, with their access to fans at the Racecourse previously limited to humourous ad-board messages.
But McElhenney and Reynolds soon realised the jokes had worn thin when they lost back-to-back games and their involvement was beginning to appear as a ‘joke’.
‘Football needs to be entertainment and a fun experience for the whole family so if we can do things we’ll take it,’ McElhenney said.
The pair will visit their first home game at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday against Torquay
‘We had the fun LED boards for a while but we lost two games and so we took those down because it’s not fun for us to lose and we want people to recognise we are serious.’
The owners will get their first experience of a packed out Racecourse this Saturday with the visit from Torquay but it was a gloomy away day at Maidenhead which gave them their first experience of football in England’s fifth division.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything as exciting as that in the world of sports. I don’t think my nerves have ever been so fried,’ Reynolds said.
For McElhenney, who described the Racecourse as a ‘cathedral’, he cannot wait for the weekend.
‘For me it could be bigger than the Super Bowl. I saw my Philadelphia Eagles win it for the first time and that was one of the greatest days of my life. This could rival it.’
Sporstmail’s Kieran Lynch provided live updates as Wrexham’s celebrity co-owners made their first official appearance in front of the media at the Racecourse Ground.