“It’s Never Quiet in the Stadium”- After Taking Money From Pockets to Save Club, Wrexham AFC’s Former Manager Discuss ‘Passionate’ Fan Base Leading Ryan Reynolds’ Promotion Dreams

The countdown to the new domestic season has begun, and Wrexham AFC is ready for whatever it takes to clinch another promotion. As they came up to the Football League, the stakes got high. It was the remarkable efforts of Reynolds and McElhenney that helped the Welsh side cement their name in the soccer world.

Ever since the takeover, they have seen commendable growth in their fanbase and popularity. It was the support and faith that helped the Red Dragons to continue fighting on the pitch. In fact, according to their previous manager, there’s hardly a fanbase like Wrexham’s.

Former Manager hails ‘passionate’ Wrexham fans

Every fan is passionate about their beloved club, which they support In sickness and in health. And just like that, Wrexham has also been blessed with quite a group of supporters for a very long time. Recently, their former manager, Dean Saunders, sat down for an interview on the Fearless in Devotion podcast. There, he had some praise for the fans.

He said, “But with the fans, that Wrexham have got behind them–you know I have managed other clubs, but Wrexham’s fans are passionate. It’s never quite in the stadium. And I knew, you know, If I kept going and I kept trying, I either resign or get sacked. There’s no other way out. You’ve got to fight and I’m tryna do well as well, for my career, so I was refusing to fail. But, we got that in the end.”

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Saunders stated that he has managed a lot of clubs but has never seen a group of supporters like Wrexham. He said either you have to resign or the club will sack you, as there’s no other way out. The ex-gaffer also praised the passion of the people in the stands, as they are never really quiet. Indeed, fans must be happy to hear such words from their former manager. In fact, there was a time when the Red Dragons’ fans teamed up and saved the club from a very big financial trouble.

Came together to save the club

Prior to the beginning of the 2011-12 season, the Football Conference asked the club to provide a bond of over $250,000 in order to remain in the league. Unfortunately, the club’s owners only offered a little over $150,000. Raising the remaining amount within the given time frame seemed like a daunting task. Hence, it prompted the owners to make an emotional plea to the Wrexham community.

In response to this appeal, fans flocked to the Racecourse Stadium and generously contributed whatever they could. Remarkably, the required funds were raised in just seven hours and then paid to the Football Conference. The fans’ heroic efforts prevented the club from facing embarrassment. Consequently, the Wrexham Supporters Trust (WST) assumed control, bringing stability to the club.

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Some members of the WST vividly recall that day in August 2011, describing how every fan-made contributions according to their means. Even young children participated by breaking open their piggy banks and offering their pocket money to save the club. The passion demonstrated by the fans was truly extraordinary.