Ryan Reynolds has done a fantastic job at Wrexham so far. The Deadpool superstar, along with co-owner Rob McElhenney, took over the club back in February 2021.
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Since then, the club has endured a decent time so far, as they are currently sitting in second place behind Notts County. They are slowing getting back on their feet and will be looking to get a promotion in the fourth division.
Meanwhile, a fresh news came into the headlines yesterday as the new owners took the decision to demolish the Kop stand of their stadium. The wrecking of the stand started yesterday, which will pave the way for a new stand with an increased capacity of 5,500.
Wrexham gutted with rejection
It was an emotional moment for the Dragons, who saw the legendary stand get demolished. Fans were gushing over new developments happening at the club.
Unfortunately, there’s another obstacle that the club is facing. The club asked for financial support for Kop’s development; however, the council rejected their application.
Nonetheless, the National League side is gearing up for another plan after getting the red light on the UK government leveling up funding. This will comprise the Wrexham Gateway Project, which will help in the rebuilding of the Racecourse area.
"The Club was disappointed to learn that the Council’s application for financial support for the Kop Development has been rejected."
More 👇
🔴⚪ #WxmAFC
— Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) January 18, 2023
The Welsh government agreed to give £25 million to the Wrexham Council for the renovation of the area near the railway station. Moreover, they were also hoping to get funds from the UK government as well.
The funds would have helped in the major development of the west side, which includes the stand as well. The club also aims to build a hotel, meeting spaces, and a parking lot.
However, on Wednesday, the British government declared which schemes in Wales would get funding from the £2 billion. Unfortunately, the Wrexham Gateway Project wasn’t included in those schemes.
“This is the time for Plan B to be implemented and while there will be some uncertainty in the short term, the longer-term outlook remains positive.” said Shaun Harvey, Strategic Advisor to the Board at Wrexham AFC.
Fans furious at Ryan Reynolds
Wrexham later confirmed that the club held strong discussions with the Gateway partnership. Furthermore, the club discussed the continuation of the project without the help of the UK government’s funding.
However, in another course of action, the Dragan fans have blasted Ryan regarding the situation. Some netizens are not happy with how the club’s millionaire owners are asking for funds from the government, which are taxpayer dollars.
Councils can barely keep public services open. Libraries are closing at a rapid rate. SureStart is gone. People are being made redundant.
Why should the council pay for a football stand of a team owned by a Hollywood multi-millionaire? https://t.co/LPMfqynMgB
— Curt Explores 🇬🇧 🇨🇳 (@CurtExplores) January 19, 2023
That’s rate, get tax payers to pay for your new stand after throwing millions about since the yanks took over. Rather glad it got rejected 👍 https://t.co/8NXL0Sma9o
— Lukemorley (@LukeMorley94) January 19, 2023
Multi-millionaire, Hollywood owners and they want the tax payer to fund their new stand? https://t.co/IuCCvCEWyM
— Adam Walthew (@adamluke22) January 18, 2023
All your Netflix money & NL streams should pay for it 👍 https://t.co/nAlDekj0PV
— Laura✨ (@ChivertonLaura) January 18, 2023
Didn’t McElhenney say they didn’t want hand outs? https://t.co/8GAffdXIgg
— ᑕᗩᗪᗴ ᗷᗩTᗴᘔ (@Cade__Bates) January 18, 2023
Fans are bantering the hollywood star brutually. Moreover, some have taken a dig at Rob Mcelhenney’s tweet for not needing the funds from the government.
Ryan Reynolds leaving the council offices https://t.co/B82K6dbk4c pic.twitter.com/nnrwQef8ff
— Luke 🤍🖤 (@LRbix) January 18, 2023
Think we missed a trick here. Rather than our Billionaire owners spending £100M+ on a new stand, should’ve just applied to the local council for funding 🥴 https://t.co/yGxuiYlpMg
— Scott FFC Tanfield (@scott_tanfield) January 19, 2023
Millionaire owners and Netflix money not enough for them no 🤦♂️ https://t.co/Q9dr9JyZWl
— Pete (@1985Pete) January 18, 2023
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🤐🤐 https://t.co/Yt4iLUwMf9 pic.twitter.com/Z0H7IM9jxN
— Joe 🏴 (@cleanjoeCFC) January 19, 2023
Although the club is confident that it will continue with the developments, it’s still unclear as to how the club will be looking to get its financial terms stable. Nevertheless, fans are not happy with the club’s latest news and are disappointed with Ryan, who took charge of the club’s developments.
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For now, the club is preparing for the league fixture against Maidstone United. Moreover, Phil Parkerson’s side will be looking to chase the gap between the league leaders.
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