Wrexham: Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac say Phil Parkinson has ‘job for life’

Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac have told manager Phil Parkinson he has a “job for life” after describing him as “integral” to the club’s rise.

The north Wales club’s celebrity co-chairmen are celebrating the fifth anniversary of their takeover, with Wrexham going from non-league strugglers to Premier League hopefuls under their stewardship.

Parkinson was appointed manager in 2021, before the Hollywood duo’s first full season in charge, and has gone on to achieve an unprecedented three successive promotions.

Wrexham are currently in the Championship play-off positions and have ambitions of reaching the top flight for the first time in their history.

Reynolds and Mac – formerly known as McElhenney – have reiterated their aims for more success, as well as improving infrastructure to boost sustainability.

And they say Parkinson remains central to those plans, with US actor and producer Mac calling him “the lynchpin of this entire thing”.

In an interview with The Athletic, Mac said: “I don’t know [if] I have the words to fully describe how integral Phil has been to the story and success of Wrexham.

“Ryan and I talk all the time, and I just don’t see a scenario where Phil Parkinson gets fired. It doesn’t make any sense.

“He has been the architect, the creator of this. From our perspective, he’s got the job for life. Unless he finds another job he wants to go off and do, he’s our coach. He’s our manager. He’s our guy.

“I know that sounds silly and maybe irresponsible to say publicly, but the truth is that’s how we feel. And we have always worn our hearts on our sleeves. Always been as honest as possible.”

Deadpool star Reynolds was at the Stok Cae Ras as Parkinson’s side were beaten by play-off rivals Millwall at the weekend.

He had also been in attendance when Wrexham beat Premier League Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup third round, the club’s first top-flight scalp in more than 20 years.

“I know I’m a football fan and a Wrexham lifer because I’m inconsolable when we lose,” Reynolds told The Athletic. “I’ve never been as invested in winning and losing before.”

Reynolds and Mac completed their takeover of Wrexham from the club’s supporters’ trust in February 2021.

Their initial £2m investment into the club has spearheaded a rapid rise up the divisions – all captured via a successful, globally screened documentary that has turbo-charged Wrexham’s earning power.

Subsequent investment from the Allyn Family and Apollo Sports Capital has helped Wrexham set their sights on further growth, with a new all-seater Kop Stand currently being built and further plans afoot to develop their historic home ground.

In the interview, the pair again outlined aims for the success to be long-lasting – with Mac saying they are keen for the club to be able to cope with its own growth – as well as helping continue with the boost to the city as a whole.

“What we said from day one is we want to build a sustainable model,” he said.

“If anyone looks at the economics of what the club is right now, just by nature of how we got here, it’s not sustainable.

“But that’s only because the infrastructure hasn’t been there for generations. So, what we are trying to do is plant the seeds so that, yes, we can be successful now, but 50 years or 100 years from now, those seeds become trees and a fully sustainable model.

“Do I want to come and see us win the Premier League? Yes. Do I want to win the Champions League? Yes. But, if Wrexham, as a town, is unsuccessful while we are thriving, we have failed.”