Lights, camera, investment – James Calvert

When it comes to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s takeover of Wrexham, I suspect English football fans have allowed themselves to be a little star-struck. Why? Because in reality there is very little difference between what those two are doing at Wrexham and what, say, Roman Abramovich did when he took over Chelsea. There may be a few less zeros on the end of Ryan and Rob’s investment, but the general idea is pretty much identical. Yet the way the two sets of investors have been treated and viewed by those outside the involved clubs couldn’t be more different. When Abramovich walked into town, splashing the millions in a bid to take the club to a new level, there was widespread uproar saying how unfair it all was. The general consensus was that Chelsea’s spending was tilting the playing field very much in their favour and distorting the entire league. However, when the Hollywood legends took over Wrexham, the wider football world welcomed them with open arms, cheesy chants and autograph books. The actors were seen as saviours who had come riding to the rescue of a proud old club that had fallen on hard times. Their takeover has been treated by most fans and much of the media...