Nigel Martyn: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney 'tremendous'

Leader Live

19 hours ago

That is the view from former England goalkeeper Nigel Martyn who hailed the Hollywood stars' impact at The Racecourse since their takeover in February 2021.
Phil Parkinson's men are in the Championship after securing a record-breaking three successive promotions and Martyn feels other clubs will try and follow the Reds' lead of celebrity ownership.
Speaking to Parimatch, the ex-Crystal Palace, Leeds and Everton stopper said: "I think it's been a breath of fresh air if I'm totally honest.
"Seeing things like the Wrexham documentary on television and how open they've been with everything is great for the game.
"They're popular people and while Ryan Reynolds is somebody that most people think, 'Yeah, he looks like he's a nice guy and he's funny and whatever,' both he and Rob McElhenney are serious about how they run the football club as well.
""You won't hear anyone in Wrexham say a bad thing about them, I wouldn't imagine, because they've turned them around from a team that had been out of the Football League to one which I expect to see pushing into the higher echelons and the Premier League, really. It's been tremendous.
"Anything that boosts the club and the standing of your club in a positive way is a good thing. To have Tom Brady at Birmingham City, for Birmingham fans, it makes them stick their chest out a little bit further and say, 'Look who we've got now.'
"But again, these people are serious and they've got serious money behind them. Next, it's about the recruitment. Who do they get as the manager? Who do they get as head of recruitment? Who do they get on the pitch to produce the goods?
"So far, Wrexham have done it tremendously well and Birmingham appear to be making progress. In all honesty, it doesn't matter how much money you throw at it, there is no guarantee that you're going to win the league. But, so far, both teams have sort of bounced up the leagues pretty well.
"Fair play to them, it's going to be interesting but I think it's a positive thing, definitely, and celebrity ownership, with people trying to copy Wrexham and Birmingham, is probably something we'll see more and more and more of."