At the moment, Wrexham AFC are a mid-table team plodding along in the fifth tier of the English league not really going anywhere or doing anything remarkable.
But their world could be about to get a whole lot more ambitious, glamourous and exiting. In the most dramatic way possible.
That’s because fans of the Welsh club – which is owned by a supporters’ trust – are currently voting on whether to hand over control to two of Hollywood’s biggest screen stars.
Yes, I know it sounds unlikely, but Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) are the two guys behind this bizarre move.
The two megastars have been in discussions with the club for several months and it is now crunch time, with the trust’s members deciding whether the deal should happen.
Reynolds and McElhenney have set out their vision for the club in a mission statement which includes making Wrexham FC a global brand while protecting its heritage. The latter is particularly important for a club that dates back to 1864 and is the third oldest professional club in the world.
“We’re two people who’ve made a career of never taking ourselves too seriously. However, we realise taking stewardship of this great and storied club is an incredibly serious matter, something we don’t take lightly,” the duo’s statement says.
That sounds great, but then again you would expect nothing less than perfect sound bites from two men who make a living from saying the right things at the right time in the right way.
But from what I have read, they do seem genuinely excited about taking over the National League club, and this isn’t just a publicity stunt. (Like they need the publicity anyway).
It does, of course, beg the question: why Wrexham? Not to belittle the club, but they aren’t exactly one of the big boys of the game and it is going to take a heck of a lot of time, effort and money to make them a football force.
Yet in many ways that makes the story all the more intriguing and romantic.
These world-famous actors aren’t jumping on a bandwagon to make money or bask in the glamour of top-flight football.
They are aiming to build something, not from scratch but from very humble beginnings. They seem to have a very unlikely, but genuine, love for the club and the city itself.
The supporters have until today to vote on the takeover and the result will be announced tomorrow. And I can’t really see them turning down a once-in-forever opportunity of this magnitude. It’s not like they should hold out for an offer from Will Smith and Chris Hemsworth.
But just in case there are any Wrexham fans who are dithering about which way they should vote, they should remember one crucial point – everything Ryan Reynolds touches turns to gold. From movie franchises to mobile phone companies to gin distilleries, the man has a Midas touch.
If only Ryan and Rob had developed an unlikely soft spot for Sheffield United…
Tight at the top
Last weekend, no less than four different teams led the Premier League at one point or another.
The round of fixtures started with Liverpool on top, but they were replaced by Southampton after their Friday night victory. Tottenham Hotspur kicked Southampton off their pedestal early on Sunday and then Leicester City climbed to the summit a bit later that day.
It is, to put it mildly, rather volatile at the top.
If only Ryan and Rob had developed an unlikely soft spot for Sheffield United…
Of course, it is early days, and all this shuffling and jostling for position will almost certainly calm down as the games unfold. Let’s not forget, for example, that Liverpool have only lost one game this season (albeit dramatically).
Their status as favourites to retain their title is entirely justified and remains firmly in place despite the fact that they may end up needing to play the tea lady in defence if the injuries continue to mount.
But it’s nice to see the Premier League, at least so far, is not a foregone conclusion, and a few more teams may end up being invited to the title race party. Whether they will stay the distance or end up passed on out the floor amid the empty bottles and discarded finger food is another question.
For now, let’s just enjoy this little period of unpredictably before normal service is more than likely resumed.
Testing times
I was quite shocked to read that Croatia captain Domagoj Vida played 45 minutes of his national team’s game against Turkey while having COVID.
The defender was taken off at half time in last Wednesday’s match when officials received word that his test result from that morning’s swab had come back positive.
The mind boggles.
I mean, at a time when the football world is desperate to show it can keep on playing despite this virus, how can a national team make such a dog’s breakfast of testing?
Apparently, the entire squad were tested last Monday and everyone was clear. Then they were tested again on Wednesday morning and it is the result of that test that showed Vida had COVID.
I know these are tricky times and everyone is doing their best despite the circumstances, but if you are going to have a tight testing regime like that then surely it is important the results come back before a match. Not midway through.
It probably hasn’t caused much of an issue in this case, but mistakes like this will undermine confidence in the procedures football has implemented in order to keep the game moving.
And none of us want to see football cancelled again.
james@findit.com.mt
Twitter: @maltablade