Rexham dreams of a Hollywood ending Israel today

Movie stars Ryan Reynolds ("Deadpool") and Rob McAlney have surprisingly acquired Welshman Rexham and want to take him back to his big days • Fans of the team, which have fallen into the non-professional leagues in England, in the clouds: "Against whom will we play in five or six years, Liverpool?" 

• A film or documentary series is already in the making

  Photography: 

  GettyImages

• Reynolds.

  The new owner of Rexham

  Photography: 

  IP

Eighteen bottles of gin landed last week in surprise at the entrance to Tarf Hotel, a 150-year-old pub located on the corner of the RiceCurs Ground - Welsh Rexham Stadium.

Along with the package came a letter, with the following sentence: "Here is my flower delivery, see you soon, Ryan Reynolds."

The movie star and protagonist of the movie "Deadpool" is the owner of the American gin company "Aviation", hence the bottles.

But why this old and small pub next to the stadium?

Because starting this week Reynolds is also the owner of the local football team. 

Together with Rob McAlney, creator and star of the series "Philadelphia Shines", the two Hollywood stars completed the acquisition of the team, which is ranked in the middle of the table of the fifth league in England.

News of this surprising match first appeared in September, when the Welsh club confirmed that the two had begun talks with them.

Spencer Harris, the group's manager, told the media at the time: "We are still in the stages of negotiations and there is still a way to go."

Meanwhile, Reynolds McAlney had sprinkled their Hollywood charm on the people of Rexham, and they were very impressed with the seriousness and knowledge of the two.

"Professionals like Rob and Ryan don't come here often," Harris added, "I can say they are two modest people who want the best for the club first." 

After convincing the executives, the duo from Hollywood had to convince the really important people - the fans who have held the group's stock since 2011. In early November, through a humorous video, they presented their plans, and the audience loved what they saw.

"We want to be with you as much as possible, drink beer with you, until we get tired of you," the two said, adding, "We want to be ambassadors of this club and make it a significant force in the world."

After hearing such a script, it is no wonder that 98 percent of club members voted in favor of the sale.

Rexham's pitch.

The veteran group in Wales // Photo: AFP

Future from the movies 

Now that the deal is complete, the first question that arises is why two filmmakers from Canada and the US chose Braxham, a team that never finished a season in a position higher than the 15th in the English second division? To answer the question you need to know Rexham first, and especially The history of the team, founded in 1864, is the oldest in Wales and the third oldest in the world, and over the years Rexham has recorded some fine achievements such as three appearances in the English Cup quarter-finals and one appearance in the 1976 Cup quarter-finals.

In its history, several great victories are engraved, such as against Porto in 1984, West Ham in 1996, Newcastle in 1978 and above all against the champions Arsenal, in the third round of the Cup in 1992.

Arsenal manager then George Graham described this loss as "the biggest low point of his career", while for Rexham it is to this day the highlight.

Since then the small club has been in constant decline - administrative and sporting.

The fans fought the management that wanted to change houses, the team was relegated to the non-professional leagues for the first time in 87 years, and in 2011 the club passed into the hands of the fans. 

Where the average person saw an interesting story about a small football team, film actors saw material for the film.

A film crew documenting the whole event in recent days shows that Reynolds and McAllney's plans - which promised to invest £ 2 million of their money - also include a film or series about the future of Rexham. They did not invent the format. Leeds, Sunderland, Manchester City and Tottenham have already done so. That - but in the case of Rexham, the impact of a series on Netflix, for example, may be more significant than in any other club.

According to economic analysts, an eight-episode series will boost the group's budget by £ 2.4 million, a huge sum on its scale. The economic newspaper Bloomberg wrote: "For the big groups a movie or series is a very small part of the revenue.

In the case of Rexham, such a thing seems to be critical in the club's future plans. " 

"We're on the way up"

According to those plans, coach Dean Keats was asked last night who he would like him to play if the team came to Hollywood: "I guess Danny de Vito, but seriously, we need to keep concentrating on football."

Yes, it's a little hard to forget in this spotlight, but football is the point here.

Rexham want to return to the professional leagues, fill the stadium as it was in the 1970s, and the two buyers promise big and besieged.

"Forever, forever, forever," they declared, and the enthusiasm accordingly. 

Rexham players.

In six years in the Premier League?

// Photo: GettyImages

Dennis Morgan, a 54-year-old fan of the team, told local television: "I can not erase the smile from the face, we are on our way up!"

Natalie Brown, who owns a food stand in the stadium plaza, added: "It's exciting because it makes you think about where we'll be in five or six years and who we'll play against. Manchester United? Liverpool?"

The ratio in the betting agencies at the moment is 20: 1 that Rexham will be in the Premier League in 2026.

Her story has only just begun and it's hard to know what will happen, but the hope of Rexham fans is that as in the most corny Hollywood movies, the ending will be good.