1 00:00:08,225 --> 00:00:09,661 How old are you now? 96. 2 00:00:09,791 --> 00:00:10,792 Yeah, 96. 3 00:00:10,923 --> 00:00:14,883 I'll be 97 next March. 4 00:00:15,014 --> 00:00:16,581 First match I went to 5 00:00:16,711 --> 00:00:21,151 was 1931. 6 00:00:21,281 --> 00:00:23,153 I was seven. 7 00:00:23,327 --> 00:00:25,720 So 90 years of following them? 8 00:00:25,894 --> 00:00:27,722 - Up and down. 9 00:00:27,896 --> 00:00:30,464 Up and down. 10 00:00:30,595 --> 00:00:35,382 A football team is not just a football team. 11 00:00:35,469 --> 00:00:39,038 It is something that really brings together 12 00:00:39,212 --> 00:00:42,389 the community in a way that nothing else does. 13 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:43,956 There's a magic about football... 14 00:00:55,837 --> 00:00:57,230 That's it. 15 00:01:01,495 --> 00:01:03,889 It gives people a real sense of community 16 00:01:03,976 --> 00:01:06,065 and camaraderie 17 00:01:06,239 --> 00:01:09,851 and belonging to something in a way that, without it, 18 00:01:09,982 --> 00:01:12,158 they just wouldn't have. 19 00:01:12,289 --> 00:01:16,423 And-and-and how dare somebody come from outside the area 20 00:01:16,554 --> 00:01:19,209 and-and try to take that away from people? 21 00:01:24,779 --> 00:01:26,781 [singing] Every day, it's a-getting closer 22 00:01:26,868 --> 00:01:30,220 Going faster than a roller coaster 23 00:01:30,307 --> 00:01:34,876 Love like yours will surely come my way 24 00:01:35,007 --> 00:01:37,357 A-hey, a-hey-hey 25 00:01:37,444 --> 00:01:41,187 Every day, it's a-getting faster 26 00:01:41,318 --> 00:01:44,669 Everyone said, "Go ahead and ask her" 27 00:01:44,799 --> 00:01:49,021 Love like yours will surely come my way 28 00:01:49,195 --> 00:01:51,676 A-hey, a-hey-hey 29 00:01:51,806 --> 00:01:57,595 Love like yours will surely come my way 30 00:02:06,908 --> 00:02:09,259 Is it teatime for you now? 31 00:02:09,389 --> 00:02:11,043 Oh-ho-ho-ho. 32 00:02:11,217 --> 00:02:12,784 Are you hungry? 33 00:02:12,914 --> 00:02:15,178 Are you ready for your tea? 34 00:02:16,483 --> 00:02:21,140 Right, buddy, after we finish this... 35 00:02:21,314 --> 00:02:23,403 you're not going to be able to sit and watch telly. 36 00:02:23,490 --> 00:02:24,752 Mommy and Daddy have got to watch something 37 00:02:24,839 --> 00:02:26,580 on the telly. 38 00:02:26,711 --> 00:02:28,191 And it's about the football. 39 00:02:28,278 --> 00:02:29,627 Some people are worried 40 00:02:29,714 --> 00:02:32,020 that Ryan Reynolds and his friend 41 00:02:32,151 --> 00:02:33,370 are just doing it to make money. 42 00:02:39,376 --> 00:02:40,725 So that's what people want to know: 43 00:02:40,855 --> 00:02:42,379 why have they chosen Wrexham? 44 00:02:42,509 --> 00:02:44,598 Just to make sure that they're-- 45 00:02:44,772 --> 00:02:46,861 they're doing it for a reason that's a good reason. 46 00:02:47,035 --> 00:02:48,515 There were some people 47 00:02:48,646 --> 00:02:51,866 who bought Wrexham Football Club who didn't want it. 48 00:02:51,953 --> 00:02:53,868 They wanted to knock the football stadium down. 49 00:02:54,042 --> 00:02:56,044 They wanted to knock? 50 00:02:56,175 --> 00:02:57,785 So that they could make money. 51 00:03:03,313 --> 00:03:05,010 These are turbulent times 52 00:03:05,097 --> 00:03:07,317 for Wrexham Football Club. 53 00:03:07,404 --> 00:03:10,537 Its future is on a knife-edge amid talks of debts amounting 54 00:03:10,668 --> 00:03:13,975 to millions and asset stripping. 55 00:03:14,106 --> 00:03:16,978 Going back to the early 2000s, 56 00:03:17,109 --> 00:03:19,764 the football club had a number of challenges. 57 00:03:19,894 --> 00:03:23,463 It had owners who, eh, who-who frankly that-that 58 00:03:23,550 --> 00:03:25,552 their sole reason for ownership 59 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:27,641 was not for the betterment of the football club, 60 00:03:27,772 --> 00:03:29,556 and the football club was in danger. 61 00:03:29,687 --> 00:03:31,558 For the last two years, 62 00:03:31,689 --> 00:03:33,560 this club has been owned by one man, 63 00:03:33,691 --> 00:03:36,128 and tonight we unravel the truth 64 00:03:36,215 --> 00:03:38,391 behind rumors surrounding Alex Hamilton. 65 00:03:40,306 --> 00:03:42,656 Alex Hamilton was actually the-the owner 66 00:03:42,830 --> 00:03:45,485 of the football club, but another gentleman, eh, 67 00:03:45,572 --> 00:03:48,009 was, eh, was-was sort of fronting the ownership 68 00:03:48,183 --> 00:03:49,881 for a while, and-and we didn't know 69 00:03:50,011 --> 00:03:53,014 Alex Hamilton was in-in the background. 70 00:03:53,145 --> 00:03:54,973 Two years ago, Alex Hamilton 71 00:03:55,103 --> 00:03:57,671 bought the controlling share of Wrexham Football Club. 72 00:03:57,802 --> 00:03:59,586 Keeping his own identity secret, 73 00:03:59,717 --> 00:04:02,372 he installed a business associate as chairman. 74 00:04:02,546 --> 00:04:04,374 Mark Guterman was a controversial choice 75 00:04:04,504 --> 00:04:05,940 among fans. 76 00:04:06,027 --> 00:04:07,812 He'd already taken local rivals Chester 77 00:04:07,986 --> 00:04:09,596 into administration and relegated 78 00:04:09,770 --> 00:04:11,598 from the football league. 79 00:04:11,685 --> 00:04:13,905 The club was sold to those two people, 80 00:04:14,079 --> 00:04:17,822 and their, uh, idea of what the value of this football club 81 00:04:17,996 --> 00:04:21,913 didn't really revolve around it being a football club. 82 00:04:22,043 --> 00:04:23,828 A former solicitor who lives here in Cheshire, 83 00:04:23,958 --> 00:04:26,265 Alex Hamilton was struck off by the Law Society 84 00:04:26,396 --> 00:04:27,832 two years ago for charges 85 00:04:27,962 --> 00:04:30,269 including allegations of mortgage fraud. 86 00:04:30,443 --> 00:04:32,619 He appealed, and most of the charges against him, 87 00:04:32,750 --> 00:04:34,621 including the mortgage fraud, were withdrawn. 88 00:04:34,795 --> 00:04:36,797 Reinstated last year, 89 00:04:36,928 --> 00:04:39,844 Hamilton now describes himself as a property developer. 90 00:04:39,974 --> 00:04:41,498 This was a time of, you know, 91 00:04:41,628 --> 00:04:43,978 a lot of redevelopment work going on around the UK. 92 00:04:44,065 --> 00:04:45,937 There was a bit more money flowing around again 93 00:04:46,111 --> 00:04:49,941 in the economy and people were looking for opportunities. 94 00:04:50,115 --> 00:04:51,986 Small football clubs are always financially vulnerable, 95 00:04:52,073 --> 00:04:54,337 and this has long been the case in England and Wales. 96 00:04:54,424 --> 00:04:55,642 Wrexham were in that position now. 97 00:04:55,816 --> 00:04:57,514 They were vulnerable, 98 00:04:57,644 --> 00:04:59,646 and I think these guys spotted that vulnerability 99 00:04:59,733 --> 00:05:01,648 and recognized that in this big stadium site 100 00:05:01,822 --> 00:05:03,868 that you have here, which is on the edge of town, 101 00:05:04,042 --> 00:05:06,653 it's a prime position potentially for redevelopment. 102 00:05:06,827 --> 00:05:09,003 The Racecourse is the premier sports ground 103 00:05:09,177 --> 00:05:11,310 in North Wales. 104 00:05:11,484 --> 00:05:14,313 The Ground has a long history, and fans recently invested 105 00:05:14,444 --> 00:05:17,621 in its future by buying bricks in the new stand. 106 00:05:17,751 --> 00:05:19,753 There's lots of building work going on here. 107 00:05:19,927 --> 00:05:22,539 It's a prime site at the main gateway to the town. 108 00:05:22,669 --> 00:05:24,671 If it had planning permission, 109 00:05:24,758 --> 00:05:27,587 the Racecourse could be worth at least £10 million... 110 00:05:27,674 --> 00:05:29,676 just the kind of land a property developer 111 00:05:29,850 --> 00:05:31,678 might dream of finding. 112 00:05:36,901 --> 00:05:38,468 The history, the present, 113 00:05:38,642 --> 00:05:40,905 and the future of Wrexham Football Club 114 00:05:41,079 --> 00:05:43,255 is interwoven with the Racecourse stadium. 115 00:05:43,342 --> 00:05:44,691 Without the Racecourse stadium, 116 00:05:44,822 --> 00:05:47,477 there is no Wrexham AFC. 117 00:05:47,564 --> 00:05:50,131 If the stadium goes, the football team goes. 118 00:05:53,091 --> 00:05:56,660 So the club doesn't currently own the Racecourse. 119 00:05:56,790 --> 00:06:01,578 We pay approximately $150,000 a year to lease the stadium. 120 00:06:01,708 --> 00:06:03,928 Moreover, the club is also on the hook for any updates, 121 00:06:04,102 --> 00:06:05,930 refurbishments, enhancements that we wanna do, 122 00:06:06,104 --> 00:06:07,801 and we've been able to do a few of those. 123 00:06:07,932 --> 00:06:10,369 But what we really wanna do is return the stadium 124 00:06:10,500 --> 00:06:13,938 to being the crown jewel of North Wales. 125 00:06:14,112 --> 00:06:16,157 But sadly, we have an entire stand called "the Kop" 126 00:06:16,288 --> 00:06:18,246 that is, for all intents and purposes, condemned, 127 00:06:18,377 --> 00:06:20,161 and we can't do anything with that 128 00:06:20,292 --> 00:06:24,296 until the club once again owns the Racecourse... 129 00:06:24,427 --> 00:06:27,081 which is proving to be... 130 00:06:27,255 --> 00:06:29,301 difficult? 131 00:06:31,303 --> 00:06:33,174 Hey, Shaun? 132 00:06:33,348 --> 00:06:37,527 Can we get an update on, um, where we are with the purchase 133 00:06:37,657 --> 00:06:39,746 of the, uh, freehold for the Racecourse? 134 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:43,402 Um, it's proving to be, uh, a challenge. 135 00:06:43,533 --> 00:06:45,839 The-the title deeds are old. 136 00:06:46,013 --> 00:06:49,408 The Land Registry plans aren't as clear as you'd hope. 137 00:06:49,582 --> 00:06:52,193 Um, we're just reviewing them all to get them all together, 138 00:06:52,367 --> 00:06:54,544 and we're gonna get there as quick as we can. 139 00:06:54,631 --> 00:06:55,980 There's nothing that we can do to-- 140 00:06:56,154 --> 00:06:58,765 to maybe to help speed it up or-or expedite in some way? 141 00:06:58,852 --> 00:07:02,116 Well, some of these laws were drawn up in the 1400s, 142 00:07:02,203 --> 00:07:04,989 so they-they didn't anticipate 143 00:07:05,119 --> 00:07:07,078 the pace at which people would want to do things. 144 00:07:07,208 --> 00:07:09,341 It is frustrating, and it's annoying 145 00:07:09,428 --> 00:07:12,692 and, uh, it's hard to-- it's hard to give you a-- 146 00:07:12,779 --> 00:07:16,217 a rationale as to why it should take this long 147 00:07:16,348 --> 00:07:18,306 other than these things do. 148 00:07:18,437 --> 00:07:19,917 I mean, I-I'm all for due process, 149 00:07:20,004 --> 00:07:23,094 but we-we made a promise. 150 00:07:23,224 --> 00:07:25,139 It's in our original mission statement. 151 00:07:25,226 --> 00:07:27,359 The Racecourse needs to be back in club hands. 152 00:07:27,446 --> 00:07:29,579 Everybody wants it to be back in club hands. 153 00:07:29,709 --> 00:07:31,494 And yet months and months and months go by. 154 00:07:31,581 --> 00:07:33,452 And the-I-look, my frustration 155 00:07:33,583 --> 00:07:37,325 is that we can't start on the development process. 156 00:07:37,456 --> 00:07:39,371 Do we have a rough estimate as to when we'll have 157 00:07:39,502 --> 00:07:41,939 some kind of answer? 158 00:07:42,026 --> 00:07:46,683 No, other than it can't take that much longer. 159 00:07:46,813 --> 00:07:48,598 Holy... - I mean, it's just-- 160 00:07:48,728 --> 00:07:50,121 it's Kafkaesque. 161 00:07:50,251 --> 00:07:52,384 Like, we are-- we're-we're trapped. 162 00:07:52,471 --> 00:07:54,821 And what-and what's worse is we're even on record 163 00:07:54,908 --> 00:07:56,823 since we promised it that-that we're actually 164 00:07:56,910 --> 00:07:59,173 on with it and we've got everything in place. 165 00:07:59,260 --> 00:08:01,915 I'm amazed we've not had any-- had any more questions 166 00:08:02,046 --> 00:08:05,136 from the public and the fans as to why it's taking-- 167 00:08:05,266 --> 00:08:06,964 why it's taking this length of time. 168 00:08:07,051 --> 00:08:10,097 Okay, well, I guess we'll talk later. 169 00:08:10,184 --> 00:08:11,403 Uh, bye, guys. 170 00:08:16,713 --> 00:08:17,278 Oh, he's all on his own. 171 00:08:17,409 --> 00:08:19,063 Can he make it five? 172 00:08:19,193 --> 00:08:21,195 We are, uh, one of the oldest clubs 173 00:08:21,282 --> 00:08:22,196 in the world. 174 00:08:25,112 --> 00:08:27,724 Uh, and that's quite impressive in itself. 175 00:08:27,898 --> 00:08:30,074 No doubt about that in terms of Wrexham. 176 00:08:30,248 --> 00:08:32,598 The Racecourse itself is the oldest existing 177 00:08:32,729 --> 00:08:36,428 international venue that still hosts football. 178 00:08:36,515 --> 00:08:39,431 Better football, better prospects 179 00:08:39,518 --> 00:08:41,651 to get what we so desire in Wrexham. 180 00:08:41,781 --> 00:08:43,304 The name "the Racecourse" 181 00:08:43,435 --> 00:08:45,742 was 'cause the venue was a racecourse. 182 00:08:53,663 --> 00:08:56,100 Can he make it five? 183 00:08:56,274 --> 00:08:57,797 And Jones makes it five! 184 00:09:00,191 --> 00:09:02,454 It's just been our home for all our existence. 185 00:09:09,156 --> 00:09:10,462 When Alex Hamilton took over the club, 186 00:09:10,593 --> 00:09:11,768 the Ground was owned 187 00:09:11,898 --> 00:09:14,771 by Wolverhampton and Dudley Brewery. 188 00:09:14,901 --> 00:09:17,904 They leased it to the club for £1 a year. 189 00:09:18,078 --> 00:09:20,472 The club approached the brewery to buy the freehold. 190 00:09:20,603 --> 00:09:22,039 And the very same day 191 00:09:22,126 --> 00:09:23,606 that the brewery sold the Ground 192 00:09:23,693 --> 00:09:25,346 to Wrexham Football Club, 193 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:27,914 it was immediately transferred to another company, 194 00:09:28,045 --> 00:09:29,481 Damens Limited. 195 00:09:29,568 --> 00:09:32,832 Damens is wholly owned by Alex Hamilton. 196 00:09:32,919 --> 00:09:34,791 So the Ground belonged to one company 197 00:09:34,921 --> 00:09:36,923 and the club belonged to another. 198 00:09:37,054 --> 00:09:40,840 But both were controlled by Alex Hamilton. 199 00:09:41,798 --> 00:09:45,018 Their idea was to separate the club 200 00:09:45,149 --> 00:09:47,586 from the stadium and then bulldoze the stadium 201 00:09:47,717 --> 00:09:50,371 and turn it into, um, into a profit. 202 00:09:53,113 --> 00:09:57,291 So they had, um, a plan, and it was a plan 203 00:09:57,378 --> 00:10:01,600 to basically kill the football club, effectively. 204 00:10:01,731 --> 00:10:03,733 They took all the investment out over a period 205 00:10:03,907 --> 00:10:06,605 so it wasn't overt initially. 206 00:10:06,736 --> 00:10:08,172 But it became apparent that things weren't-- 207 00:10:08,346 --> 00:10:10,391 bills weren't getting paid effectively. 208 00:10:10,522 --> 00:10:12,480 The Inland Revenue is currently charging the club 209 00:10:12,611 --> 00:10:15,396 £150 a day in interest 210 00:10:15,527 --> 00:10:18,312 on a debt of more than £800,000. 211 00:10:20,184 --> 00:10:22,534 Earlier this year, things got so bad 212 00:10:22,621 --> 00:10:24,623 the bailiffs were called in. 213 00:10:24,754 --> 00:10:26,190 They assessed the club's assets 214 00:10:26,364 --> 00:10:27,887 down to the last plastic seat, 215 00:10:27,974 --> 00:10:30,977 floodlight, and lawn mower. 216 00:10:31,108 --> 00:10:33,414 If the tax bill remains unpaid, 217 00:10:33,545 --> 00:10:35,547 those assets will be seized. 218 00:10:35,678 --> 00:10:37,201 You know, I couldn't believe 219 00:10:37,331 --> 00:10:40,204 that they would treat the fans like that. 220 00:10:40,334 --> 00:10:41,553 It's a-- 221 00:10:41,727 --> 00:10:43,729 Sorry. 222 00:10:43,860 --> 00:10:45,426 You know, 'cause we loved it so much 223 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:48,342 and they were just destroying it for money. 224 00:10:48,429 --> 00:10:52,956 And it was just so frustrating. 225 00:10:53,086 --> 00:10:56,481 Mr. Hamilton refused our requests for an interview. 226 00:10:56,568 --> 00:10:58,004 We went to the Racecourse, 227 00:10:58,178 --> 00:10:59,919 where he was attending a board meeting. 228 00:11:00,006 --> 00:11:01,704 Wales' Week In Week Out program. 229 00:11:07,448 --> 00:11:08,667 We came here... 230 00:11:12,497 --> 00:11:13,716 Asset stripping as well. 231 00:11:28,905 --> 00:11:29,906 Gop. 232 00:11:43,006 --> 00:11:44,616 Please stop and talk to us, Mr. Hamilton. 233 00:11:44,703 --> 00:11:45,835 These are really important issues 234 00:11:46,009 --> 00:11:48,925 we want to discuss with you. 235 00:11:49,055 --> 00:11:51,275 Mr. Hamilton was not at the funeral. 236 00:11:51,449 --> 00:11:53,625 He was attending a directors' meeting at the club. 237 00:11:55,148 --> 00:11:57,455 Fans were getting worried. 238 00:11:57,585 --> 00:12:00,632 They organized mass opposition to Alex Hamilton's plans. 239 00:12:00,719 --> 00:12:02,590 He had dropped a bombshell. 240 00:12:02,721 --> 00:12:04,505 He said the Racecourse would have to be sold 241 00:12:04,679 --> 00:12:06,725 if the club was to survive. 242 00:12:06,899 --> 00:12:08,988 Last July, he served a legal notice on the club 243 00:12:09,075 --> 00:12:11,164 to leave the Racecourse within a year. 244 00:12:12,296 --> 00:12:15,255 After 130 years, 245 00:12:15,386 --> 00:12:17,823 this season could be the last that Wrexham play there. 246 00:12:17,954 --> 00:12:18,650 We will not surrender! 247 00:12:21,609 --> 00:12:22,436 The supporters rallied round 248 00:12:22,610 --> 00:12:25,048 and really fought hard. 249 00:12:25,178 --> 00:12:26,440 And I was only a kid and we were walking round the Ground 250 00:12:26,527 --> 00:12:28,312 with-with banners and, you know, 251 00:12:28,442 --> 00:12:29,792 just anything to save your club. 252 00:12:29,879 --> 00:12:32,098 There was a lot of-- 253 00:12:32,229 --> 00:12:34,361 you could call it guerilla warfare really. 254 00:12:34,448 --> 00:12:36,537 It was a-- 255 00:12:36,668 --> 00:12:38,801 a campaign that was taken to their front doorsteps. 256 00:12:47,897 --> 00:12:49,246 Yeah, we did. Mm. 257 00:12:49,420 --> 00:12:51,117 And so we did. 258 00:12:51,248 --> 00:12:53,990 The fans gathered in the town in Cheshire 259 00:12:54,164 --> 00:12:55,905 just over the border, where Alex Hamilton lived, 260 00:12:56,035 --> 00:12:57,689 and they marched through the town 261 00:12:57,776 --> 00:12:58,908 protesting against his ownership 262 00:12:59,082 --> 00:13:00,997 of the football club. 263 00:13:01,171 --> 00:13:02,650 It signaled a declaration of war 264 00:13:02,781 --> 00:13:04,000 against the chairman. 265 00:13:06,089 --> 00:13:08,831 The very same day, Alex Hamilton responded. 266 00:13:23,323 --> 00:13:24,585 Fans thought his actions 267 00:13:24,716 --> 00:13:26,631 were an attempt to incite trouble. 268 00:13:40,601 --> 00:13:42,821 Hamilton has since been advised by the police 269 00:13:42,952 --> 00:13:45,737 not to attend home matches at his own club. 270 00:13:53,876 --> 00:13:55,834 In a fit of rage, 271 00:13:55,965 --> 00:13:58,184 he decided that he was gonna resign. 272 00:13:58,315 --> 00:14:00,752 And he scrawled it down on a napkin. 273 00:14:00,839 --> 00:14:02,623 Basically, I think, wrote, "I resign" 274 00:14:02,797 --> 00:14:05,409 and signed it "Alex Hamilton." 275 00:14:05,539 --> 00:14:07,280 That was him saying, "I want out," 276 00:14:07,454 --> 00:14:09,326 and that was them saying, "Great. Fine. Off you go." 277 00:14:13,896 --> 00:14:16,072 Hey, hi, hi, hi, hi. 278 00:14:16,202 --> 00:14:19,640 Have you heard from Shaun recently 279 00:14:19,771 --> 00:14:21,425 about the Racecourse purchase? 280 00:14:21,555 --> 00:14:22,861 Yeah. 281 00:14:22,992 --> 00:14:25,124 Yeah, it is taking a long, long, 282 00:14:25,211 --> 00:14:27,083 long, long, long fucking time. 283 00:14:27,257 --> 00:14:30,347 Um, but I also, you know, I also recognize 284 00:14:30,434 --> 00:14:33,219 that this is not a simple thing. 285 00:14:33,393 --> 00:14:34,786 I think the thing that drives me crazy 286 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:37,745 is that this is not a process 287 00:14:37,876 --> 00:14:39,225 that is in place to protect people. 288 00:14:39,356 --> 00:14:41,532 In fact, the people that are getting fucked 289 00:14:41,662 --> 00:14:43,099 are the people that are marginalized 290 00:14:43,229 --> 00:14:44,752 that are the ones that get fucked over 291 00:14:44,883 --> 00:14:46,015 always in these kinds of... Rob tends to be 292 00:14:46,189 --> 00:14:47,538 a bit of a hothead. 293 00:14:47,668 --> 00:14:49,018 Rob's like-if you were in a burning building, 294 00:14:49,192 --> 00:14:51,150 Rob is-Rob is the first guy 295 00:14:51,237 --> 00:14:52,673 who's gonna run into that building 296 00:14:52,847 --> 00:14:55,024 and-and pull you out. 297 00:14:55,154 --> 00:14:56,590 I might look at, like, the version 298 00:14:56,677 --> 00:14:57,591 where we all get out. 299 00:14:57,722 --> 00:14:59,376 Like, okay. 300 00:14:59,463 --> 00:15:01,552 Like... 301 00:15:01,682 --> 00:15:03,684 That window is molten lava. 302 00:15:03,815 --> 00:15:04,990 I'm not gonna run through there 303 00:15:05,121 --> 00:15:06,339 because I won't make it to the person. 304 00:15:06,470 --> 00:15:08,037 Like, wait, let's just take a second 305 00:15:08,167 --> 00:15:09,255 and think about this. 306 00:15:09,429 --> 00:15:10,996 So yeah. So what I'm saying is, 307 00:15:11,127 --> 00:15:12,041 everyone would die in my version. 308 00:15:13,912 --> 00:15:16,567 Just Rob would die in his. 309 00:15:16,697 --> 00:15:18,830 You're so much more patient than me--you're so patient. 310 00:15:18,917 --> 00:15:21,050 I'm not so much more patient. I just drink more. 311 00:15:21,180 --> 00:15:22,616 Is that what I need to do? 312 00:15:22,790 --> 00:15:23,835 I should just drink. 313 00:15:24,009 --> 00:15:25,402 And if you need any, uh, any gin, 314 00:15:25,532 --> 00:15:28,753 I-I got a guy. 315 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:31,495 Oh, okay. All right. 316 00:15:31,582 --> 00:15:34,846 Well... all right, I guess we'll just keep waiting. 317 00:15:34,933 --> 00:15:36,587 We'll just keep waiting. Um, yeah. 318 00:15:36,717 --> 00:15:38,415 Waiting is, uh, my favorite color. 319 00:15:38,502 --> 00:15:40,591 I will, uh, I will talk to you very, very soon 320 00:15:40,721 --> 00:15:42,288 and uh, miss ya, love ya. 321 00:15:42,419 --> 00:15:44,987 Miss you, love you, miss you, love you, bye. 322 00:15:45,074 --> 00:15:46,205 He's too nice. 323 00:15:47,990 --> 00:15:50,166 He's too nice. 324 00:15:50,296 --> 00:15:52,081 It just-it drives me crazy. 325 00:15:54,039 --> 00:15:56,172 Not him being nice. That doesn't drive me crazy. 326 00:15:56,302 --> 00:15:59,523 It drives me crazy that we have to... 327 00:15:59,653 --> 00:16:01,525 just keep waiting. 328 00:16:01,699 --> 00:16:03,005 We're past the due process 329 00:16:03,092 --> 00:16:05,311 of-of protecting everybody involved. 330 00:16:05,442 --> 00:16:07,966 We're-we're, uh, we're months past that. 331 00:16:08,097 --> 00:16:10,882 It's-it's literally waiting for some lawyer 332 00:16:10,969 --> 00:16:12,536 to call another lawyer 333 00:16:12,710 --> 00:16:14,407 who's then gotta call a committee 334 00:16:14,538 --> 00:16:17,541 and the committee meets once every three months. 335 00:16:17,628 --> 00:16:20,196 And if they miss that because someone's got the flu, 336 00:16:20,326 --> 00:16:22,328 then it gets kicked to the bottom of the pile 337 00:16:22,459 --> 00:16:24,896 and another lawyer has to call another lawyer, 338 00:16:25,027 --> 00:16:27,899 and in-and in the interim, 339 00:16:27,986 --> 00:16:31,076 it's the team and the town that get fucked over 340 00:16:31,207 --> 00:16:35,994 because in-under the auspices of protecting the club, 341 00:16:36,125 --> 00:16:38,127 it's hurting the club because we can't do 342 00:16:38,257 --> 00:16:39,215 any renovation. 343 00:16:39,345 --> 00:16:41,434 We can't do any real updating 344 00:16:41,608 --> 00:16:42,870 because everything has to go through this process. 345 00:16:43,001 --> 00:16:46,483 And so we have this plan to-to revitalize 346 00:16:46,570 --> 00:16:49,442 the-the-the stadium, and we can't do anything 347 00:16:49,573 --> 00:16:51,140 until we get this information, 348 00:16:51,227 --> 00:16:54,230 so needless to say, I'm a little bit frustrated 349 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:58,190 and Ryan is not because he's drunk or whatever. 350 00:17:26,914 --> 00:17:28,133 But we survived. Yeah. 351 00:17:28,264 --> 00:17:28,960 We survived. We did. 352 00:17:29,134 --> 00:17:29,961 We survived. 353 00:18:09,566 --> 00:18:11,568 Oh, gosh. 354 00:18:14,527 --> 00:18:17,748 On one hand, the club was in safe hands again now, 355 00:18:17,922 --> 00:18:19,924 but on the other, it's actually quite an expensive business 356 00:18:20,011 --> 00:18:21,447 running a football club. 357 00:18:21,621 --> 00:18:23,667 It's ordinary Joes 358 00:18:23,841 --> 00:18:25,886 with whatever they can afford. 359 00:18:26,060 --> 00:18:27,453 You know, the minimum some people are putting in it 360 00:18:27,627 --> 00:18:30,021 is £12 a year. 361 00:18:30,195 --> 00:18:32,023 You know, some people contribute 362 00:18:32,110 --> 00:18:33,677 a lot more than that. 363 00:18:33,851 --> 00:18:36,332 Some people only put in the minimum amount 364 00:18:36,462 --> 00:18:38,986 but then do lots of volunteering 365 00:18:39,117 --> 00:18:41,293 and-and-and contributing in other ways. 366 00:18:45,036 --> 00:18:47,517 Yes. Yes. Yeah. 367 00:18:55,568 --> 00:18:56,265 Yeah, pulled together to pay wages. 368 00:18:58,658 --> 00:19:00,269 Kenny Pemberton, locked in his house. 369 00:19:15,066 --> 00:19:16,415 Gosh, yeah. - Gosh. 370 00:19:16,502 --> 00:19:18,374 Frankly, the club has been struggling 371 00:19:18,504 --> 00:19:22,421 from that point onwards to this very day. 372 00:19:22,508 --> 00:19:24,206 If the club doesn't do so well 373 00:19:24,293 --> 00:19:26,512 and the attendance goes down, 374 00:19:26,686 --> 00:19:28,732 then the manager doesn't get as much money 375 00:19:28,906 --> 00:19:32,301 as he was expecting to get to invest in his football side, 376 00:19:32,388 --> 00:19:35,173 and so the football team isn't quite as good again. 377 00:19:35,304 --> 00:19:37,306 So it's been an issue that's followed the club 378 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:38,829 through all the years 379 00:19:38,959 --> 00:19:41,048 that the fans have been in control. 380 00:19:57,326 --> 00:19:58,370 Oh, God. It's all leaking, isn't it? 381 00:20:07,988 --> 00:20:09,555 The club lost control of the stadium 382 00:20:09,729 --> 00:20:12,689 and the club began this inexorable slide down 383 00:20:12,776 --> 00:20:14,647 through the tiers into this position 384 00:20:14,778 --> 00:20:17,650 that it now finds itself in, in this fifth tier. 385 00:20:17,781 --> 00:20:21,001 So it had a-it had a seismic impact on the club. 386 00:20:21,175 --> 00:20:23,221 I didn't see a lot of hope under the Trust ownership 387 00:20:23,395 --> 00:20:25,223 and that's not a dig at them because, you know, 388 00:20:25,354 --> 00:20:27,443 they've put their time in and I respect them for it. 389 00:20:27,573 --> 00:20:29,445 So it's not a dig at them in the slightest. 390 00:20:29,619 --> 00:20:30,663 I just didn't see an out for the club. 391 00:20:30,794 --> 00:20:32,491 I didn't see a-- I didn't see a way forward. 392 00:20:32,578 --> 00:20:35,799 Um, a lot of fans didn't see a way forward. 393 00:20:35,929 --> 00:20:38,889 You know, those times were real bad, real low, 394 00:20:39,063 --> 00:20:41,065 really low because you--you knew we didn't have the money 395 00:20:41,152 --> 00:20:42,588 to get players. 396 00:20:42,719 --> 00:20:44,895 You knew players weren't getting paid on time. 397 00:20:45,025 --> 00:20:47,332 So it was just a knock-on effect 398 00:20:47,463 --> 00:20:49,595 and it was-it was a terrible time to be a fan. 399 00:20:49,769 --> 00:20:51,380 It's been... it's been a terrible time 400 00:20:51,467 --> 00:20:52,729 to be a fan for a long time now 401 00:20:52,816 --> 00:20:54,383 to say the truth. 402 00:20:54,470 --> 00:20:55,906 Sam walked in and he said, "You'll never guess 403 00:20:56,036 --> 00:20:57,821 who's bought Wrexham Football Club." 404 00:20:57,995 --> 00:20:59,475 And I said, "Who?" 405 00:20:59,605 --> 00:21:00,824 He said, "Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney." 406 00:21:00,954 --> 00:21:02,304 I said... 407 00:21:02,391 --> 00:21:04,958 "As in Ryan Reynolds 408 00:21:05,045 --> 00:21:07,831 as in actor and Rob"-- I said, "I don't know him." 409 00:21:07,961 --> 00:21:09,746 He said, "Oh, yeah, you wouldn't know him. 410 00:21:09,833 --> 00:21:11,182 Always Sunny in Philadelphia." I said, 411 00:21:11,313 --> 00:21:12,836 "Oh, yes. Right, okay." 412 00:21:13,010 --> 00:21:14,403 Uh, I said, "You're joking." 413 00:21:14,533 --> 00:21:15,969 "Nope, that's right," he said. 414 00:21:16,056 --> 00:21:16,970 "They've bought it." I said, 415 00:21:17,057 --> 00:21:18,537 "I can't believe it." 416 00:21:23,499 --> 00:21:25,762 Rubs off. Rubs off. 417 00:21:25,849 --> 00:21:26,458 Yeah. 418 00:21:28,721 --> 00:21:29,853 What's happening now for me 419 00:21:30,027 --> 00:21:33,073 is reward, um, 420 00:21:33,204 --> 00:21:35,075 for the-the effort and the sacrifices 421 00:21:35,206 --> 00:21:36,425 that supporters have put into football club over the years. 422 00:21:57,663 --> 00:21:59,099 - They better not. - Yeah. 423 00:21:59,273 --> 00:22:00,666 You-you wouldn't cross a Wrexham fan. 424 00:22:00,797 --> 00:22:02,973 No, 'cause Wrexham-- Wrexham fans don't forgive... 425 00:22:03,103 --> 00:22:04,583 - They don't forgive easily. - Very easily. 426 00:22:16,334 --> 00:22:17,466 You have some news 427 00:22:17,596 --> 00:22:19,337 for us? 428 00:22:19,511 --> 00:22:21,426 Is it good news? - Well, it is. 429 00:22:21,557 --> 00:22:24,037 After, uh, many months of trying 430 00:22:24,211 --> 00:22:26,475 and, uh, frustration, 431 00:22:26,605 --> 00:22:28,128 I would like to congratulate you. 432 00:22:28,302 --> 00:22:30,392 You are now the proud owners of the Racecourse Ground. 433 00:22:30,479 --> 00:22:32,698 - Whoa! - Yes! 434 00:22:32,872 --> 00:22:34,831 Oh, my God! Come on! 435 00:22:35,005 --> 00:22:36,659 There we go! 436 00:22:36,789 --> 00:22:38,835 Wrexham AFC owns the Racecourse Ground 437 00:22:38,922 --> 00:22:40,793 and, uh, you've made it possible 438 00:22:40,967 --> 00:22:43,448 and, you know, and keeping-- and keeping true to your words 439 00:22:43,579 --> 00:22:46,233 in the mission statement, so congratulations. 440 00:22:46,364 --> 00:22:47,844 Truly, you have made it possible-- 441 00:22:47,931 --> 00:22:52,370 you, um, HK and Shaun and-and-and Ryan. 442 00:22:52,501 --> 00:22:54,720 Like, I-I've just-- I-I hadn't-- 443 00:22:54,807 --> 00:22:56,853 I lost my patience with it so long ago 444 00:22:56,940 --> 00:22:58,507 that I had to check out of it completely 445 00:22:58,637 --> 00:23:00,160 and I just appreciate you guys. 446 00:23:00,334 --> 00:23:01,640 This is why Shaun wanted to do it over Zoom 447 00:23:01,727 --> 00:23:03,947 is he-he wanted to see your angry, 448 00:23:04,077 --> 00:23:05,949 scrunched-up, sad little face, Rob, 449 00:23:06,123 --> 00:23:08,386 blossom into a smile. 450 00:23:08,517 --> 00:23:10,693 Having the oldest international 451 00:23:10,823 --> 00:23:13,260 football stadium on the planet under our stewardship 452 00:23:13,391 --> 00:23:15,088 is, like, both elation 453 00:23:15,175 --> 00:23:17,526 and weirdly, I can feel an ulcer growing 454 00:23:17,700 --> 00:23:19,528 as we speak. 455 00:23:19,615 --> 00:23:21,181 Oh, have you got the email I've just sent you? 456 00:23:21,355 --> 00:23:23,096 'Cause there is a second bit of news today. 457 00:23:23,183 --> 00:23:24,315 Oh! If you open-- 458 00:23:24,489 --> 00:23:25,403 If you-so there you go. 459 00:23:25,534 --> 00:23:26,665 So if you want to open it up, 460 00:23:26,752 --> 00:23:29,755 they are your first rendered images 461 00:23:29,929 --> 00:23:31,757 of the new stand 462 00:23:31,888 --> 00:23:33,759 the AFL architects have put together for us. 463 00:23:33,890 --> 00:23:34,760 - Wow! - Oh. 464 00:23:34,891 --> 00:23:36,632 Wow. 465 00:23:36,762 --> 00:23:40,200 That is a big-time football stadium right there. 466 00:23:40,331 --> 00:23:42,202 That is a-- - And that's just one stand. 467 00:23:42,333 --> 00:23:43,639 That's just "the Kop" stand. - Yeah. 468 00:23:43,769 --> 00:23:45,205 So-so what would be the next stand 469 00:23:45,379 --> 00:23:46,119 that we would do? - Ugh, give him an inch, 470 00:23:46,250 --> 00:23:47,425 he'll take a mile, Shaun. 471 00:23:47,556 --> 00:23:49,122 I'm so sorry about-- 472 00:23:49,209 --> 00:23:51,211 Wait, when can we--when can we show this to the public? 473 00:23:51,385 --> 00:23:54,693 Uh, I need to go through the Council with Levelling Up Fund. 474 00:23:54,780 --> 00:23:57,566 We probably need to warn a couple of people 475 00:23:57,740 --> 00:23:59,785 at the Council it's coming out, 476 00:23:59,872 --> 00:24:02,005 and then we can arrange a public launch 477 00:24:02,135 --> 00:24:04,573 and I think it'd be really useful to do that 478 00:24:04,747 --> 00:24:06,009 because you have to have a pre-- 479 00:24:06,183 --> 00:24:08,881 uh, a pre-application consultation period-- 480 00:24:09,012 --> 00:24:11,449 A pre-application consultation period? 481 00:24:11,580 --> 00:24:12,668 More bureaucracy, I know. 482 00:24:12,798 --> 00:24:14,931 But at least-- - It's incredible. 483 00:24:15,018 --> 00:24:16,889 Let's just put it out. Let's just put it out. 484 00:24:17,020 --> 00:24:18,021 Let's just put it out. At least, at least-- 485 00:24:18,195 --> 00:24:19,805 no, don't just put it out yet. 486 00:24:19,936 --> 00:24:22,112 We-I'll-I'll give you the-- I'll give you the nod 487 00:24:22,242 --> 00:24:23,679 when you can put it out. - Incredible. 488 00:24:23,853 --> 00:24:24,941 Thank you, Shaun. Thank you for that great news. 489 00:24:25,028 --> 00:24:25,942 Pleasure. That is so neat. 490 00:24:26,029 --> 00:24:27,683 We're putting out the video. 491 00:24:27,857 --> 00:24:28,597 We're putting out the video, we're putting out the video. 492 00:24:28,727 --> 00:24:29,728 Bye, love you, love you, bye. - Oh, boy. 493 00:24:29,815 --> 00:24:31,382 - Okay, bye. - Bye, bye, bye, bye.