Wrexham defender Conor Coady has paid tribute to Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds for their approach to ownership.
Rival fans can laugh at two defeats from two Championship games all they want, but Wrexham are still living the dream.
It’s just over two years since Wrexham clinched promotion from the National League after more than a decade beneath the EFL.
Wrexham are now challenging the likes of Southampton and West Bromwich Albion, two clubs with a strong history in the Premier League.
Some harsh lessons are being dealt to Wrexham right now, but Phil Parkinson’s side will come through this difficult start to the season.
Parkinson will lean on his experienced players to help Wrexham moving forward, with summer signing Conor Coady chief among them.
Conor Coady on Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds
Coady has experience at Championship and Premier League levels, and has immediately taken the spot as Wrexham’s central defender in Parkinson’s back three.
The 32-year-old will be invaluable this season, and he appears to be settling in well at the STōK Cae Ras.
Speaking on BBC Radio Five Live’s Monday Night Club, Coady heaped praise on owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds – and pinpointed an ‘under the radar’ factor in the club’s rise.
Coady believes that McElhenney and Reynolds give so much trust to the decision-makers at Wrexham, and they tend not to interfere from afar.
The former Wolves defender claims that McElhenney and Reynolds completely trust Phil Parkinson and Shaun Harvey, leaving key decisions in their hands.
Coady added that this approach is ultimately a big reason why Wrexham have enjoyed so much success of late, with ‘really good people’ making key decisions.
“One thing that I think goes under the radar a little bit, is what the owners have done, which is incredible, but the trust they have put in… we talk a lot about owners and where football clubs are at, and owners kind of run everything and they do everything, they have a say in everything,” said Coady.
“They have given so much trust to the people at the top end of our club, which I think has been absolutely fantastic over the years, and it’s a big reason why the club is where it’s at today.
“They give so much trust in the gaffer, for one, and the gaffer has been brilliant with me and brilliant with the boys over the years, but also Shaun Harvey, who is with the gaffer making signings. These sorts of people, they give full trust to them.
“There’s a reason why the club has been ran so well over the years, and it’s because there’s really good people at the top end of it,” he added.
Ryan Reynolds on his ownership style alongside Rob McElhenney
Coady’s comments certainly line up with Reynolds’ verdict on his ownership style alongside McElhenney.
Speaking to Sky Sports over the weekend, Reynolds noted that he and McElhenney have a ‘very hands-off’ style.
Reynolds believes that he and McElhenney need to merely support the story at Wrexham, rather than make football decisions.
“We have a very hands-off management style,” said Reynolds.
“Our job is to listen, learn, and tell the story. And that is a great position for any ownership group to be in, to really just be there to support and tell the story.
“We don’t make football decisions. And actually the great gift of that is that we’re able to have relationships with the players at Wrexham, whereas most people in our position can’t. So we have a relationship with every single one of our players,” he added.
The decision to put experienced heads like Parkinson and Harvey in charge of the football side certainly makes sense, and this approach has been key to Wrexham reaching the Championship in such rapid fashion.