The wagging finger of blame
In the early days of RR McReynolds - before spotting Hollywood celebrities prowling the Mold Road exec box became as normal in Wrexham as seeing Big June or Marky Prandle on the high street used to be - our co-chairman made their presence felt in the best way they knew how: Through advertising.
In March 2021, not even fans could access Y Cae Ras due to COVID restrictions, let alone our owners. So Wrexham’s new chairmen communicated with the Red Army through humorous messages beamed via LED boards snaking around the pitch.
“We're watching! But not in a creepy stalker kind of way…” one said.
We were as deep in the thrall of McReynolds mania as it was possible to go back then. But a winless run commenced soon after these ads made their debut, and our chairmen swiftly and quietly removed them from rotation - later explaining that it wasn’t really appropriate to be poking fun when you’re not performing on the field.
It was the right call. There’s an old joke that invites someone to ask what the secret is to good comedy, and before they finish answering, the joke-teller shouts “TIMING!”. There are good and bad moments to make gags, and our chairmen have proven they can read the room in that regard. Us football fans don’t usually have a sense of humour when things go wrong.
We also have a low tolerance for displays of graciousness - which our chairmen learned this week after defeat by Bradford.
Deadpool was told to pipe down by some fans when he started back-slapping The Bantams for their smash and grab victory - perhaps the first bit of real resistance he has received from Reds since taking over at the club. Reynolds sensed the mood and took down the post.
These dignified-in-defeat remarks weren’t evidence of an owner who doesn’t care as much as the rest of us. It’s ok to praise the other team instead of criticising your own sometimes: It’s just the latter is much easier and far more cathartic. Some pledge to “smash the fucking house up”, others will spend the night tapping the keyboard in a fugue state, regaining consciousness after several hours to realise they’ve posted 24 apoplectic essays on RedPassion. Some simply reassure themselves that we could lose every game from now until next Christmas and still be a better team than Chester FC.
We all deal with losses differently. But the sour reaction to Reynolds being a good sport was indicative of a restlessness growing amidst a Red Army which has forgotten what it’s like to lose a few in a row. It was also bound to happen at some stage. Like Humphrey Ker warned the Hollywood stars when they took over: “Inevitably, someone is going to call you a c***”.
It also doesn’t help that there is no bullseye of blame on which to focus anymore. For a while, it was Ben Tozer. Then, it was away performances. Then, it was Parky. By the time Bradford bounced out of North Wales with three points, the accusing finger was wagging around so much it was impossible to determine whom or what it was pointing at to explain our fourth loss on the spin. So Reynolds’ comments were easy bait.
The only thing that fixes these kinds of scenarios is victory: And a tie at lowly Sutton United - who have spent all season playing in the gutter with Forest Green Rovers - appeared to be a much-needed tonic.
The importance of finding three points was reflected in the lineup - with Parky rolling the dice, dropping the undroppable Pele Mullin to the bench, introducing the new fellas, and reinstating some forgotten faces.
It was also a night that offered potential redemption arcs for Will Boyle and Elliot Lee - with the former aiming to banish memories of bad behaviour in South Wales and the latter apparently needing to prove the boo-boys he can turn on the style when he’s away from home.
Both succeeded - and we were back to winning ways.
The rot has stopped.
Managing to squeak past the worst side in the league won’t completely quell our innate footy fan urge to grumble. But maybe we keep these frustrations to ourselves on Saturday?
Reading the room, a rocking Cae Ras appears to provide us with a significantly better chance of toppling our old foes Notts County. Bradford showed that home wins aren’t merely a formality anymore. So Parky’s promotion hopefuls need backing.
Up and at ‘em.