Feelin’ fine
Our chairmen know a thing or two about closing a sale. They seem to have an endless supply of irresistibly wacky ideas that thrust Wrexham AFC back under the glow of the media spotlight whenever it dares to wander elsewhere.
Marketing campaigns for the football club so far have included Reynolds descending into a dressing room meltdown to sell password software, McElhenney musing the possibilities of Robo-Sheep in an advert for a printing firm, and a guest star spot for that bloke from Jurassic Park in a video showcasing local redevelopment projects.
All our club sponsors - who probably mistook the first mention of “Rex-Ham” as a type of dinosaur Chris Pratt encounters in those Hollywood movies - might have been wary of investing in North Wales at first. But they’ve got their money’s worth. RR McReynolds have put time and effort into their salesmanship tactics and dialled up the charm - something which has proven just as invaluable in the transfer market as well our marketing department.
It’s true that most ads, slogans and catchphrases in the world of branding have a shorter lifespan than a Dean Saunders signing, but a few manage to successfully and permanently burn themselves into the brains of the public for eternity. A great example is the case of “Blue Monday” - a date now deduced to be the most depressing on the calendar (accounting for miserable weather and empty post-Xmas bank accounts that lead to a collectively low national mood at this time of year).
In reality, the “formula” for Blue Monday was just a pick-me-up press release designed to sell holidays with no serious science behind it. But the date still generates headlines every year - with editorials offering expert advice on how to beat the blues with tips like “go for a walk” and “watch your favourite movie”. These pieces are about as motivational and insightful as a Michael Owen column on Learning How to Throw an Apple in the Bin from Far Away, and the whole thing is largely nonsense. Indeed, if you speak to some Wrexham fans right now, there is a case for the date of Blue Monday being shifted back a couple of weeks to 29th January given what’s happened with our FA Cup draw this year.
The FA scheduling our humdinger at Blackburn for a weekday evening has left some Reds utterly bereft; facing an impossible mission to travel 70 miles in the rush hour and still turn up at Ewood Park in time for kick-off. There’ll be no Breakfast Train Tinnies and Full Day Town Takeover this time around, unless we’re prepared to do our best Ferris Bueller impressions and call in sick to our suspicious bosses.
But the BBC has spoken and a weeknight under the lights it is. Not ideal. Still, it’s worth remembering the Sheffield United replay took place around this time last year in another school night fixture, and we still had a belter despite the date and the defeat.
In reality, there is no such thing as Blue Monday for footy fans. The mood is just as likely to be high as it is to be low at this time of year: It all hinges on what’s happened in the previous 48 hours. You could be stood at a cash machine, gazing down a massive overdraft fee whilst you’re soaked to the bone by icy rain, and you could still be happy so long as your team won the previous Saturday.
True, AFC Wimbledon fans will currently feel frustrated after watching their team fail to pounce on a sloppy Reds’ first-half display and then leaving colossus Steven Fletcher unmarked at the back post to let the game totally slip from their grasp. But they shouldn’t be too downhearted. Indeed, Wimbledon pushed us harder than most teams have done at Y Cae Ras all year, and their fans came up with some of the better chants we’ve heard this season, too. “You sold your club to Mickey Mouse!” and “We’re the real fairytale, you just found some cash!” - delivered in consonant-free cavemen-twang accents - sent more than a few titters through the Tech End.
Most Mondays as a Wrexham fan are actually pretty good these days, and we’ve got a spring in our step yet again - with a 2-0 win over the Wombles taking us two points off top spot in front of our biggest home league crowd for more than 40 years.
No blues here. Unless you start thinking too far ahead to next weekend where the grim prospect of a trip to Newport lingers on the horizon - a fixture that has all the appeal of tap dancing on upturned plugs.
160 miles is a long way to travel to visit a town where nobody likes you, and the sooner we get this one out of the way, the better. We already avenged 2013 by reversing the 2-0 Wembley scoreline over Xmas, and frankly it would’ve been nice to enjoy an extended break from The Exiles. The prospect of meeting those orange and white scarved supporters again is as welcoming a sight as watching the TV Licence Man plodding up your driveway.
Trapped in 17th with nothing to play for, Newport will be particularly gladiatorial this time around. They seem to have shifted all their focus to this upcoming home tie with Wrexham - selling out the home end - and there will be the best part of 7,000 South Walians malevolently rubbing their hands together at the Red Army arriving into Rodney Parade, hoping to spring a surprise result to ensure our sweet-tasting revenge is a short-lived as a Wine Gum.
It’ll be a different game in different conditions - and Newport will be up for it. But we’re yet to drop a point in 2024 and there’ll be another huge horde of Reds backing the boys at the wrong end of Cymru come Saturday.
Every game seems to be a biggie right now. But this team just keeps churning out results. There’s nothing Mickey Mouse about the way we’re performing, that’s for sure.
Here’s to another good Saturday. And an even better Monday after that.
UTST.