-Credit: (Image: Cody Froggatt)
Wrexham star Mark Howard has praised Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney for their “refreshing” approach to running the football club.
The Hollywood actors’ investment has helped take the Red Dragons to successive promotions from the National League and League Two in the last two seasons.
The club’s meteoric rise shows no sign of slowing either, with Phil Parkinson’s side currently second in League One.
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Veteran goalkeeper Mark Howard says he believes the key to the owners’ success is their open-door policy towards players and staff.
It comes after Deadpool star Reynolds kept to his promise of appearing on the 38-year-old’s “Yours, Mine, Away” podcast earlier this year.
Howard said: “The owners have been amazing with everybody. It’s not a normal situation for any footballer or club.
“They’ve been incredibly hands on and are incredibly approachable people. They want to see everyone do well, and that builds a better environment to work in.
“I’ve had quite a lot of clubs in the past, and I’ve never had owners, and directors like Humphrey Ker and Shaun Harvey, that are so involved and so personable. I think that they’re breaking the mould a little bit, which is really refreshing.”
Howard joined Wrexham after leaving Carlisle United in 2022 and has played a part in the both of the club’s recent promotions.
His time at the Racecourse has not been without challenges after his place was taken by former Premier League goalkeeper Ben Foster in the latter stages of their National League title-winning campaign.
Wrexham’s Ben Foster, Mark Howard and Eoghan O’Connell (left-right) following the Carabao Cup first round match at SToK Racecourse, Wrexham. -Credit:PA
However, Howard’s selfless response to the news was welcomed at the time by Reynolds and McElhenney after he said his main concern was for Foster to “get us over the line”.
He also says the popular Welcome to Wrexham documentary has helped to shine a light on the human side of the club’s players.
Howard said: “The power of the documentary is that it’s really highlighted the people behind the game. You now see who the players are, because you know a little bit about their background and their personal life.
“It makes you change your perspective. I’m probably a big testament to that after people saw me and the way that I reacted with the Fozzy stuff. People saw that I was actually a nice guy who wants the best for everyone.”
Wrexham’s fast ascent up the leagues has been in no small part thanks to their manager, with Parkinson enjoying a win percentage of 62 per cent since taking the reins in the summer of 2021.
Howard describes the amount of work put in by the former Sunderland and Bolton boss to prepare the players for matches as “breath-taking”.
He also applauded Parkinson’s meticulous research on transfer targets, often taking time to assess their character before bringing them in.
Howard said: “The gaffer knows personalities really well, and the due diligence he does on the type of player that he signs is amazing.
“That’s a massive credit to him and his staff as they make sure that a player is going to suit the dressing room and the environment. It’s not easy to do sometimes.
“He does so much research into the opposition team, it’s breath-taking. Given the amount of football that he watches, I don’t know how it’s physically possible sometimes.”
*Howard was speaking ahead of a sportsman’s evening at Hotel Wrexham (formerly the Holt Lodge) on Thursday, December 19, where he will appear alongside goalkeeping legends John Achterberg and Neville Southall.
Tickets costing £25 for the Q&A session or £40 for meet and greet, both including food and live music, can be bought from the Skiddle website.