Welcome to Wrexham (2022) s01e03 Episode Script

1
ROB: Building 69 is where
we used to edit "Sunny,"
and then you took that over.
- We made it nice.
You made it nice
in there, yeah.
They gave us a budget.
They gave us some of that sweet
Deadpool money.
Yeah, we didn't
get any of that.
This is my favorite building
on the whole lot.
RYAN: Oh. Oh, Nakatomi Plaza.
ROB: Nakatomi Plaza.
Any Die Hard fan
out there will know
exactly what happened.
Yippee-ki-yay, mother
[explosion]
Yeah, this is
the first soundstage
I ever got to work on.
This is where you did
Two Guys, a Girl
and a Pizza Place.
There's a plaque over here.
- Yeah, let's find the plaque.
There we go.
Oh, they got it here.
Here's the beauty of this.
So you look at this,
and you think,
"Wow, that's,
like, a beautiful piece
"of, like, steel or bronze.
It's patina-ing."
It's plastic.
RYAN:
Oh, no! It's fucking plastic.
ROB:
Yeah. Look, it bends.
Let's steal it.
I mean, you could rip this
thing right out of the wall.
RYAN: Look at this fake
ROB: Yeah. [laughs]
You fucking broke it.
- Fucking
- [laughing] Ah
PERSON: At least
you have a plaque.
[laughter]
- This is Hollywood to a tee
beautiful on the outside
RYAN: Jesus!
ROB: And just shit.
RYAN: Oh, my God!
ROB: You just scratch
at the surface
I mean, how much does it cost
to put a real
I never felt it before.
You're right. It's not
even plasticit's rubber.
ROB: Yeah, it's rubber.
RYAN: No, we need a legacy
to put that back on.
ROB: You just scratch at the
surface, and underneath it is
RYAN:
I feel so much less special.
Thank you for that ice-cold
bucket of humility.
ROB: Yeah.
BUDDY HOLLY: [singing]
Every day it's a-getting closer
Going faster
than a roller coaster
Love like yours
will surely come my way
A-hey, a-hey, hey
Every day
it's a-getting faster
Everyone said,
"Go ahead and ask her"
Love like yours
will surely come my way
A-hey, a-hey, hey
Love like yours
will surely come my way
[grunts]
[object clatters]
It's magnolia.
[steady music]
PERSON ON RADIO:
Well, Rob and Ryan
have an awful lot
on their plate.
It's been a summer
of upheaval,
with half
the playing staff released.
The big question on
Wrexham fans' minds, though,
is whether
the owners' star quality
can attract a big name
to replace Dean Keates.
PERSON: It's a shock Dean
leaving, wasn't it? Or was it?
Well, no, I don't think
it was a shock.
I think it was
But who are they gonna
get in instead?
[scoffs] Well
PERSON: Yeah.
[computer beeps]
So it's time to rebuild.
- Hey.
- Yay.
We desperately need that CEO
in place to be able to deal
with the day-to-day,
you know, businesses
of running the football club.
You know,
they're gonna have to come
with a special set of skills,
and they need to rebuild a club
in the National League,
which isn't a skill set
that a lot of people have got.
Can we find
a very capable CEO
who can also maybe be
a striker?
That would be
a good cost-saving exercise
if we could, you know
Ryan, if you can find
a 20-goal-a-season CEO,
that's the ideal.
I feel like we fixed
Wrexham, guys.
So I'm gonna just jump off,
and I'll see you guys later.
- Okay. Good.
- Mic drop. It was great.
That was easy.
ROB: So we thought it was
gonna be a difficult search,
but it actually
turned out quite easy.
Fleur Robinson
was a no-brainer.
I'm Fleur Robinson,
Commercial Director
of Burton Albion Football Club.
I've worked in football
for over 26 years
and, during that time,
had many roles,
but I haven't played in goal
or mown the pitch.
RYAN: Fleur Robinson, CEO,
she comes from Burton.
She comes
from a big football family.
She's probably the smartest
football CEO in the business.
She's so smart that she asked
not to be featured too much
in the documentary.
So I didn't know
that that was an option.
[laughs]
Well
HARVEY: Hello.
Hi.
Here we are again
really loving these Zooms.
What we needed
was a manager to come in
who had a track record
of being successful
because that in its own right
must give you
a better chance of success.
In the process of trying
to find us a new manager
at the moment, we received
Did we say
it was 100 applications?
Yeah, I think,
last time I counted
and to be really honest,
I've stopped counting
It was at 100.
- Yeah.
I support the boldest choice.
I just support whatever
is going to march this team
proverbially down the field.
Alongside all the
applications we have
and there were some
good applicants in there
but we recognized that if we
could persuade Phil Parkinson
to come
to Wrexham Football Club,
that would give us
the best chance of success.
ANNOUNCER:
Phil Parkinson can celebrate.
The lowest-ranked former
Premier League club
begin to make their way
back up
the football league pyramid.
HARVEY: Phil Parkinson,
with championship experience
he's improved
teams year on year
and knows how to win games.
ANNOUNCER: Colchester United
have been promoted
to the Championship
for the first time
in the club's history.
He has a track record
that is better
than that
of a National League manager.
[cheers and applause]
HUMPHREY: Most managers
work their entire life
hoping to achieve
just one promotion,
and Parkinson has done it
three times.
So, obviously, all of us were
very keen on Phil Parkinson.
We made what we felt was
a very appropriate approach,
and he said no.
We're looking for someone
that has gravitas
and someone who's gonna be
able to, like, inspire, lead,
direct in all the ways that you
want from a manager/head coach.
You know, I talked
about Phil Parkinson.
you know, he's won
back-to-back promotions.
He's done it in multiple clubs.
Like, he is
a top, top coach.
And we basically said,
"What do you want?
We'll give it to you."
And he's just like,
"Well, is it a real thing?
"Is this gonna be 18 months,
they're gonna get bored?
"Like, what
if they don't get promoted
"at the end of the season,
are they gonna
just, like, disappear?"
You know, he's
- Taken a job yet?
No, not yet.
Can you put me
in touch with
Phil Parkinson?
- I can try.
- Okay.
I can try.
I think it's worth
a conversation.
Mm-hmm.
[line trilling]
[funky music]
ROB: Phil. Hey.
It's Rob McElhenney.
How are you?
Thank you for taking the time
to talk to me.
Currently, I am in prep
for another season of "Sunny."
So we're in the writing process
right now.
It was a tough sell
insofar as we were asking him
to drop down two
or three leagues,
and some people could look
at that as steps backwards.
But I just kind of laid out
for him
what our vision
for the club is
and why we thought
that the town deserved it.
And we hoped that he was gonna
see the potential in that.
RYAN: Boy, Rob just
kind of went after him
like a dog with a bone.
I think something about Rob
that a lot of people don't know
is that Rob will not
get off the phone
until he gets what he wants.
I remember he called me
when I was 16,
and when I got off the phone,
I was in my mid-40s
and owned
a Welsh football club.
So, you know, do not
underestimate Rob
I want to say McElhenney
is the name.
Yes. Well, it was great
talking to you, too.
Okay.
Okay, great.
Thank you.
Bye.
Well, we talked
for about an hour and a half.
[Buddy Holly's "Everyday"]
I think I sounded
like an asshole.
[music continues]
I don't know.
I really have no idea.
BUDDY HOLLY:
[singing] Love like yours
will surely come my way
ROB: I definitely sounded
like an asshole.
WAYNE: Football is for a lot
not just about the football.
It's about meeting in the pub
at 11:00, 12:00
on the day of the game.
It's not just pouring a pint
and having a chat.
It's everything, you know
a counselor.
You know, people need an arm
round their shoulder.
People want to confide in you.
PERSON: Yeah.
Ah!
Oh, yeah.
No.
PERSON: Fucking hell.
[object clatters]
- Look at that.
[child babbles]
No, leave it there.
[laughter]
It's the kits
that's different.
But the goalkeeper's kit
looks like
Yeah, man, 1-0.
Go on.
Go on. What is it?
- Six.
Oh, the island again.
Go on, kid.
[dice clatters]
Lenny's storming this.
Come on. Bedtime.
Come on, kiddo.
Come on, Charl.
Hup, two, hup, two, hup, two.
[indistinct chatter]
PERSON ON RADIO:
It's a beautiful day
here in Wrexham,
but that's not
what's on our minds.
Preseason training begins
in just a few days' time.
Are we gonna see a new manager
unveiled by then?
Will the restructuring
of the squad have begun?
Emmett.
Phil Parkinsonconfirmed.
Yay. Phil Parkinson.
We've hit the jackpot,
haven't we? Let's be fair.
Just brilliant, innit?
I mean, it's absolutely
brilliant, innit?
Phil Parkinson.
New manager.
What do you think?
Yeah, very exciting.
Very exciting.
PERSON: He knows, yeah.
PERSON 2: Yeah.
[light piano music]
ANNOUNCER:
Wrexham here having
to throw everything at this,
as Jarvis takes it on.
That's a great pass as well.
And they kick the ball
over towards Ponticelli.
And they've got the equalizer.
PHIL:
Growing up, I can remember
going to watch games
with my dad
and my brother and friends.
My mum and dad actually
were Preston North End fans,
which that's over
in Lancashire,
and they were
season-ticket holders
at Preston
when they grew up,
and, you know, so it's always
been in my family.
And I always had a desire
to be a footballer.
ANNOUNCER:
Primed and ready
PHIL: When Rob and Ryan
took over the club,
it was big news
in the football world.
ANNOUNCER: Position
could not have been better.
PHIL: When I came in and
obviously looked at the squad
and the infrastructure,
there's a lot of work
to be done
to make us
serious contenders.
The people of Wrexham
I just think have been amazing
in terms of the welcoming
they've given me and Steve.
[rock music]
Good, lads, good!
Better!
Each day in training,
I just want us to keep
concentrating on the process.
Expectations have risen.
STEVE:
Go on, then.
PHIL: And the ultimate goal
is promotion.
STEVE: Go on! Go on!
PHIL: We're gonna
work tirelessly
to try and achieve that.
But we're trying hard
to keep the focus.
Really important that
we get the detail right.
STEVE: Guys, two lines!
Managers and players
at this football club
are under more pressure.
And they're under more pressure
because the expectation
level is higher.
[indistinct shouting]
PHIL: We all understand
the expectation of the club.
STEVE: Greens go to this end,
two ten-minute games.
This needs to be a proper game.
Play.
Away we go.
We've got to try
and get something
out of a couple
of these players
who haven't figured
a great deal in the past,
the last season.
And we've got to find the key
to unlocking their talent.
STEVE: Last minute, Greens!
You got to get a goal!
PHIL: The atmosphere
has been electric
inside the ground,
and I think just the positivity
and the vibrancy
what Rob and Ryan have brought
to the area, you can feel it.
[electronic music]
PERSON ON RADIO: The start
of the season's nearly here.
The ground staff
are working extra hard
to make sure the Racecourse
looks its best
for the first home game
against Notts County.
ROB: I don't use social media
as well as my partner does.
But I will say that
[Ryan chuckles]
As I'm navigating
through Twitter,
a lot of the people
are asking us to sign
a man named Paul Mullin.
[rock music]
ANNOUNCER:
Here's Paul Mullin.
Oh. [laughs]
Brilliant!
He can't stop scoring!
[indistinct shouting]
Mullin again!
PHIL: He can score left foot,
right foot.
He can score
at strange angles.
He can head the ball in.
Last year he scored
32 goals for Cambridge.
He was the top scorer
in Division Two,
which is a division
above this.
Yeah, I, too, get tagged
in a lot
of Paul Mullin-related tweets.
You know,
he's Cambridge United's
top scorer last season.
He's a top scorer
in League Two.
Whether or not he'd be
interested in coming to us,
that's something
that remains to be seen.
There needs to be
a little bit
of expectation management.
The top goal scorer
in League Two
should be going
to the Championship
or the top end
of League One.
Yeah, he finished last season
with 34 goals
in all competition
at Cambridge United,
won promotional league.
Wait, he finished
with 34 goals?
Yeah, in all competitions.
Yeah. 34.
What the fuck?
Wow.
Just be careful
in how you set this up
because Paul Mullin
should be unachievable
for Wrexham Football Club.
That might be
a little bit impossible.
It's certainly going
to be
- Expensive.
- Very, very, very difficult.
It'll take some persuading,
even if you throw
everything at him.
And if we do
throw everything at him,
the budgets that we've set
will completely
out of the window.
ROB:
Yeah.
That's what I was
hoping to hear.
[soft music]
[indistinct chatter]
Here you go.
There's your scarf. Ready?
My name's Kerry Evans,
and I'm a full-time volunteer
at Wrexham Football Club.
[music continues]
I got contacted
by Spencer Harris from the WS
to say, "Is it okay to give Rob
or Ryan your phone number
to give you a ring?"
I was like, "Sorry?"
Oh, I hope this rain stops.
RYAN: We thought it was
important to hire somebody
who is gonna
create accountability
in terms of the stadium
being accessible.
ROB: She exemplifies
the spirit of that town.
So many people
that worked at the club
were actually volunteers,
and Kerry was
one of those people.
So she was doing the exact job
that we hired her to do
already
and had been for many years
and was doing it for free.
I say to everybody,
I'm a full-time volunteer
because I do a full-time job.
I work every day of the week,
and I'm always at the matches.
Hi, Chal.
Yeah, you?
I had a meeting
with Humphrey and Fleur.
They did offer me
paid employment.
PERSON: Okay. You all right?
KERRY: Lovely to see you.
See you later.
We've obviously been
on the benefit system
because of our situation
for many, many years,
and it was very scary to think,
"Am I capable of doing
the transition
of doing paid work?"
I found that quite
sort of a heavy decision
on my shoulders.
It scares me. It scares me,
the commitment of it.
I really struggled with,
could I cope with my health?
And my family all said to me,
"You're doing it.
"You know, it's not a case
of can you do it.
You're doing it already."
I can do one for a couple
of games at a time.
And then just when you want
to go back, let me know.
It will be a very proud moment
to go back
into full-time employment,
something that I never, ever
dreamed would be possible.
ROB: Would you like a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich?
HUMPHREY: Yes.
ROB: Hell, yeah.
Where are we with Paul Mullin?
Well, I mean,
Phil's made contact with him.
And Shaun has,
rather more importantly,
made contact
with his agent.
Somewhat unsurprisingly,
the agent has been agenting
pretty hard.
It just comes down
to the age-old question of,
do we want to pay as much
as they want us to pay them?
But he wants to move closer
to his family, right?
Right.
And truth be told,
that's the only reason
we've got a shot.
We'll have to pay a premium
to get him to drop divisions.
Okay.
Do you think he's worth it?
If I were you and I owned
the football team
yes, I'd buy him.
- [mouth full] Wow.
- Yeah. Because
You said that
with conviction.
[mouth full] Yeah.
I believe
I heard you say,
you would put your job
on the line, right?
Didn't he say that?
- At no point did I say that.
I said I'd spend
Here's what I'm saying
I'd happily spend your money
on Paul Mullin.
I mean, I got to
talk to Ryan again,
but I think he'll go for it
knowing that you were willing
to sign the contract
that stated
- That I'd get fired
That you get fired
if Paul doesn't
HUMPHREY: Yeah.
- He might not be worth it.
He can be worth it.
Okay.
[dramatic music]
WINTER:
Ready? Go. Go on.
[speaks indistinctly]
Cool, innit?
Don't think you get many
better views than this, do you?
[running footsteps]
Can we help you over?
[claps hands, chuckles]
[grunts]
[child giggles]
[crowd chanting]
[cheers and applause]
PERSON ON RADIO:
The pandemic's
kept the fans for 18 months.
But now,
still full of excitement
after Paul Mullin arrived,
it's time for a party as they
return home to the Racecourse.
WAYNE:
Football's more than a game.
I think the famous
Bill Shankly once said that,
"It's not life and deathit's
more important than that."
I'm a huge football fan.
So, to myself and to the people
of this town,
it's incredibly important,
especially the club next door.
Fourteenth season
in this non-league.
Isn't that the longest
anybody's been down?
- Probably. Probably.
- I think so.
We've got to get up
this time.
And we've got to get out.
This town, like no other town
around, deserves a break.
Economically
and from a football aspect,
we need a break.
Are we gonna win today,
Arthur?
[indistinct chatter]
PERSON ON RADIO:
There's no doubt
who the headline signing is.
Everyone's paying attention
to Wrexham now,
'cause Paul Mullin's here.
But thanks to new manager
Phil Parkinson,
Wrexham fans will be seeing
a lot of fresh faces
out on the pitch today.
Everyone is keen to see
what this freshly rebuilt
squad is capable of.
The buzz that's going
round Wrexham at the minute
is absolutely fantastic.
So hopefully
that can spur them on,
especially with the crowd
back in the Racecourse today
might make
for a good atmosphere.
He's got to win it,
doesn't he?
So important.
New manager, all the changes
in the stadium
new players
you know, he's got to win it.
- Mm.
Please, please, please win
the first match, you know,
and then we're off to a good
start, then, aren't we?
Oh, please.
[laughs]
[rock music]
[indistinct chatter]
Fire in your fucking bellies
and ice in your veins.
So we're playing with passion,
but we want to see
that class as well.
Let's get both
of those two right tonight,
and we'll have a great night.
Come on, boys. Come on, boys.
[players cheering]
MARK:
The noise is terrific here
at the Racecourse.
Two stands open, and they're
packed full of people
who want to hear
and to be heard.
[cheers and applause]
[music continues]
As Mullin's about
to get the game under way.
[rock music]