Welcome to Wrexham (2022) s01e11 Episode Script

1
[dramatic music]
PHIL: Everybody knows
the aim of the club
is to get promotion
out of the National League.
[dramatic music]
With the new ownership
coming in
and funding, you know,
put into the squad,
expectations have risen.
But we try not to create
a tension in the group.
We're trying hard
to keep the focus
on the process of each game.
PHIL: Obviously,
at this point in the season,
it would be better
to be right in contention
at the very top,
but as a manager,
you've gotta be focused
on what you need to do.
Every game, it's a process.
PHIL: I speak
to a lot of supporters
in and around the ground,
not just match days
during the week,
and I'm so determined
to bring this town success.
If results don't go well,
I personally take
the responsibility.
As a football manager,
you know,
you're gonna get sacked.
We gotta accept it's
the nature of the industry.
You know,
the lifespan of a manager
at any club
gets shorter each year,
and, uh, that's it.
[tense music]
SINGER: [singing] Every day
it's a-gettin' closer,
goin' faster
than a roller coaster.
Love like yours
will surely come my way.
Hey, a-hey, hey.
Every day,
it's a-gettin' faster
Everyone said, "Go out
and ask her."
Love like yours
will surely come my way.
A-hey, a-hey, hey.
Love like yours
will surely come my way.
[birds singing]
HUMPHREY:
The outcome thus far has been
just to this side
of acceptable.
It's been more of a struggle
than we would liked it
to have been.
But equally,
we knew we had 10 games
against tough opposition.
And that being the case,
wherewhere we've wound up
at the end of it,
sort of not ideal for us,
but it's not disastrous.
The next 10 games,
we do need to see
a kind of marked improvement,
I think.
And if we don't get
an improvement,
then pressure mounts,
you know, on all of us.
But the guys that we've got
here and the management staff
that we've got here,
we expect them to click.
And if they don't,
then awkward questions abound.
[soft dramatic music]
[birds singing]
We've got some good players.
We've got a decent squad,
but, you know, Hyde is injured,
which is not gonna be
short-term.
Kwame is back,
but it's unfair to expect him
to go Saturday, Tuesday,
Saturday, Tuesday.
So we just don't know.
God bless
the January transfer window.
[suspenseful dramatic music]
Ultimately, a football club
can only sign new players
at two times a year:
during the close-season
before the season starts
and then for this
calendar month of January.
The challenge, of course, is,
we're only wanting
to sign players
that other clubs are
already using or want to keep.
Robert and Ryan are great
for the club,
and the financial support
that we get is great.
But they're also
our biggest problem
Yeah, yeah.
In that they create
a level of expectancy
Yeah.
And financial ability that
other people believe we have.
But everyone's
then that's the key.
SHAUN: Rob?
ROB: Hi, Shaun, how are you?
Mm-hmm.
Well, I definitely feel
fully in the loop.
I don't know
if I feel 100% comfortable.
ROB: We play the rest of the
season with this new squad,
and we don't go up,
we will be significantly
over budget next year.
yeah
[dramatic music]
Yeah.
"After nearly 19 games,
"there appears to be
very little improvement
"in the team's performance.
If we can't change the players,
we must change the manager."
"Shit formationhaven't
got the players to play it."
"Shocking stuff.
"I want Parkinson out
after Torquay,
and I have not
changed my minddreadful."
"Too slow,
appointing a manager
who inherited
a strange retained list."
"What the fuck
is going on here?"
Oof.
Rough.
"If it's not a win,
Parky needs to go,
"and feel free to dig at me.
I don't care.
Stop being shit."
- [inhales slightly]
I'm gonna have a T-shirt made
that says, "Parky out."
If you let him go now,
I feel like
first off, like, it was a coup
that we even got him.
ROB: Yeah.
You let him go
seven months later,
I think it's
just as bad a look.
I think you can't
do business like that.
Mm-hmm.
You can't work
with people like that.
I don't mind giving him time.
The problem is that he's asking
for a significant amount
of money
for the January
transfer window.
The decision we have to make
is whether or not we
not only do we keep him
okay, that's one thing.
- Mm-hmm.
- Give him a full season, fine.
But we're essentially doubling
down not only for this season,
but for next season,
because the players we sign,
it'll be
two- to three-year contracts.
He inherited 80% of a plan.
ROB: Yes.
By the way, that'sthat's
one of the things, so I
[laughs]
Is this the kind
of house you
RYAN: Ask Blake.
I have no idea what
[laughing]
ROB: Are you
fucking kidding me?
- Yeah.
- Is
RYAN: It's a house of horrors.
- Is thisis that a prop?
RYAN: No, that's a
No, this is supposed
oh, I see, it's therapy.
RYAN: Ah, yes, exactly.
- It's for ther
it's for therapy.
That makes a lot of sense.
[upbeat music]
SHAUN: We decided that before
we entertained
spending more money
on players for Phil
in January,
we needed to see some
improvement from the team.
Phil basically has until
the new year to prove
that he can do the job.
[indistinct chatter]
Most important, the manager is
trying to build a relationship
with players to find out
what makes them tick
on a individual basis.
SINGER: [singing] Coming
SINGER: [singing]
Change is coming
[crowd shouting]
ANNOUNCER:
[exclaims indistinctly]
Wrexham have the lead
at the Recreation Ground!
It was Aaron Hayden
who headed it
into the back of the net.
And he fires back out
into the net!
With that, Wrexham
have got a second goal!
It goes into the back
of the net!
It's in!
It's in again!
And it's Hall-Johnson
for Wrexham!
What a goal for Wrexham!
Volleys!
And there is the touchdown.
[whistle blows]
And the whistle is blown.
It's been an absolutely
incredible evening
here in Aldershot.
ALL: [chanting] Wrexham!
Wrexham! Wrexham! Wrexham!
MARK:
After smashing Aldershot,
things are looking up.
Now Wrexham hoping to keep
the momentum going
as they take on
Kings Lynn Town.
[all chanting]
[energetic music]
[crowd cheering]
Fucking yeah!
Come on!
[suspenseful music]
[crowd cheering]
[fans singing]
[crowd cheering]
[crowd chanting indistinctly]
[energetic music]
[crowd cheering]
FAN: Come on!
When was the last time
we scored five in two games?
Never.
Never in the history, never.
Fuckin' amazin'.
Amazin', bruv.
[crowd cheering]
Yeah!
[bell rings]
6-1!
Let's go!
MARK: Fantastic.
Wrexham set a new club record.
We scored 11 goals
in back-to-back away games.
RYAN: Well,
you can't complain about that.
ROB: Well, those are the two
weakest teams in the league.
RYAN: Oh, so you can
complain about that.
ROB: I'm just sayin'.
RYAN: What are you saying?
ROB: That we should be
beating these teams.
RYAN: We did beat these teams.
ROB: Yeah, I'm just sayin'.
RYAN: You've been reading
too many mean tweets.
ROB: Coach!
NICK: Hey, how you doing?
ROB: How are ya?
- Big fan.
ROB: Robdamn, man,
I'm a big fan of yours.
Yeah, a really big fan.
ROB: Congratulations
on the season so far.
Thank you.
I appreciate it.
Yeah, we gotta keep it
keep it stringing
Kinda feels like the
momentum's happening though.
Right?
- Yeah.
- Goddamn, that was
- It's happening, yeah.
This is my
I coached at Indiana University
of Pennsylvania.
ROB: Okay, yup.
And this
was my recruiting area.
I liked it
when I was recruiting,
and I like it now, so
ROB: Well, when they love you,
they love you.
- Yeah.
ROB: And then when they don't,
they let you know.
[laughs] Right.
ROB: But it's crazy
that Coach Pederson
I mean, 2017,
I'm like, God, that was
That wasn't that long ago.
ROB: It was like yesterday.
- [chuckling] I know.
[upbeat funky music]
[fanfare plays]
[bell rings]
ROB: If you had to distill
down one piece of advice
JEFFREY: What would it be?
- What would it be?
One, enjoy every minute
of it.
Sports, the reason it's popular
is because it's unpredictable,
and the moment you think
you've got a really good team,
um, you'll probably have some
bad games, and it'll kill ya.
I'm on a text chain
with a group of my friends
from Philly
that I grew up with.
JEFFREY: Yeah.
And over the years,
I had the luxury of on Sundays,
having any opinion
that I want to have.
JEFFREY: Totally.
About what plays
are being run
JEFFREY: Yup.
What players
should be benched
JEFFREY: Yeah.
- What coach should be fired.
JEFFREY: [chuckles] Yeah.
- What's Howie doing?
JEFFREY: Yeah.
- Right?
JEFFREY: Yeah.
- And it's a release.
JEFFREY: Absolutely.
- And it's easy for us, right?
JEFFREY: Yeah.
- Because we have
we can have
very strong opinions,
but now
I'm on the other end of it,
where those conversations that
are havingthat I'm having,
those are
those are real people.
They're no longer characters
on my television screen.
It forces you
to have to really
think through a lot
of decisions
and think about things
not just in the short-term.
What's gonna gratify me
for the next month of my life?
What is best for the team
over the course
of the next 12 months,
24 months, five years?
Um, and what are your values
in terms of what kind of coach
do you want?
What kind of collaboration
do you want?
What kind of culture
do you want?
- Mm-hmm.
- That, to me,
is something I never thought
about as a fan.
Mm-hmm.
JEFFREY: But then
you've gotta also then identify
where do you think
the trajectory is gonna go?
And that's where
the hard decisions are.
ROB: Mm-hmm.
If you thought you were
on a upward trajectory
and you had a down year
and you'd say,
"Okay, that was a down year,
"but we're really
on a upward trajectory
with that coach
and with that coaching staff,"
then, you know, you continue.
If you reach the conclusion
that you think
you're
on a downward trajectory,
and you needed
a fresh leadership
Mm-hmm.
JEFFREY:
Then you gotta make a change.
And don't be afraid
to make a change.
At the same time, don't be
afraid to keep a great coach,
like I did with Andy
over the years.
There was a lot of criticism
"Why would you keep Andy Reid?
We didn't win
the Super Bowl that year."
Well, you know,
many of the years,
we were, uh,
in the NFC championship game.
ROB: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
So you gottayou kind of
gotta decipher that,
but make your own judgment,
and don't shy away
from really tough decisions.
[soft dramatic music]
[crickets chirping]
[indistinct shouting on TV]
because you can drive
yourself crazy if you do that.
So I think you've gotta
learn from it, take lessons,
and move on quickly
and don't look back too much.
[soft dramatic music]
And everybody, you know,
wants to tell me of
their passion for the club.
And you can sense it.
Yeah, he's well-known
in the town apparently.
Very well-known.
[laughter]
I wish.
But, uh
It's a club which should never
have dropped
into National League,
but it did,
and it's been some tough years
for everybody in the town.
PERSON: Yeah.
- Yeah, no.
She converted.
[laughs]
Don't put that on camera,
for goodness sake.
[laughter]
PHIL: Really?
- Yeah, yeah.
PHIL: Football clubs
in England and Wales
can lift a community.
My job, and obviously,
not just my job,
the owner's job, and everybody
playing for the club
is to do everything we can
to bring success to the area.
oh, fuck.
ROB: I own a bar
in Philadelphia
called Mac's Tavern,
and it's modeled
after Patty's Pub,
the fictional pub
from my show,
Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Since I was in town,
and since the last two games,
the team had been
on a bit of a tear,
I thought it'd be fun
to invite
all of my old friends
from Philly
to come down to the pub
and watch the game with me.
It's a full sellout.
PERSON: And it's today?
ROB: Yeah, it's a full sellout.
If we score a bucket of goals
like we have been doing,
that place is going
to go nuts.
And that's what I wanna see
today.
That is what I'm hopin' for.
[crowd shouting]
[applause]
[crowd chanting]
[suspenseful folk music]
[indistinct chatter]
This is where they usually
start kicking it out,
in the 25th minute.
PERSON: Yeah?
- Yeah.
[crowd shouting]
Right,
so we're at the game now.
It's the 35th minute,
and it's currently 0-0.
[indistinct chatter]
It's such
apparently, it's such
a home team advantage sport,
which
PERSON: Right.
ROB: But the last two games
we won were away,
and we scored 11 goals.
PERSON: Right.
This is home, and we can't
[whistle blows]
[crowd shouting angrily]
So Wealdstone was a draw.
[bell rings]
But since I had to watch
a 0-0 soccer game
in Philadelphia
in front of everyone I know,
it counts as a loss.
RYAN: That seems very petty.
ROB: Shut up, Ryan.
[energetic dramatic music]
[crowd erupts]
Come on! Yeah!
ANNOUNCER 1: Passes the ball,
moves, and it's in!
ANNOUNCER 2: Yeah!
ANNOUNCER 1: A goal!
And that's a great goal!
ANNOUNCER 2: Yeah!
[bell rings twice]
[bell rings]
RYAN: Seventh place.
Not bad.
You're still mad, aren't you?
ROB: It was in front
of all my friends.
That game was so boring.
RYAN: It was one draw.
He won the other four games.
ROB: All my friends were there.
RYAN: Okay, I think we should
talk about this later.
ROB: All of 'em.
Everyone.
[energetic music]
ANNOUNCER:
And it's 2-0 to Yeovil.
And fans start to leave now.
[crowd cheering]
ANNOUNCER: It's Davies.
[crowd roaring]
And it's in.
ANNOUNCER:
Young Will reversed.
Ball's to Jordan Davies.
Peels across this man.
[indistinct]
Jordan Davies chips the ball
to the back post.
[indistinct]
Across the middle!
[crowd cheering]
Come on!
[indistinct]
[bell rings three times]
[energetic music fades]
SERVER: George?
PHIL: Thank you very much.
PHILIPPE:
Phil and his son George
come in on a regular basis,
couple of times a week.
Um, he has a bit
of a superstition
about what meal
he has prior to a match.
Oh, the main man's here.
Get him on the camera.
PERSON: Oh
PHIL: Come on, this is the man
you wanna speak to.
PERSON: You see
we got dressed up for this.
[laughter]
So it's quite funny
to see when he comes in,
having his meals.
PHIL: Come join us.
- I'll come join you, yeah.
PHIL: Yeah. We're really having
a quick snack.
Yeah, yeah.
PHIL: Thank you very much.
- Thank you.
- And not the granola.
- Not the granola today.
No, I have that
every other day, don't I?
PHILIPPE: Usually,
if I make his meal,
it's usually scrambled eggs
on toast.
They're really good,
nice guys.
Come in super friendly.
Nice, it's good.
We don't argue much at all,
to be honest.
There are a lot of people
who ask me, "Do you argue?"
And, uh, no.
I don't think it's as much
as people would expect.
We've got a good
working relationship,
I would say, yeah.
[laughter]
[soft dramatic music]
[crowd cheering]
ANNOUNCER:
And there's the final whistle.
County celebrate victory.
[crowd cheering]
Frustration, huge frustration
for Wrexham.
[applause]
ROB: When we started
this 10-game stretch,
we were in 12th place.
Phil's gotten us all the way
up to third place,
but we still can't beat
the top teams.
But what does that mean?
RYAN: It means we won't get
promoted, is what it means.
ROB: So what do we change?
How do we get
from third to first?
[indistinct chatter]
ANNOUNCER: And
a frustrating first half ends.
Yeovil Town 1,
Wrexham, 0.
Plenty of work
for Phil Parkinson's side
to do after the break.
PHIL: It's a fucking disgrace,
an absolute fucking disgrace!
We fucking turned up thinking,
"We're gonna fucking
stroll around,
"we'll fucking play,
we're gonna fucking beat these
no problem."
They're fucking first
to every ball,
they won more
fucking challenges,
they fucking won
more second balls,
they fucking be bright
on the fucking ball.
If you're sharp
and you're closing down
and you fucking work,
you're sharp with possession
is that right or wrong, Tozer?
Everybody has been loose
in possession,
'cause that bit hasn't
been fucking right,
first and foremost.
PHIL: I can't accept
that performance, boys,
'cause let me tell ya,
I'm fucking ecstatic it's 1-0.
Ecstatic,
'cause we've been
three out of 10.
They've been fucking
eight out of 10.
They can't get much better.
We can fucking
get a lot better.
Fucking sharp up on the ball.
ANNOUNCER:
It's out to Paul Mullin.
Mullin on his right foot.
He places it in!
PHIL: Yeah!
ANNOUNCER: Yeovil aren't gonna
be happy about that one.
Wrexham have equalized!
Get in there!
ANNOUNCER: Davies, Mullin,
and Ponticelli fronting,
leaving [indistinct] short.
James Jones is making a run.
McAlinden's in space
the left-hand side.
Liam McAlinden's picked out.
McAlinden crosses,
left foot,
puts it across the goal
to Ponticelli!
To Jordan Davies, sends
an own goal!
[crowd cheering]
[whistle blows]
[crowd cheering]
- Whoo!
- Yes!
Yes!
ROB: So we decided
to stick with Phil.
Not just because
of the wins and losses,
but also because of
the team culture he's built.
RYAN: I particularly
like the swearing.
Fuckin' hell!
ROB:
We also decided to go ahead
and buy that striker
he was asking for.
You remember in Braveheart
when they introduce
that character
about halfway through,
and it completely changes
the trajectory of the movie?
Yeah, that's the guy
I'm talking about.
The Irish guy.
Remember that?
Well, now we have our own
version of that,
and his name
[crowd roaring]
Ollie Palmer.
He's English, by the way.
He's not Irish.
[bassy upbeat music]