After 40 years old, I made a promise to myself
that when I see someone do something amazing, I was gonna tell them.
I don't want anything in return. I don't even want a response.
I reached out to Rob because I saw an episode
of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
In it, he did the most beautiful…
unreal dance number in pissing rain on a soundstage
that was just one of the most heartbreaking
and stunning things I have ever seen.
I reached out to Rob, and I just said that "What I saw was so incredible
and so beautiful, and I can't imagine the hours, days, weeks and months
it took to create three minutes of pure, unadulterated bliss for an audience."
And I said, "I don't even need a response. Don't even…
Don't even write back. It's fine.
I just wanted you to know that I'm a lifelong fan now and that's it."
And then the next thing you know,
we own a northern Welsh historic football club together.
The exponential return on a tiny comment of kindness
brought us into this wild world where I've experienced growth and optimism
in ways I could never have dreamt of.
I think we live in a…
in a world where there are two very different and distinct realities.
There's a digital reality and then there's a real reality.
That's the one that we live and breathe every single day.
Anything that is digital or online,
I feel like it has an asterisk, it's not real.
I am exponentially happier, and I'm exponentially better at my life and my job
when I unhook and I kind of take part in the world.
Wrexham AFC is now and has always been a form of touching grass for me.
Even thinking about Wrexham,
watching Wrexham from New York,
you know, play at matches, touching grass, you know.
I look forward to it all week.
If you feel that energy in the stadium,
if you go and you put your feet and your hands in that grass,
I mean, it's real.
Everything about that is real.
I still have the grass from my first visit at Wrexham AFC at the Racecourse Ground.
That entire bowl in there of folks, all four sides,
three right now, but four again soon,
you know, that is a place where everybody goes where they all feel
true togetherness and really kind of be present.
There's very few places like that on Earth.
It ain't in your phone, it ain't in a comment section.
No. It's living your real life, really.
Oh, my God.
I get it.
For me, it's a great start to the morning getting in the gym.
Decisions come to you when you're in the gym and you're switching off.
It gives you a bit of clarity really.
As the next few games come,
I'm preparing myself, get myself in the right place.
Another victory for Phil Parkinson's Red and White Army over Swansea City.
It's in!
Come on!
But then, defeated on the road, stung by The Hornets at Watford.
We will be going home pointless, I'm afraid.
We'll look at what it means for the Championship playoff picture,
look ahead to Sheffield United and countdown the final eight games left.
And if you didn't believe that Wrexham could get
to the Premier League this season,
well, maybe you do right now.
You know, we've come a long way this season,
and, um, this weekend is about one mighty effort
from… from all the squad, all the staff, all the supporters.
I mean, ever since I've been here, certainly when we got into League Two,
people have asked us about the Premier League, and…
and we've said, "Yeah, of course."
You know, the aim is to get Wrexham into the Premier League.
But you've gotta be careful to get carried away,
'cause it is so tight
and the minute people start mentioning the word Premiership,
and the slightest thing can take a group's eye off the ball,
can be the difference between winning and losing.
So, we've gotta really be careful to make sure we're avoiding that.
Do you want to go through the running order Steve, then?
Uh, so, warmup,
possessions,
five v five with floater.
Longy, Max, A.J., Brunty, T.K. as a left wing back.
Sheafo, how's he feeling this morning?
Uh, Sheafo, we've just been down with him this morning.
- He's really good. - Good. How's Libby?
Libby's progressing okay in the gym.
Cacace seems to be flexing his left knee?
Don't want to see this.
Since January, we've picked up some injuries in key…
from key players.
Libby, Matty James, Sheafy, and then Kieffer getting injured.
Yeah. Well, I would rather play.
But we're just focused on what we've gotta do,
remaining grounded as a group.
Pass. Fantastic play.
Get up there, get up, Tommo!
Get out of that back line!
I feel, you know, it took us a while this season
to get the team looking how we wanted it to look.
Good, good, good. Brilliant, yes.
But that's understandable because we've made so many changes
and players are adapting to a new environment.
Good, Doyley.
Good, how's that?
And, yeah, getting to know us, and we were getting to… getting to know them.
You must be relating that you're training well
and you're taking it into the games. Do you know what I mean?
I have open chats with nearly, well, all the players.
We gotta manage it better. And normally we're good at that.
- Would you agree with that? - Yeah, yeah.
I think we've normally fucking been great at that.
Like, I had three or four chats with individuals today about their own game,
where I think they are.
Take your time, get together.
Kick a couple, regroup.
Shorter passes.
A couple of them, I think, have just dipped, not a lot,
but just enough to make the one-nil into a nil-nil, or the other way 'round and…
And, um, yeah, we just got to be… look to rectify that.
It's not a lot, but the margins are very… It's very tight.
The character we've got in the team
I know how we can believe, we get back and want to keep going.
- Yeah. - We gotta maintain that.
Good. Here we go, we're playing. We're playing good.
To see the team evolve as…
as we've gone along has been very rewarding for us all,
and, you know, we've really enjoyed it.
Obviously the aim is, "Can we finish it in good style now?"
Do you let yourself think about the Premier League?
Yeah, I think you've gotta dare to dream and it's…
You know, as we've always said,
the ambition of Wrexham is to be a Premier League club.
And I think you've gotta have that ambition and belief that…
that, one day, we can achieve
playing in what is the most-watched league in world football.
…Sheffield United!
Well, hello there, everyone.
Welcome to Sheffield United versus Wrexham.
Playing massive teams like this on a giant stage
makes you pinch yourself, to make sure you're in reality.
AFC Wrexham!
Wrexham, Wrexham!
Away we go.
Wrexham! Wrexham! Wrexham!
Oh, there's a mistake. Wrexham lose the ball sloppily in midfield,
and Bamford tries to play the killer ball.
Come on!
The error then by Dobson could have been ever so costly.
Dobbo! Simple!
He tracked Hamer there. It's dangerous. It's fed in.
Bamford, must score. Missed it. Unbelievable, an absolute sitter.
Against Sheff United, we're having a few nervy moments.
Fed inside deftly. O'Hare turns.
Tight… Tight angle, feeds it back and another big miss.
Very early in the game, I thought we looked off it all over the pitch.
Yes. Cover him.
Here comes Kaboré now.
And it's headed just wide.
Oh, my God, Lewis.
What a sitter.
But we still had moments.
Go on, go on, go on.
We had a great chance to score.
Go on!
Fucking hell, Josh!
What a fucking chance that is.
That takes us through to halftime with the score nil-nil.
Wrexham can't afford to keep allowing Sheffield United chances.
We can't sustain this level of pressure.
Right, listen in, listen in, listen in.
Our game management has been so bad.
It's fucking… I'm embarrassed.
I bet you every person behind the goal was watching that,
standing there, going, "What the fuck were Wrexham doing there?"
We're at Bramall fucking Lane away from fucking home.
Like, honestly, I was like, "What are we fucking doing?"
Everybody on the football pitch is gonna make mistakes,
but I think individually if you make an error,
it's recovering from that quickly on the football pitch.
Lewis, I think you can do better helping Tom on that side.
If your teammates have made a mistake, well, the next time it comes to you,
come on, just get us ticking over again and get us back into a rhythm.
Come on, boys. Come on, it's there for us, isn't it?
Just a little bit more, a little bit better. It's there for us.
We go and win the fucking game. Come on, come on, come on.
So it's just making sure that everybody's switched on.
There's an edge, 5% edge we've got to get back
and we've got to turn that on our side again.
Wrexham! Wrexham! Wrexham!
There's danger. Brooks is played in,
shooting opportunity, left channel. And it's a big tackle by Dobson.
Fuck yeah! Get involved in the game!
Here they open Wrexham up again. Bamford.
Brilliant save, but the rebound must be… It is an opener!
Okonkwo nearly made an amazing double save,
but he couldn't keep it out.
Fucking hell.
Quite frankly,
we've done surprisingly well to keep them out until then.
Go on!
Keep on going.
So, can Wrexham respond?
Oi. All right.
That's a good ball by Thomason, left side of the box.
Smith pulls it back.
Windass!
And scores!
Windass drills it home!
And a perfect ball in, and in the midst of it all,
Windass looked like he was just putting his washing out,
just calmly slotting it home, and Wrexham are level.
Wrexham!
Come on! Dobbo!
Get round everybody, come on!
Wrexham looking to get momentum going.
Yes, Issa! Yes, Issa!
Kaboré cuts into the box.
It's a right-footed cross.
And it's there!
It's Sam Smith! Diving header!
What a great move by Wrexham.
What a goal.
Wrexham!
And there it is, the final whistle.
Wrexham have been coming to Bramall Lane since our non-league days,
but we've never won here.
That is not the case today.
Listen to that away end.
Get in there! Fuck yeah! Come on!
Come on! Come on!
Get in!
Parky, Parky, Parky…
Parky! Parky! Parky!
- Okay. For sure? - All right.
- Yeah. - You all right?
- There he is! - No!
I can't believe you answered.
Of course, I--
You?
Last season, we got to know this incredible kid named Archie.
He's 12 years old, he's a Wrexham fan since birth,
and he's fighting cancer with more grit and grace than I'd ever possibly imagined.
He was in the box with us on the day that we clinched the promotion.
It was such a great day,
but cancer treatment's not a straight line,
and Archie still, he has a long way to go.
A lot has happened in the 12 months.
Two days after being promoted,
we started two rounds of chemotherapy as a prep
for the bone marrow transplant, which was the toughest chemo that he's dealt with.
Complications with that were extremely tough.
He reacted to it really bad.
He was five minutes from ICU, heart rate through the roof,
constant sickness that has been incredibly challenging for him.
Um, he's really struggled to deal with the transplant itself,
but the good thing is, even though he's… his body has not accepted it,
it's actually working and keeping that cancer away.
Yeah, do you wanna pick your pumpkin?
Pick the ugliest pumpkin, Archie.
- What about that one? Yeah. - Yeah?
That one.
We have been home now from the hospital for 17 weeks,
and I've noticed, the last couple of weeks,
he's just getting stronger and stronger.
We seem to be turning a bit of a corner, so we're going out.
We're going all out.
Look at this. "Sofakin."
Three pumpkins together.
Smooth.
Obviously, I'm a bit stronger now, so I can go out.
'Cause I've-I've been in hospital for, like, months,
because obviously, I'm still recovering, so I can't do as much.
But, yeah, it's just nice.
I'm not in the hospital.
This is the first time he's seen his friends as well.
So, this is like winning the lottery for me now, seeing him like this.
It's-It's the best feeling, because he hasn't lost his spark.
It says no exit. It's just one way in, one way out.
But that makes no sense!
You're so feisty today.
No, I'm just saying.
Well, Ryan Reynolds, McElhenney, really helped me.
Ollie Palmer coming in.
Hey, Archie.
- That's so nice, huh? - Oh, wow.
How's it going, man?
Then Mullin, and then, you know,
all-- just everything is just really special to me.
I don't know how I can explain it, it's just nice.
Football's important to me, so it's, you know, really nice.
It's been a weird up and down season, from watching Southampton away.
We were obviously at home for that.
Get in there!
He was so excited for the season, and I think 'cause
he's not been able to physically go as much.
Now it's been a back and forth: playoffs, no playoffs.
It's brought back a spark in him as well.
It's nice to see him excited about the football again.
Thank you.
Yeah, I do want to go back to school.
'Cause of all my friends and, you know,
I get to see my friends and be with 'em a lot more.
Depends how I'm feeling.
Like, the doctors have to say, and they have to give me the word to say,
"Right, you can go back to school, and you can do this and that."
You've got, like, charcoal mouth.
It's crazy.
But I just know I'm gonna get better, you know.
Things do get better.
Wow!
I can't believe how much it's grown.
- It's grown again, hasn't it? - I don't think it has.
- Oh, it has. - It has. He doesn't see it.
- Should've took a photo of the first one. - I know.
His improvement over the last few months.
I see that kid again.
We've got our old Archie back now, but better. Even better.
Healthier.
Cancer has changed us all.
It's made us appreciate the small things in life
and living our life to the fullest.
Look at that.
Ready for the pub now, mate?
Oh, you look good.
Thanks.
- Yeah, I like it. - Happy?
- Yeah, thank you. - Yeah?
One of the things I love about being cochairman
of this football club is meeting the people who stick around the longest.
They're not in the headlines, they've seen it all, and they understand it.
And when the noise gets loud, they keep us all grounded.
How many potatoes can I eat in 20 seconds?
Are we ready? Who's gonna count?
- It looks hot. - One, two.
It's hot.
Twenty seconds.
They're dead hot on the bottom.
Oh, my word.
I'd say, your 20 seconds is up, Whitey.
- You reckon? - I reckon.
I'm just a normal person in a very, very abnormal job.
I have been under every single stand, in every drain.
I've been on top of every roof.
I know everything about this place. Everything.
Whitey is one of them guys that doesn't stop.
He's always on the go. He's always happy, he's always upbeat.
Everybody knows Mike White.
Everybody.
I hope you're zooming in on my calves again.
Yeah, he's a bit of a character. Um, obviously I had a few sort of
funny conversations with him over the years, but--
Like what?
Probably stuff that shouldn't be repeated on camera.
I'm here every day, and I love it.
Before the match, I'll set out all the car park barriers,
build the smoking shelter,
check all the toilets, all the sinks, taps.
Just make sure everything's ready.
Then I'm here during the game, put all the lights on after the game.
And then, the day after the game, it's checking all the seats.
And my bugbear is stickers from away fans.
Honestly, you'll be surprised. Hundreds of them.
They just stick them over the seats.
It's just so sad.
I'm from Wrexham.
Lived here all my life.
First game, I came with my granddad.
And then, I've got photos of myself with my face painted
when we beat Northampton to get promoted.
And it's a bit cringey, now I look back on it, but it's dead good.
I've been home and away everywhere watching Wrexham.
My mum and my sister come to every game.
Eldest lad John, he does the-- all the boots for the players.
He done the Fuck the Tories ones that caused a lot of bother.
This is a bit-- but I was crying last time we got promoted, honestly.
The club's grown huge.
It is… It's insane, man.
I was here when Dean Keates was manager and we were skint.
And now it's just so different.
And there's-- the bigger picture is making the playoffs,
with a chance of going to the Premier League.
Which is crazy.
To see my club get into the Premier League.
It's just nice to be a part of it.
My goodness, this is high stakes football.
Wrexham against Southampton.
After our draw at West Brom,
we only have six matches left this season.
Coming into this match, Wrexham are in sixth,
the final playoff spot,
though Southampton are right behind us in seventh,
with a game in hand, and they are unbeaten in 15 matches.
A huge challenge for Wrexham.
Wrexham versus Southampton, the team who's just been relegated
from the Premier League last season.
They were 21st in the table.
Now they are seventh. They are top of the form table.
They are the team to beat.
People say to me, "Can Wrexham get to the Premier League?"
Fucking of course we can.
I mean, Southampton were playing Premier League football last year.
But the thing about Parky is he always sort of…
he always gets us set up in the right way for these big games.
He always seems to find an answer.
Wrexham to face up to Southampton,
fresh from a victory over Premier League leaders Arsenal
in the FA Cup quarterfinal on Saturday.
I'm gonna do everything I can,
and the boys are gonna do everything they can as well
to help us get in that top six, 'cause that's where we want to be.
But we know we should… we should definitely be in that top six
with the players we've got.
And away we go.
Come on, Wrexham!
Across to the left, a little bit of space for Manning.
And Larin makes an early run. It swoops towards him.
That's a great header. Hit the bar!
The rebound hits the bar again!
Unlucky, come on. React, come on!
Now, it's dangerous.
Larin bursts forward. Azaz is in support.
He feeds it in. Lucky rebound for Larin.
Azaz might try another shot.
He gets up his right foot. Wrexham crowd round him.
Plays a through ball. Shot's in.
And Southampton take the lead. And, quite frankly, that was coming.
For ten minutes, and all we deserve for being terrible.
So far, we got a long way to go yet, but we've gotta…
we've gotta try harder here.
Get up the fucking pitch!
Oh, that's a bit nice. Well, there's options here.
Broadhead into the box, takes on the last defender.
Never quite looked like he was able to get past Stephens.
Fucking hell.
Pressure continues from Southampton.
Free kick about 15 yards out.
Come on! Fight for the ball!
Ripped in to the near post.
It's half cleared. Downes drills it. Two-nil.
Great control on the half volley 15 yards out.
Although, it's got to be said, we really didn't manage to pick him up,
and he just slams it in, and Wrexham are two down.
And we can't really argue against that. Southampton look superb.
It's just not got going at all.
Very disappointing.
Get us up the fucking pitch!
We are now two goals down halfway through the first half
and need to really look at a way to fix this and, firstly, stem the damage.
Come on!
Cleworth's cross is deflected awkwardly.
And it's hit the post.
Brilliant effort by Broadhead.
Do it! Come on! Do it! Come on!
Goes back to Okonkwo.
The Wrexham fans are impatient, I've gotta say as well.
They're really grumbling when we make mistakes.
As Moore gets it brilliantly down to Windass.
One-on-one with the keeper. On his right foot.
Pulls it. Oh, that's a great goal by Windass.
Wrexham are back in it.
Josh Windass gives us a chance.
Windass's touch, and then he fakes to go
across the keeper, and puts it in the other corner.
Lovely goal. Wow.
Wrexham!
We've gotta forget the first 20 minutes in there.
We were just second best, weren't we? Second best.
And then all of a sudden,
we fucking start believing in ourselves a little bit,
and we can fucking play as well.
Fucking, they've got some good players, but fucking so have we.
Fucking come on. Let's fucking have a bit with them.
Come on. Let's go. Come on!
- All right. - Come on, come on.
Here we go. Second half.
Broadhead 25 yards out.
Shifts quickly onto his right foot.
Helps it across to Cleworth. Hit this!
Drills it… Deflection.
- Just wide. -
Get up there! Come on!
And O'Brien does well to recover as Azaz…
Hyam tries to get a footing, but it's a bad ball.
And Larin is through on goal now.
Cleworth trying to keep up. With him Azaz. And mark Larin. Shoots.
- 3-1. -
Oh, that's a horrible mistake.
After doing so well and taking the game to Southampton, a sucker punch.
And sadly for Wrexham, it's self-inflected.
But Larin, what confidence that finish is.
Brilliant. He drilled it across Okonkwo.
But the assist doesn't come from a Southampton player.
And that hurts Wrexham.
Come on. Keep going! Come on.
Dob, Dob! Come on. Keep going!
Dobson works it across to Cleworth. Kaboré's available.
Receives it. Manning steps up.
Kaboré wants the one, two. Gets it back.
Kaboré, first chance to win at Welington.
Kaboré crossed it.
Oh, hits the post!
Oh, that's an unbelievable moment.
But how have they not put that in the back of the net?
But it is an open ball, I guess, isn't it? Let's be honest.
And a great ball around the corner.
Welington is away here, bursting forward.
Finds Scienza, who is…
Well, the ref gives the foul.
He's got to book Longman there.
What?
He flicked it!
So here's Welington again.
He's been on the set pieces since he came on.
Good ball in. Stewart with the header.
Four. That was so simple.
Lovely. It's simple because it's quality though.
That's embarrassing now.
But wow.
I mean, Southampton have put on a show to be fair.
The Southampton fans making all the noise here.
The Racecourse, apart from them, shell shocked.
Here comes Southampton again.
Get the ball! Get the fucking ball!
Good work here. Stewart now. But they want more.
Matsuki is on the right-hand side.
Cutting into the box, but leaves it out wide.
It's through to the far post by Scienza.
Okonkwo gets a hand to it. Headed in for five.
Oh, for fuck's sake.
Okonkwo, to be fair, was stretching for it.
Couldn't get a proper contact, and it was an easy finish.
And my word, Southampton have been spectacular,
and you can't deny it.
They have looked full of goals, and they have delivered.
That fit is so un-Wrexham like.
You know, we go to four, and we've normally had a response,
but we just look like we are stunned.
There is the final whistle.
And, wow, that was magnificent by Southampton.
They started fast, and they kept going quickly,
and they just kept landing punch after punch after punch.
The final score: Wrexham one, Southampton five.
That's a real reality check for Wrexham.
Go on.
They're a good team. They're a good team.
We know that they've got good players but…
We can't, we gotta be harder to score against than that.
It's too fucking easy for them. Too easy.
This game's not going to fucking define us…
We're gonna come out fucking ready to Birmingham on Sunday,
and go again.
The whole team, the whole team…
we gotta be harder to play against than that.
Can I just say I know everyone in here knows and believes
we can get into playoffs,
so we don't let fucking a game like that stop that belief.
- No, exactly. - We still keep going
- and get into the playoffs. - We won't.
Fucking hell, that's it. That's football.
We got fucking, our arses kicked tonight.
There's more about us than that.
With five games left, Wrexham there in 7th place.
Southampton leapfrogged them into 6th.
They've also got a game in hand.
They are really a team on the run at the moment.
You know, I think you've just gotta let Southampton go now.
I think they've gone, to be honest.
- And you know, I think… - Yeah. Playoff flankers.
Yeah, and I think it is…
it is Hull who you've just gotta hope that you can catch.
These are the games, you know.
You want it to be exciting at this point of the season, and it certainly is.
Load of rubbish.
We're fucking shit.
That's what you get when you don't play with two strikers
and you play with five at the back.
Shite.
We've got five games to go. We've got 15 points to play for.
Um… As unrealistic as it might feel right now,
because that was a really poor performance,
if we go and pick up nine or 10 points out of them 15, then we'll have a good chance.
Southampton demolish Wrexham on their home turf, take them apart,
outplay them, make them look very, very ordinary.
Wrexham were dreadful, one of the worst teams, I think, we've seen this season.
And the way Phil Parkinson, although he's direct
and likes a back three and all of this and all of that…
But of late, they've been pretty poor and they've played some pretty average teams,
and if they don't respond, they're going to fall away
from the playoff contention.
You know, I look at the three promotions we've had
and people sometimes forget,
but in each of those seasons there was tough periods, you know.
The external noise was, uh, quite loud.
You have times where people question you,
question the players, um, but that's when everyone sticks together
and comes through the other side of it stronger than ever.
If you search the phrase "Parky out"…
…you're gonna see that for five years, there are people
who just devote all their time to finding ways to get him off the pitch forever.
There's the usual stuff that pours out of people,
and I think largely it's borne out of frustration.
There is online criticism, a lot of, sort of, Monday morning quarterbacks.
I don't know what the UK equivalent of that is, but, you know,
people who have just firsthand expertise,
despite never actually getting in the arena the way maybe Phil Parkinson has.
I just feel like it's social media as well, isn't it, I often just think.
I always take an hour or two away from it because--
I've had three hours away from it today.
It's great.
I don't know what Phil's, sort of, feeling about it is.
I do know that you don't walk up to somebody like Phil and go,
"I'm really sorry about all this that's happening online."
'Cause Phil's just gonna go, "What the fuck is happening online?"
You do need to be able to deal with criticism
because it inevitably comes your way.
Um, how I deal with it, honestly, I don't read anything at all.
I block every bit of social media out.
I say to my family, "I don't want to know anything,
positive or negative." I'm concentrating on my job to do the best of my ability.
With three successive promotions in a row, which is history.
Yet there are people who are just kind of programmed to bet against this guy.
I… I mean, what a…
what a fucking waste of time.
So how many years have you been managing?
'Cause you've been in the game, haven't you, since 16, 17?
Yeah. Well, since I was 16 as a player.
At 58 now, so 40… 42 years.
Really from a very young age, I was just playing football
ever since I can remember.
Got the opportunity to go and trial at numerous clubs
and ended up signing for Southampton when I was 16.
Played in the reserves, but then got transferred to a team called Bury
and went straight to the first team.
You know, I remember picking my boots up, driving away from Southampton's ground
for the last time and being emotional,
but also like, "Come on, this is… Now you gotta… This is your chance."
Could be a chance for Parkinson. Shot, and it's tipped clear.
Probably not the most gifted player, but I felt I made up for it
with effort and drive and determination.
I signed for Reading when I was 24 and then played the rest of my career there.
I had 11 years at Reading.
Delivers it up towards Parkinson who got the flick on.
Cureton! Yes!
And they are up.
Reading have been promoted this time.
People have been doubting us, but the character, again,
to go one-nil down and then to come back was absolutely magnificent.
Towards the end of my time there, I was starting
to take on some coaching responsibilities within the club.
And then I just got, out of the blue, an opportunity to speak to Colchester United.
Reading's favorite son,
Phil Parkinson, finally decided to hang up his boots
for his first managerial post.
I went straight from being a player to a manager.
I was very aware of the way managers spoke to players.
It's about staying calm,
understanding the vision of where you want to get to.
Colchester United have been promoted to the Championship
- for the first time in the club's history. -
Built the club, helped create a culture there.
We love it! We love it, love it, love it!
I left there and kind of regret probably leaving too soon.
I took the wrong job.
I went to Hull City, and it was a bad timing for me to go there.
I didn't look at the squad close enough.
We were in the bottom three.
We went to my old club, Colchester and got beat 5-1,
and subsequently, I got the sack.
At the time, it hit me hard. It's a results industry and it can be brutal.
But one thing I've learned is don't look back and say,
"I could have done that," you know, and have regrets.
You know, learn from it, but don't let it fester in your mind.
Good, off we go.
Come around, come around.
Good. Brilliant.
You know, I want the lads to, kind of, really be in the moment
and enjoy these times.
You know, I've always prided myself in my career,
whether player or the manager, on having a kind of grounded nature.
I think as you get more experience, you learn to deal with the pressure
and doing things away from the club,
I think, are absolutely key, and you really need that time.
If you're sat in the office till six o'clock every night,
you can't see the wood for the trees.
You need to take yourself away from the environment.
You know, someone said to me at the start of this season,
you know, "What's your hopes for the season?"
And I said, "I hope at the end of the season that the teams continue to reflect
what the club's all about throughout, you know, which we knew…
know is going to be a challenging season."
So yeah, I'm still enjoying it.
But obviously it helps when you're winning.
The pressure is on them today,
and we want to put 'em fucking through it today
and make this a painful fucking day
for them with the manner of our fucking performance.
That's what we're gonna do. Let's go.
Birmingham City the opponents today.
Wrexham looking to bounce back from Southampton
against a Birmingham side that is in poor form.
Let's go! Second ball!
Yesterday's results couldn't have gone any better for us.
Only two of the top 12 won,
and they did so at the expense of the teams that are chasing us.
James comes out with it, and nearly threads it through for Moore,
who's a bit isolated up there.
Chances for playoffs?
I think we'll claw our way into them by accident.
Someone above us will mess up.
We need to really make the most of that
and tee up a big finish to the season, don't we?
Wrexham are very disjointed.
Left-hand side. Early cross from Wagner.
Too high. And it's in!
That's a hell of a header.
He wasn't aiming at Vicente,
but he managed to get his head on it 15 yards out,
and Okonkwo, diving to his left, couldn't claw it out and, well,
the truth is, he barely had the ball.
Frustrating, that moment.
Through the middle. Moore pops it back.
Snappy passing, this.
Dobson to Rathbone, who gets a turn.
Edge of the box. Hits a shot.
Blocked well by Klarer.
Fucking hell!
We're huffing and puffing and getting nowhere.
Actual threat to Birmingham's goal has been very low.
Need to do something to shift the momentum. Corner.
Swept into the near post dangerously! It's 2-nil.
- That's a poor goal to concede. -
And these are two poor goals that Wrexham have conceded here.
They've got to be very frustrated with that.
That was really bad.
Just awful performance with very little positive to take from it,
if anything at all.
Let's get the next goal! Come on then!
Kaboré driving down the right comes now, finds Broadhead.
Good first touch, but his second touch isn't as secure.
Today that was a team who were more afraid
to lose than they were bold enough to win.
'Cause Wrexham have not come to the party today.
It wasn't the result that we wanted.
- Not a good day. - Bad day at the office.
We've been pumped twice this week and deservedly.
Deservedly so.
- We tried our hardest. - Yeah.
One thing's for certain: Wrexham and playoffs don't mix.
We've been counted out every season since we bought the club.
If you were to look, there's never a lack of negative tweets or opinions.
Fucking poor today, that.
I just try to find the good in everything and everybody,
and work with that and the nasty stuff, I just try to avoid.
It's tough to take, boys. It's tough to take.
But, listen, we still got four games to go.
Got to strike the balance right and get ready for next week,
'cause you never know what happens. You just never know in football.
If I've learned anything about this sport, is that anything can happen at any time.
- Wrexham! - In the 109th minute.
I don't understand people leaving games early.
The first win in the second tier since 1982.
In every sport, in every human endeavor…
Kieffer Moore!
The desire to dispense with even reality sometimes,
and to say, "We're still here.
- We're still fighting." - Wrexham!
It's proven to be a means of success.
I mean, look at Buster Douglas coming up against the indomitable force
of Mike Tyson.
And then the right hand uppercut and down goes Douglas.
- As suddenly as that. - …two, three, four.
And just never, ever giving up.
Douglas comes back with a left and a right.
It just takes one glancing blow across the chin.
Yeah!
So much of it is just survival.
Not wanting to give up on the possibility of success.
The biggest upset
in the history of heavyweight championship fights.
Never give up.
Come on the town.
It's amazing how we've fluffed all these opportunities
that keep coming our way, and yet it's still possible, right?
Up the town.
Someone's gotta finish 6th and it could yet still be us.
Come on, Wrexham!
- The town! - Come on!
If you can fight to get that last spot into the playoffs,
then you've got a chance.
And if you've got a chance, and you believe…
Playoffs, here we come!
…then you can do a Wrexham.
Get to the playoffs again.
- Up the town. - It's just a dream.
It's a dream. So we just carry on and see where we go.
We could do it. We could do it.
The dream continues.
Let's go. Come on. Everyone, come on. Let's have a good start.
We had a meeting today. The players had a meeting today.
Just players. When you get beat 5-1…
And then at Birmingham, I don't think we had a shot on goal.
So we talked about how we need to keep spirits high when everything's low.
All right, lads. We've got four games left.
Matty James said to me, "We should have a meeting with the boys."
Now, we're obviously outside the playoffs,
and we're obviously trying to get that 6th spot.
To be honest, we were all gutted after the losses.
It's very uncommon to have a meeting with only players,
but Matty and I felt we had to do anything possible
to turn things around.
Four games left.
Look, lads, there's four games to go. Let's just make sure in two and a half,
three weeks' time, whatever happens, we look back at this running,
knowing that we gave it our all and let's not kind of feel
like we've let ourselves down
and kind of let what could be an incredible season,
and still can be, like, drift away from us.
Four…
It's an incredible feeling knowing that you're still in the picture.
Huge congratulations to everyone really, but, you know, job's not done.
Every single one of us believes we can still make the playoffs.
This is our chance, and we have to fight for it.
Four games left.