What if Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney had bought Hartlepool, not Wrexham?
No Hollywood glamour at Victoria Park - Pools are facing a fight for their future amid a familiar crisis
Not even a cynic could have denied Rob McElhenney and Rob Reynolds their moment of triumph, and relief, as Wrexham propelled themselves out of the National League at the end of last season. The club’s Hollywood owners earned their finale.
Nobody could fairly call it a fairytale given the money (reportedly $12.5m) spent, but Wrexham’s story is a captivating one, as demonstrated by the millions that have watched the FX documentary series.
In an alternative reality, though, Wrexham are still in their non-league torture chamber.
In this reality, McElhenney and Reynolds bought another club instead - Hartlepool United. They were one of roughly 10 clubs (Macclesfield Town was another) the American-Canadian pair considered bidding for before ultimately buying Wrexham in February 2021.
‘Welcome to Wrexham’ easily could have been ‘Welcome to Hartlepool.’ What would that have looked like?
