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On Saturday night, Wrexham secured an unprecedented third successive promotion by putting on a full show at the Stok Cae Ras.

If Wycombe Wanderers could defeat Charlton Athletic, Phil Parkinson’s side’s 1-0 defeat to Leyton Orient earlier in the day gave them an unassailable lead over the chasers in League One.

Ollie Rathbone’s eighth goal of the campaign came in the form of a brace from Sam Smith, who added a brace to seal a convincing 3-0 victory for them.

Current Wrexham director Humphrey Ker became close to the show’s co-creator Rob McElhenney after working as a writer on the comedy television series Mythic Quest.

The Philadelphia-born actor grew interested in football and assigned Ker the task of weighing up possible investment options during the coronavirus pandemic.

Fans of Hartlepool, Aldershot, Carlisle, and Shamrock Rovers, don’t look back. Before Wrexham were chosen, they were one of the clubs that were looked into.

And a chance meeting on Instagram led to the creation of a fulfilling partnership.

Ryan Reynolds, the lead actor for Deadpool, praised McElhenney on the social media platform for his acting abilities in a particular It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode.

The relationship ended when the two men first met, as they say.

Prior to the win over Charlton, Ker said: “They (Reynolds and McElhenney) came to understand this completely foreign idea about the way our football system operates in America, which is that you can go from the top to the bottom and from the bottom to the top. It’s kind of a closed circuit in America.

Under Phil Parkinson, who took over as manager just five months after the takeover was approved, Wrexham have not finished in the lower divisions they have entered any of their four seasons.

An impressive Parkinson debut campaign in north Wales was abruptly ended by heartache in the semi-final play-off against Grimsby Town in 2021-22.

However, Wrexham’s record-breaking 111 points, combined with a 15-year absence from the Football League, sealed the title with the following season.

Since then, the Red Dragons have not been able to stop them.

Wrexham secured back-to-back promotions last term by winning 26 of their 46 matches to move into second place in League Two.

Wrexham have successfully teamed up with a number of former Premier League clubs to earn the second and final automatic promotion to League One this season despite another level increase.

Charlton was Parkinson’s 181st league game manager of Wrexham, and his performance is unquestionable.

In 112 of Parkinson’s league games, Wrexham won. Just under 62% of them won. Only 29 league defeats have been recorded, with 40 draws.

Wrexham has won 361 league goals (excluding play-offs) on average and have claimed 2.08 points per game over the course of this time. This rate is almost exactly two per game.

In his first season, Parkinson, 57, also helped Wrexham reach the FA Trophy final, where they lost to Bromley at Wembley, and he has twice helped his side reach the fourth round of the competition.

The television program’s “Welcome to Wrexham” has been at the center of the club’s recent rise to international fame.

The first team to earn three successive promotions from League One to the Championship will be shown in season four, which will debut in May.

Wrexham does not directly profit from the show, but its popularity has significantly improved the club’s revenue streams.

It is “extraordinary.” The power of storytelling is frequently discussed, Ker said.

Tell people in America why football is so important to us, what it means, and what the stakes are, according to the documentary and the football club.

Truly, the amount of interest piques my interest. Because Americans are drawn to English football and are a source of inspiration for many people who don’t follow it in any other way, it’s because

The documentary has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards and two Critics’ Choice Television Awards for its coverage of the local community in addition to the club’s financial fortunes.

We’re telling the town’s story, added Ker, and that’s the story of the town.

Our objectives are to expand the team, establish Wrexham AFC as a Premier League club, attract more fans at an improved stadium, and have a positive impact on the local Wrexham community.

The club’s mission statement demonstrates how ambitious co-chairmen McElhenney and Reynolds are.

And Wrexham’s management has a lot to think about as they prepare for the club’s first second-tier season since 1981-82.

Their squad will increase from 22 to 25 players, and matchday squads will have nine substitutes in place of seven.

Theoretically, it might allow Paul Mullin to rejoin the squad after his absence from the previous 13 games.

Whatever the circumstances of striker Mullin are, it is obvious that there needs to be more improvement in the squad because Parkinson wants to add more top-notch players to improve his side’s chances of winning the championship.

Increased wage costs will be a result of the unavoidable acquisitions, according to Ker, who recently suggested Wrexham would need to quadruple their wage expenditures to compete in the Championship.

The iconic Kop Stand’s renovation at their Stok Cae Ras home is also scheduled to begin, as are plans to add a training facility and expand the facilities for the women’s side.

There is a lot of money involved in it all. However, the club is currently running a model that most EFL clubs will envy.

In terms of income, Wrexham’s £26.7 million in revenue from the 2023 to the 2024 League Two season places them just below the best Championship sides, who receive parachute payments.

There is no denying that Wrexham are currently in a good position because TV and sponsorship revenue will only increase in the Championship.

The Championship is a different beast from what Wrexham have faced in recent years because it always presents the most difficult challenges.

The club itself has been prepared for a descent due to Ipswich Town’s rapid ascendancy to the top.

Their 22-year exile from the top flight was ended by successful promotions from League One to the Premier League last summer, but they have struggled to resist a full-resumption of the Championship.

Champions League-chasing Newcastle, who capitalized on Ben Johnson’s red card to win 3-0 in the first half, sealed the Tractor Boys’ fate on Saturday afternoon.

Even within Portman Road, Ipswich’s relegation is not unexpected. Financially and tactically, they are in better shape than the relegated rivals Southampton and Leicester.

For manager Kieran McKenna and his players, who looked crestfallen as they applauded their fans at full time, the sound of Michael Salisbury’s final whistle at St James’ Park was still painful.

“We’re disappointed and gutted that our dream is over,” defender Luke Woolfenden said. We haven’t been there this season. We probably let ourselves down too often, in my opinion. “

McKenna, however, acknowledged that after losing to Wolves at Portman Road earlier this month, he had come to terms with the possibility of relegation.

All three promoted teams have experienced immediate demotion as a result of the Saints and Foxes joining Ipswich in the Championship next season.

With as many as four games left, the identity of all three relegated sides has been known for the first time in Premier League history, and it is the second time since 2005-06 that all three have been confirmed before May.

With seven games left, the Tractor Boys were 12 points adrift of safety, so it is not difficult to understand why McKenna cut a resigned figure.

This season, his team have lost a league-high 27 points in winning positions, including the 2-1 victory over Wolves against them.

In front of their own supporters, they have struggled to turn Portman Road into a fortress, only netting seven of their 21 points so far.

This season, only Southampton, who are at the bottom of the standings, has scored fewer points on home soil.

There are “so many lessons,” McKenna said. Because we have risen so quickly from League One, “Ours might be different from other clubs.” It’s been a significant challenge.

There are many positive things we’ve done that will help us prepare for the future, and there are some things we could have done better and that we can take away. “

This season, Ipswich has suffered neither injuries. With Leif Davis’ suspension leaving them without a recognized left-back, they were without 10 first-team players at Newcastle on Saturday.

A lack of discipline has also been a problem. Only Arsenal have had as many red cards in the top flight as Arsenal have in 2024 or 2025, so Johnson’s dismissal was Ipswich’s fifth of the season.

According to McKenna, “Red cards have been expensive.” In my two and a half years leading up to this season, “I believe we had one.”

The transition to the top flight was always going to be significant for a League One club two years ago, and Ipswich had to significantly increase its recruiting efforts to bridge the achievement gap.

The Tractor Boys added Jaden Philogene worth £20 million in January after spending about £120 million last summer.

In a business decision, the club expects to earn money from this summer or beyond on Liam Delap, Jack Clarke, and Jacob Greaves.

Although the investment did not succeed in keeping them in the division, Ipswich believes there is still value in their squad.

The obvious illustration of this is Striker Delap, who has a contract clause for relegation release and is on track to earn the club at least £30 million.

The 22-year-old has become the club’s standout performer with 12 Premier League goals, and he is expected to leave in the summer.

Delap is alleged to be conscious of making the right decision rather than refusing to accept the biggest club’s biggest offer. He has not been pressed to leave.

The future of McKenna will also be up for debate.

Before they appointed Oliver Glasner, he was close to joining Crystal Palace in February, but his flirtations with Brighton, Chelsea, and Manchester United ultimately failed before he signed a new deal in April.

Despite being relegated, he will continue to be a hot property, but Portman Road has no known exit route.

McKenna intends to take the reins of Ipswich in the Championship, with the goal of an immediate Premier League return in the future.

When the club was in League One, he said, “I was proud to lead it.” When the club was in the Championship, I was proud to lead it now in the Premier League. Therefore, that doesn’t significantly alter my perspective.

Novak Djokovic, who lost his opening match for the second tournament in a row, says he is ready for a “new reality.”

Italian Matteo Arnaldi defeated the Serb, who was aiming for a fourth Madrid Open title, 6-3, 6-4.

Djokovic made his Madrid debut in 2006 and won the tournament in 2011, 2016 and 2019.

He said he is not yet certain whether he will play in Madrid again after Saturday’s defeat to a player who was ranked 44 in the world.

When questioned about whether it was his final game there, he responded, “I’m not sure if I will come back.” I’m not sure, then.

I’ll return, though perhaps not as a player, after all. Although I’m not sure if it’s true, it could.

Djokovic added that he lost to a better player because his “level of tennis is not where I would like it to be” and that “I am not where I would like it to be.”

“I’ve had a few of these this year, which I regret, ended in the first round.”

The 24-time Grand Slam champion, who is aiming for his 100th career title, suffered third straight defeats.

After losing in the Miami Masters final in March, he also lost in his opening match in Monte Carlo this month.

He said, “It’s a] kind of new reality for me,” I must admit.

“You know, trying to win a few games but not really considering how far the tournament will go.

It’s a completely different feeling from what I experienced in my 20 plus years of professional tennis, so it’s mentally challenging for me to actually experience these feelings, especially since I’ve been playing in tournaments quite a bit.

Arnaldi, 24, who was facing the Serbian fourth seed for the first time, won it in his second career match against a top-five player.

He’s always been my idol, so I was happy to be able to play him, Arnaldi said.

“I already won,” I said, “to play him on a stage like this.”

I came on the court to try to play my best tennis and win, which I did, so I have no idea what to say at the moment.

37-year-old Djokovic, a three-time champion, forced 32 unforced errors in a fight that ended up being a total mess of a number of delightful shots.

British trio Jack Draper, Jacob Fearnley, and Cameron Norrie all advance to the next round with Arnaldi.

Norrie, the third British number three in the country, started slowly against Czech Jiri Lehecka before winning 2-6, 6-4, 6-0.

Fearnley, the British number two, also lost his first set before defeating Tomas Machac, the other Czech, to advance to the next round.