sport news IAN HERBERT: Wrexham CAN fulfil Ryan Reynolds' dream of making the Premier ... trends now
It is the kind of claim that new owners are advised to avoid as they venture into the deeply cynical world of football.
But from the moment he first walked into Wrexham's stadium, Ryan Reynolds was unflinching in his assertion that the club could reach the Premier League.
'Why not dream big?' he said 18 months ago when he and co-owner Rob McElhenney arrived in the North Wales town for the first time. 'If you don't dream big, you will never go there, so why not?'
Ryan Reynolds unflinchingly insists Wrexham can reach the Premier League within 10 years
The Hollywood actor co-owns the National League side with fellow star Rob McElhenney
On Sunday afternoon, as the BBC's coverage of the FA Cup tie with Sheffield United shifted the dial on UK awareness of the club's Hollywood story, Reynolds put some detail on that.
'In 10 years' time, the plan is Premier League,' he said in a compelling pre-match interview with Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer. 'Why not? No one has ever done anything great in this world thinking, 'Let's go halfway'.'
The doubters included Sportsmail's Chris Sutton. 'They are not going to get to the Premier League,' he said on BBC Radio 5 Live. 'We can all have these big pipe dreams that they are going to be in the Premier League. It's not going to happen.'
The striking number of children (many in red shirts) and an atmosphere which blew the roof off the stadium in the 3-3 draw on Sunday showcased the feelgood factor at the club. The enticing draw with Tottenham in a potential fifth-round tie only adds to the fervour.
The Welsh side secured an impressive 3-3 FA Cup draw against Sheffield United on Sunday
This alone will not deliver three promotions in a decade. Yet the expert analysis is that the Premier League very much is a possibility for Wrexham, if the owners stay and maintain their extraordinary creative output from the town.
'The Premier League is definitely feasible,' said football finance expert Kieran Maguire, of Liverpool University. Reasons include the size of the fanbase which made McElhenney and Reynolds interested in the club in the first place.
A new Kop will take the Racecourse Ground, currently a 10,000 sell-out every week, to more than 15,500 capacity. Bournemouth were promoted with far fewer fans — their stadium currently holds 11,379 — and Brentford and Wigan's support was similar to Wrexham's when they took the
