Football....What team do you support ??

Apologies for the delayed response. It's hard to know where to begin really. Wrexham were a bit of a nothing team until the arrival of two people really. One was Alvan Williams and the other was John Neal. The Neal era started the modern story of Wrexham were he produced over a decade what was inarguably what Bill Shankly described as the greatest football team he'd ever seen outside the old Division One. This was a team that produced Mickey Thomas and he wasn't even the best player. That was Graham Whittle by the way. Neal left us for Boro after a legendary failed attempt at promotion from the old D3 (we needed 2 point from 4 games and failed to get them). He went on to manage Chelsea and gets little credit for laying the foundations of the modern day Chelsea. Probably the most under-rated English manager ever: We were promoted to D2 the next season and it all fell apart over the next few years with injuries; poor financial decisions and so on. The great cup runs of the 70s (quarter finalists in the Cup Winners Cup losing 1-2 to the great Anderlecht team that thrashed all but us on their way to winning the cup) were a thing of the past by the mid 80s as we went into free fall with only an incredible win against reigning European Cup Holders Porto to sustain us. The 90s brought the Flynn era which I'm sure many of you will know all about. Something resembling stability under the chairimanship of Pryce Griffiths until the wheels same off in 2002. What happened when Griffiths sold to one Mark Guterman is probably best documented on the fantastic 200% web site. I couldn't even begin to document it here and, if you take the time to read it, you'll find yourself both crying with tragi-comic laughter and shedding some tears too. Words fail me. I'd love to say it has a happy ending. We're not quite there yet but whether we best the moneybags of Fleetwood Town and make it back into the Football League or not this is a season that will go down in Wrexham legend. A team of misfits assembled by the arrogant and ultimately humbled Dean Saunders failed at the play off stage last season but performed miracles to get there under owners whose behaviour was nothing short of disgraceful. After not being paid several teams and seen the Crusaders Rugby League team, with whom we allegedly ground shared, go into administration under the same ownership of ourselves the players could have all legally and morally walked away. All bar one stayed. People talk about team spirit but for the most part in modern sport that's nonsense. This team is the first time I have ever seen it, in spades. I have truly never seen anything like it. We have the best defence in the top 5 divisions although we've just lost Curtis Obeng to Swansea and captains all over the pitch. When we can play we do and when we can't or it just isn't happening we dig in and get a result. Saunders walked to Doncaster and Andy Morrell stepped up. 1 loss in 4 months says it all really. Even losing Obeng hasn't phased us and when was the last time you saw a player walk out mid season on a promotion chasing club and go with nothing but love and best wishes from everyone? I took my son to a game a season from when he was one. He saw but won't remember out last game in the football league. He is now 6 and has done at least 10 home games this season. We took Brighton to penalties in the FA Cup 4th round and we went to both games. Premier League teams truly don't get the magic of the FA Cup if you could have seen our faces at Brighton at the final whistle... That game also rekindled our love affair with the FA Cup ( everyone cites Arsenal '92 but what about Spurs, Newcastle, Ipswich, Birmingham and West Ham) but also with Brighton who, at our lowest ebb, brought 500+ fans to North Wales for a red card protest and Fans United day when they were playing at home. The FA Cup game was a celebration of us now being under fan ownership and them having finally secured a home (and an incredible one at that). My son will remember that day for as long as he lives and so will I. I fully appreciate why the likes of Bruce don't like football. There is much to dislike but ja story like ours couldn't be made up and, as with all Welsh sport, my son will be a better person for learning to survive the lows and lose with dignity then he ever would supporting a top end Premier League club. Do we aspire to be there? Of course we do but it's about the dreams your club can give you not the money. Sorry for withering on. Please go research the story oef our last decade. You will see elements of it at places like Rangers and Portsmouth and Cardiff and Leeds but our version is unique. I suppose it could be summarised as what happens when the biggest asset you own is your ground but even that doesn't begin to describe it. To finish on a positive note - the Racecourse is the oldest international ground in the world. The Supporters Trust are in the process of reverting the club to Wrexham AFC to right a further wrong if our spell in administration. The badge is being redone and in the process it has been discovered that we may well be the third oldest football club in the world. Actually, to end on a funny note. Brightens stadium; staff and fans are unbelievable, even if the team reflect Poyet and are skilful but niggly. At the game at their place their fans wore our shirts and sang our songs. Vice verse. During a rare lull in the racket a section of our fans still found time to sing "Shit ground, no fans!" to much mirth. Anyway, enough.