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Rob Mac: “We Could Have Become Villains”

That Wrexham Podcast

192,708 views

Five years ago, the Premier League was the dream. Now, Wrexham are knocking on the door.

Rob Mac joins Fozzy and Tozer to talk honestly about just how far Wrexham can go, the pressure that comes with the club’s incredible rise, why he and Ryan Reynolds could have become the villains of the story, and what they can never afford to lose along the way.

From Phil Parkinson and the dressing room to ownership, ambition and the responsibility of representing Wrexham — this is Rob Mac on what comes next.

This is the one you’ve been waiting for.

0:00 The Wrexham experience
1:47 Identity and connections
6:38 The vision and progress
10:07 Community and culture
13:40 Human connections in sport
18:30 Stewardship vs ownership
21:49 The beauty of promotion
26:12 Managerial stability
30:15 Culture and winning
35:15 Compartmentalizing intensity
40:16 Fear of losing
44:11 Seeking honest feedback
47:53 Reflecting on player bonds

20 Comments

@1_5RCBiker 3 weeks ago (edited)

Leeds fan here. People laughed about the Premier League ambition because so many new owners of clubs have all come out with'' it's our ambition to be in the PL.'' Rob M and Ryan R are completely different to others by being decent owners, are rarity in Football. That;s why Wrexham WILL get there. See you soon at Elland Road!😀

@Haitch675 3 weeks ago

I have only one thing to say after watching this, "Rob Mac, you are an incredible individual"

@odonovan 12 days ago

I clicked on this intending to watch a few minutes and move on. An hour later, it's finished and I wish it could've been longer. Thanks Toze and Fozzy, for giving us a lovely hour with Rob.

@GodofMMA23 3 weeks ago

During the declan swans song they can change it to 'here comes the deadpool, and rob mac from philly....'

@zimmer1166 3 weeks ago

i think rob is the main guy he understands shit more than other guy.

@alexanderrose1071 3 weeks ago

You gotta love the passion from the person in charge of making decisions at the club

@user-iw1if6zh3u 3 weeks ago

Omg lads, what an episode. I know im going to watch it again. If Rob Mac hadnt been doing what he's doing, he would have been an amazing life coach. He's humble, caring and inspirational, and kept ye 2 quiet for most of the podcast 😂. Id imagine because you guys could listen to him all day aswell. The Max Cleworth story 😢❤❤❤❤❤ keep up the good work lads.

@MotelsonMars 3 weeks ago

Best episode yet of a consistently great podcast. You're doing great, Bens! And Rob Mac, thank you for being the best co-chairman in football! We love you!

@brianeleighton 3 weeks ago

What a class lad Max is. The story about him after the FA Trophy match at Wembley was truly heartbreaking. For him, after giving everything he had in that match to then apologize to Rob is unbelievable. Happy that his family is saying he never wants to leave now. He will be critical to us going forward.

@Doc-wrexham 3 weeks ago (edited)

This is one of your best podcasts ever, and one of your longest! Thank you!
The big question is, will the current culture change, or remain the same if we make it to the Premiere League? Will the players continue to be available to the fans, before games? Will the dressing room culture remain the same? The interaction between players and fans, is what makes us a great community supported team.
A big thanks goes out to the owners, for replacing the old KOP with a massive structure, that will allow up to 75% more fans to attend games! 🤗

@TheRobbieMG 8 days ago

Rob Mac is a class act, what a job they've done with Wrexham

@ltdada 3 weeks ago

Of all the people in the world who could have walked in the door at Wrexham with money and promises, what are the odds that it turns out to be the two best that you could get? The standard narrative is usually that the fans have heart, and the ownership is heartless and motivated only by profit. Not so at Wrexham. Early on, Rob and Ryan realized that they weren't just buying a club; instead, they were becoming both part of a story and stewards of how that story is told. And who doesn't like a good story?

@Nicole-w6t1 3 weeks ago

Isn’t he just the greatest??? If this were four hours long, I would’ve listened to the whole thing. Just love his passion and his humanity. And of course you two are the best. Thanks for such a fabulous discussion. Made my week. 😊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿❤️

@margaretkrantz1469 3 weeks ago

Great episode!! It's so easy to get behind a club with stewards like him. My favorite part was the bit about Max, partly because I am so happy for Max and his career, but also because it seemed like it was the tip of the iceberg--Rob could have spoken about other players and situations just as glowingly. He strikes just the right balance between being engaged and supportive and trusting everyone to step up and do their best.

@johnggartin 3 weeks ago

What a FANTASTIC episode to an amazingly insightful and fun podcast - Ben's - GREAT JOB! Rob Mac - your leadership philosophy should be bottled and sold (especially at the Team Store at the Race Course!). That was a master class about how we can lead elite organizations and still be holistic and care about our people - past, present and future. Wow, such a great listen.

@jettivonaviska 3 weeks ago

11:45 The thing about success and growth... When you are doing those things, the once-small fan community has to share in their love for the team they cheer for. Some people want "their thing" to remain small so that they can say "oh here's this small thing I really love and it's really just for me and those who know". Growth removes that identity for them.

@leepudney7909 3 days ago

I have watched Wrexham from when you and RR came along. I'm currently re watching the whole series. Without doubt Rob is 100% genuine and honest...he gets it, without doubt the BEST custodians of ANY football club. Thank you.

@ZuluHaka 3 weeks ago (edited)

I can relate to Rob's name orgin story. My family name comes from a town in Germany with the letter ß which doesn't exist in English. So, upon immigration to America, my family changed it to fit in to this new country. I meet people all the time with similar yet slightly different spellings of my last name- and we all likely share similar ancestral homelands & origin stories. It's fascinating to look into. I totally understand why Rob would change his last name. He isn't the first of his name to do it and he won't be the last. Cheers!

@BarbaraDunn-ci7tn 5 days ago

My maiden name is McAleney!!! My Dad immigrated to Canada when he was 17!!! His whole family came over because the two oldest boys were fighting wars, they left their country ( Glasgow ) 10 kids and My Papa and Nana. They all stayed in Canada. Go Wrexham, from Fort. St. John BC. Canada 🇨🇦 🍁 ❤

@fantastictime2780 3 weeks ago (edited)

The National league! Parky arrives. Mullin arrives. Cleworth plays. Belief arrived. Ollie comes for £350k. It was real as real could be and got me back in to football after becoming repulsed by the Premier league. Those days for me are forever. I go to lots of the home games and yes watching Kyle Walker on the race course turf this week is amazing and as much as i can love Kabore and Doyle I miss Tozer and Forde and all the lads. When Cleworth and Parky have gone the fairytale will have ended and a whole new chapter begins.