Tom Brady versus Ryan Reynolds sounds like the brainchild of a Hollywood movie franchise that does not know where to stop.
Have the NFL superstar and the world-famous actor crossing swords in the third tier of English football, representing two clubs they have probably barely even heard of for most of their lives.
Throw in a schmaltzy ending where they both reach the top of the game and call it a wrap.
Yet this is no silly sequel signed off on the whim of an executive producer. Brady and Reynolds are deadly serious and want to drive Birmingham and Wrexham, the clubs they co-own, to the summit in record time.
The race is on. The clubs meet at St Andrew’s in League One on Monday before a sell-out crowd that is likely to attract an impressive television audience on both sides of the Atlantic.
NFL superstar Tom Brady has followed in the footsteps of Ryan Reynolds in charge of his club
Both Reynolds (pictured left) and Brady want to drive Birmingham and Wrexham, the clubs they co-own, to the summit in record time
Birmingham’s budget certainly resembles that of a summer blockbuster. Last season in League One, the highest wage was about £6,000 per week, with most clubs operating well below that level.
Blues have changed the game completely, paying up to £15million – a record for the competition – to sign Jay Stansfield from Fulham.
The forward is thought to be earning in the region of £20,000 per week, which could rise by about 50 per cent if Blues are promoted to the Championship this term. Stansfield, 21, is a promising player.
He is also not good enough to get into a team halfway up the Premier League. By any measure it is an extraordinary sum.
He is the jewel of a Blues recruitment drive that has been expansive and, at times, a little chaotic. Potential signings have been offered Zoom calls with Brady, who is doing far more than buying a few pints for fans at St Andrew’s when he turns up for a home game.
The logo of TBRx, the fitness and performance company led by Brady and his long-time advisor Alex Guerrero, is on the wall of the gym and medical rooms at the club’s training ground in rural Warwickshire.
On one of the walls there a quote from Brady: ‘The true competitors, though, are the ones who always play to win.’
That means no more Sundays off for the Birmingham squad.
The Blues have changed the game completely, paying up to £15million – a record for the competition – to sign Jay Stansfield from Fulham
Brady has brought in some of his sport philosophy into Birmingham, one of which is no day off after a game
Brady believes the 24 hours that follow a game are vital and players report to the training ground for recovery sessions on the day after every match.
They are being well paid for their trouble, too. Stansfield is the top earner but by no means an outlier.
Mail Sport has learned of players who were offered bonuses of up to £100,000 – part of which was dependent on promotion – as well as salaries in excess of £10,000 per week to join the Birmingham revolution.
For context, that is more than several clubs in the Championship are prepared to pay.
Rival supporters are scratching their heads at how, in a financial climate that even Premier League clubs are struggling to handle, Blues are able to spend so freely.
The answer lies in the little-known ‘football fortune’ rule that applies to clubs in Leagues One and Two.
In League One clubs are permitted to spend about 60 per cent of revenue on wages, but can add 100 per cent of ‘football fortune’ to that bill.
Mail Sport has learned of players who were offered bonuses of up to £100,000 – part of which was dependent on promotion – as well as salaries in excess of £10,000 per week
Football fortune can mean money gained from player sales, gate receipts from cup ties, but – crucially – direct investment from owners in the form of shares.
No wonder some at the club privately believe winning promotion will be little more than a formality – but Blues may have to finish above Wrexham to achieve it.
Reynolds and co-owner Rob McElhenney, another Hollywood actor, have brought the club worldwide renown through their wildly successful ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ series on Disney+ but it takes more than a cleverly marketed documentary to transform a football club.
Some Wrexham locals have remarked that where once they would say they lived ‘just outside Chester’, they now shout about their home town.
For years the shirts of Manchester United and Liverpool would dominate kids’ kickabouts. Today Wrexham red is just as prominent.
Earlier this year Birmingham announced a £2billion plan to transform the east of the city, including a new stadium and training complex and creating 3,000 jobs.
Manchester City’s Etihad Campus is the inspiration but if they are to reach that level, Blues would do well to take a closer look at tomorrow’s/Monday’s opponents.
Reynolds and co-owner Rob McElhenney (pictured left), have brought the club worldwide through their wildly successful ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ series on Disney+
Wrexham have enjoyed a fairytale story since Reynolds and McElhenney took charge of the Welsh side, gaining promotion for the second time in a row last year
It was revealed by Mail Sport that Birmingham had asked the EFL if this fixture could be staged in the USA
Wrexham have been praised by agents and sporting directors for the professional way in which they conduct negotiations and transfers, while there have been few of the missteps that have characterised the Knighthead investment group’s ownership of Birmingham.
Mail Sport’s exclusive story of June 24, which revealed Birmingham had asked the EFL if this fixture could be staged in the USA, showed an alarming lack of feel for the English game.
They have some catching up to do in other areas, too. United Airlines, Marks and Spencer, energy drink Gatorade and IT giants HP are internationally recognised brands, while Wrexham’s commercial team have shown great cuteness by adding local labels like Wrexham Lager to that portfolio.
Nike may trump Macron as a prestige kit manufacturer, but Birmingham’s current roll call of sponsors still pales by comparison – though expect that to change if they win promotion.
With clubs permitted to lose only £39m per season, such deals are vital for profitability and sustainability rules and it would be no surprise if both St Andrew’s and the training ground had naming rights partners in the medium-term.
Reynolds and McElhenney believe they can transform the Racecourse Ground, which currently holds less than 13,000, into a 55,000-capacity venue
Wrexham’s stadium cannot compare with the revamped St Andrew’s – yet.
Reynolds and McElhenney believe they can transform the Racecourse Ground, which currently holds less than 13,000, into a 55,000-capacity venue.
If Brady and Reynolds have their way, this game will be a Premier League fixture within five years.
Monday’s meeting is just another plot twist in a script to delight even the most ruthless Hollywood producers.