01x11 - Sack the Gaffer

[bunniefuu]

Everybody knows
the aim of the club

is to get promotion
out of the National League.

With the new ownership coming in

and funding, you know,
put into the squad,

expectations have risen.

But we try not to create
a tension in the group.

We're trying hard
to keep the focus

on the process of each game.

Obviously,
at this point in the season,

it would be better
to be right in contention

at the very top,
but as a manager,

you've gotta be focused
on what you need to do.

Every game, it's a process.

I speak to a lot of supporters

in and around the ground,

not just match days
during the week,

and I'm so determined
to bring this town success.

If results don't go well,

I personally take
the responsibility.

As a football manager,

you know,
you're gonna get sacked.

We gotta accept it's
the nature of the industry.

You know,
the lifespan of a manager

at any club
gets shorter each year,

and, uh, that's it.

Every day it's a-gettin' closer,

goin' faster
than a roller coaster.

Love like yours
will surely come my way.

Hey, a-hey, hey.

Every day, it's a-gettin' faster

Everyone said, "Go out
and ask her."

Love like yours
will surely come my way.

A-hey, a-hey, hey.

Love like yours
will surely come my way.

The outcome thus far has been

just to this side of acceptable.

It's been more of a struggle

than we would liked it
to have been.

But equally,
we knew we had 10 games

against tough opposition.

And that being the case,

where... where we've wound up
at the end of it,

sort of not ideal for us,

but it's not disastrous.

The next 10 games,
we do need to see

a kind of marked improvement,
I think.

And if we don't get
an improvement,

then pressure mounts,
you know, on all of us.

But the guys that we've got
here and the management staff

that we've got here,
we expect them to click.

And if they don't,
then awkward questions abound.

We've got some good players.

We've got a decent squad,
but, you know, Hyde is injured,

which is not gonna be
short-term.

Kwame is back,
but it's unfair to expect him

to go Saturday, Tuesday,
Saturday, Tuesday.

So we just don't know.

God bless
the January transfer window.

Ultimately, a football club
can only sign new players

at two times a year:

during the close-season
before the season starts

and then for this
calendar month of January.

The challenge, of course, is,

we're only wanting
to sign players

that other clubs are
already using or want to keep.

Robert and Ryan are great
for the club,

and the financial support
that we get is great.

But they're also
our biggest problem...

Yeah, yeah.

In that they create
a level of expectancy...

Yeah.

And financial ability that
other people believe we have.

But everyone's...
Then that's the key.

- Rob?
- Hi, Shaun, how are you?

Mm-hmm.

Well, I definitely feel
fully in the loop.

I don't know
if I feel 100% comfortable.

We play the rest of the
season with this new squad,

and we don't go up,

we will be significantly
over budget next year.

Yeah...

Yeah.

"After nearly 19 games,

"there appears to be
very little improvement

"in the team's performance.

If we can't change the players,
we must change the manager."

"sh*t formation... haven't
got the players to play it."

"Shocking stuff.

"I want Parkinson out
after Torquay,

and I have not
changed my mind... dreadful."

"Too slow, appointing a manager

who inherited
a strange retained list."

"What the f*ck
is going on here?"

Oof.

Rough.

"If it's not a win,
Parky needs to go,

"and feel free to dig at me.
I don't care.

Stop being sh*t."

I'm gonna have a T-shirt made
that says, "Parky out."

If you let him go now,
I feel like...

First off, like, it was a coup
that we even got him.

Yeah.

You let him go
seven months later,

I think it's just as bad a look.

I think you can't
do business like that.

Mm-hmm.

You can't work
with people like that.

- I don't mind giving him...
- time.

The problem is that he's asking

for a significant amount
of money

for the January transfer window.

The decision we have to make
is whether or not we...

Not only do we keep him...
Okay, that's one thing.

- Mm-hmm.
- Give him a full season, fine.

But we're essentially doubling
down not only for this season,

but for next season,
because the players we sign,

it'll be
two-to three-year contracts.

- He inherited 80% of a plan.
- Yes.

By the way, that's... that's
one of the things, so I...

Is this the kind of house you...

Ask Blake. I have no idea what...

Are you f*cking kidding me?

- Yeah.
- Is...

- It's a house of horrors.
- Is this... is that a prop?

No, that's a...

- No, this is supposed...
- Oh, I see, it's therapy.

- Ah, yes, exactly.
- It's for ther...

It's for therapy.
That makes a lot of sense.

We decided that before

we entertained
spending more money

on players for Phil in January,

we needed to see some
improvement from the team.

Phil basically has until
the new year to prove

that he can do the job.

Most important, the manager is
trying to build a relationship

with players to find out
what makes them tick

on a individual basis.

Coming

Change is coming

Wrexham have the lead
at the Recreation Ground!

It was Aaron Hayden
who headed it

into the back of the net.

And he fires back out...

Into the net!

With that, Wrexham
have got a second goal!

It goes into the back
of the net!

It's in! It's in again!

And it's Hall-Johnson
for Wrexham!

What a goal for Wrexham!
Volleys!

And there is the touchdown.

And the whistle is blown.

It's been an absolutely
incredible evening

here in Aldershot.

Wrexham!
Wrexham! Wrexham! Wrexham!

After smashing Aldershot,

things are looking up.

Now Wrexham hoping to keep
the momentum going

as they take on Kings Lynn Town.

f*cking yeah! Come on!

Come on!

Come on!

When was the last time
we scored five in two games?

- Never.
- Never in the history, never.

- f*ckin' amazin'.
- Amazin', bruv.

Yeah!

6-1!

Let's go!

Fantastic.
Wrexham set a new club record.

We scored 11 goals
in back-to-back away games.

Well,
you can't complain about that.

Well, those are the two
weakest teams in the league.

Oh, so you can
complain about that.

- I'm just sayin'.
- What are you saying?

That we should be
b*ating these teams.

- We did b*at these teams.
- Yeah, I'm just sayin'.

You've been reading
too many mean tweets.

- Coach!
- Hey, how you doing?

- How are ya?
- Big fan.

Rob... damn, man,
I'm a big fan of yours.

Yeah, a really big fan.

Congratulations
on the season so far.

Thank you. I appreciate it.

Yeah, we gotta keep it...
Keep it stringing...

Kinda feels like the
momentum's happening though.

- Right?
- Yeah.

- g*dd*mn, that was...
- It's happening, yeah.

This is my...

I coached at Indiana University
of Pennsylvania.

Okay, yup.

And this was my recruiting area.

I liked it
when I was recruiting,

- and I like it now, so...
- Well, when they love you,

- they love you.
- Yeah.

And then when they don't,
they let you know.

Right.

But it's crazy
that Coach Pederson...

I mean, 2017,
I'm like, God, that was...

That wasn't that long ago.

- It was like yesterday.
- I know.

If you had to distill
down one piece of advice...

- What would it be?
- What would it be?

One, enjoy every minute of it.

Sports, the reason it's popular
is because it's unpredictable,

and the moment you think
you've got a really good team,

um, you'll probably have some
bad games, and it'll k*ll ya.

I'm on a text chain
with a group of my friends

from Philly that I grew up with.

Yeah.

And over the years,
I had the luxury of on Sundays,

having any opinion
that I want to have.

Totally.

About what plays
are being run...

Yup.

What players
should be benched...

- Yeah.
- What coach should be fired.

- Yeah.
- What's Howie doing?

- Yeah.
- Right?

- Yeah.
- And it's a release.

- Absolutely.
- And it's easy for us, right?

- Yeah.
- Because we have...

We can have
very strong opinions,

but now
I'm on the other end of it,

where those conversations that
are having... that I'm having,

those are...
Those are real people.

They're no longer characters
on my television screen.

It forces you to have to really

think through a lot of decisions

and think about things
not just in the short-term.

What's gonna gratify me
for the next month of my life?

What is best for the team
over the course

of the next 12 months,
24 months, five years?

Um, and what are your values

in terms of what kind of coach
do you want?

What kind of collaboration
do you want?

What kind of culture
do you want?

- Mm-hmm.
- That, to me,

is something I never thought
about as a fan.

Mm-hmm.

But then
you've gotta also then identify

where do you think
the trajectory is gonna go?

And that's where
the hard decisions are.

Mm-hmm.

If you thought you were
on a upward trajectory

and you had a down year

and you'd say,
"Okay, that was a down year,

"but we're really
on a upward trajectory

with that coach
and with that coaching staff,"

then, you know, you continue.

If you reach the conclusion
that you think

you're on a downward trajectory,

and you needed
a fresh leadership...

Mm-hmm.

Then you gotta make a change.

And don't be afraid
to make a change.

At the same time, don't be
afraid to keep a great coach,

like I did with Andy
over the years.

There was a lot of criticism...
"Why would you keep Andy Reid?

We didn't win
the Super Bowl that year."

Well, you know,
many of the years,

we were, uh,
in the NFC championship game.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

So you gotta... you kind of
gotta decipher that,

but make your own judgment,

and don't shy away
from really tough decisions.

Because you can drive
yourself crazy if you do that.

So I think you've gotta
learn from it, take lessons,

and move on quickly
and don't look back too much.

And everybody, you know,

wants to tell me of
their passion for the club.

And you can sense it.

Yeah, he's well-known
in the town apparently.

Very well-known.

I wish.

But, uh...

It's a club which should never
have dropped

into National League,
but it did,

and it's been some tough years
for everybody in the town.

- Yeah.
- Yeah, no.

She converted.

Don't put that on camera,
for goodness sake.

- Really?
- Yeah, yeah.

Football clubs
in England and Wales

can lift a community.

My job, and obviously,
not just my job,

the owner's job, and everybody
playing for the club

is to do everything we can
to bring success to the area.

Oh, f*ck.

I own a bar in Philadelphia

called Mac's Tavern,

and it's modeled
after Patty's Pub,

the fictional pub from my show,

Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Since I was in town,
and since the last two games,

the team had been
on a bit of a tear,

I thought it'd be fun to invite

all of my old friends
from Philly

to come down to the pub
and watch the game with me.

It's a full sellout.

- And it's today?
- Yeah, it's a full sellout.

If we score a bucket of goals
like we have been doing,

that place is going to go nuts.

And that's what I wanna see
today.

That is what I'm hopin' for.

This is where they usually
start kicking it out,

in the 25th minute.

- Yeah?
- Yeah.

Right, so we're at the game now.

It's the 35th minute,
and it's currently 0-0.

It's such...

Apparently, it's such
a home team advantage sport,

- which...
- Right.

But the last two games
we won were away,

- and we scored 11 goals.
- Right.

This is home, and we can't...

So Wealdstone was a draw.

But since I had to watch
a 0-0 soccer game

in Philadelphia
in front of everyone I know,

it counts as a loss.

That seems very petty.

Shut up, Ryan.

Come on! Yeah!

Passes the ball,
moves, and it's in!

- Yeah!
- A goal!

- And that's a great goal!
- Yeah!

Seventh place. Not bad.

You're still mad, aren't you?

It was in front
of all my friends.

That game was so boring.

It was one draw.
He won the other four games.

All my friends were there.

Okay, I think we should
talk about this later.

All of 'em. Everyone.

And it's 2-0 to Yeovil.

And fans start to leave now.

It's Davies.

And it's in.

Young Will reversed.

Ball's to Jordan Davies.

Peels across this man.

Jordan Davies chips the ball
to the back post.

Across the middle!

Come on!

George?

Thank you very much.

Phil and his son George

come in on a regular basis,
couple of times a week.

Um, he has a bit
of a superstition

about what meal
he has prior to a match.

Oh, the main man's here.

- Get him on the camera.
- Oh...

Come on, this is the man
you wanna speak to.

You see
we got dressed up for this.

So it's quite funny
to see when he comes in,

having his meals.

- Come join us.
- I'll come join you, yeah.

Yeah. We're really having
a quick snack.

Yeah, yeah.

- Thank you very much.
- Thank you.

- And not the granola.
- Not the granola today.

No, I have that
every other day, don't I?

Usually, if I make his meal,

it's usually scrambled eggs
on toast.

They're really good, nice guys.

Come in super friendly.

Nice, it's good.

We don't argue much at all,
to be honest.

There are a lot of people
who ask me, "Do you argue?"

And, uh, no.

I don't think it's as much
as people would expect.

We've got a good
working relationship,

I would say, yeah.

And there's the final whistle.

County celebrate victory.

Frustration, huge frustration
for Wrexham.

When we started
this 10-game stretch,

we were in 12th place.

Phil's gotten us all the way
up to third place,

but we still can't b*at
the top teams.

But what does that mean?

It means we won't get
promoted, is what it means.

So what do we change?

How do we get
from third to first?

And
a frustrating first half ends.

Yeovil Town 1, Wrexham, 0.

Plenty of work
for Phil Parkinson's side

to do after the break.

It's a f*cking disgrace,
an absolute f*cking disgrace!

We f*cking turned up thinking,

"We're gonna f*cking
stroll around,

"we'll f*cking play,

we're gonna f*cking b*at these
no problem."

They're f*cking first
to every ball,

they won more
f*cking challenges,

they f*cking won
more second balls,

they f*cking be bright
on the f*cking ball.

If you're sharp
and you're closing down

and you f*cking work,
you're sharp with possession...

Is that right or wrong, Tozer?

Everybody has been loose
in possession,

'cause that bit hasn't
been f*cking right,

first and foremost.

I can't accept
that performance, boys,

'cause let me tell ya,
I'm f*cking ecstatic it's 1-0.

Ecstatic,

'cause we've been
three out of 10.

They've been f*cking
eight out of 10.

They can't get much better.

We can f*cking get a lot better.

f*cking sharp up on the ball.

It's out to Paul Mullin.

Mullin on his right foot.

- He places it in!
- Yeah!

Yeovil aren't gonna
be happy about that one.

Wrexham have equalized!

Get in there!

Davies, Mullin,
and Ponticelli fronting,

leaving short.
James Jones is making a run.

McAlinden's in space
the left-hand side.

Liam McAlinden's picked out.

McAlinden crosses, left foot,

puts it across the goal
to Ponticelli!

To Jordan Davies, sends...

An own goal!

- Whoo!
- Yes!

Yes!

So we decided
to stick with Phil.

Not just because
of the wins and losses,

but also because of
the team culture he's built.

I particularly
like the swearing.

f*ckin' hell!

We also decided to go ahead

and buy that striker
he was asking for.

You remember in Braveheart

when they introduce
that character

about halfway through,

and it completely changes
the trajectory of the movie?

Yeah, that's the guy
I'm talking about.

The Irish guy. Remember that?

Well, now we have our own
version of that,

and his name...

Ollie Palmer.

He's English, by the way.
He's not Irish.