These are tumultuous times for Wrexham. Whilst Swansea prepare for their inaugural season amongst the multi-billionaires in the top flight further north its all about paying the players and retaining their ground. The latter is now owned by the university next door (along with the training facilities) and a brighter future finally appears to be beckoning for a club who has flirted with extinction in recent times. PlaidDragon tells the Cutter of his hopes for the season ahead and why the club might soon be safe hands….
Happy with Saunders?
Yes. After a shaky couple of years, he finally seems to have nailed a formation, and also seems to know his best team. Tactically he is sometimes lacking, but the amount he’s grown in the past couple of years suggests that he’ll continue to mature and grow as a manager.
Can you go one better next term and return to the football league?
Assuming we start the season, yes! The off-the-field turmoil can’t have helped the players’ mindsets, but apart from losing Mangan and Sinclair, we’re near enough the same team we were last season. Our midfield is arguably the best in the league, and I think if we can learn to hold on to a lead, we’ll be right up there. Play-offs at least.
Are you happy with the transfer activity so far this summer?
Mostly. Chris Westwood is a great signing, and Jake Speight and Danny Wright look to be solid additions to the squad. From what Deano has said he’d like to have brought a couple more in, but I think we’ve got a reasonably solid squad with some good strength in depth.
Who would you like to see brought in?
I’d like to see Dean use the loan market. We should be very wary of him doing so, as he relied on it too much in his early tenure, but a young striker from a team a couple of levels higher couldn’t hurt as an option to have. Also, Jordan MacMillan (from Rangers) did a good job for us in midfield last season (the less said about his defensive displays the better!), so I wouldn’t mind him returning.
It’s worth becoming a community club if only to show Chester how it’s done!
Anyone you’d like to see shown the exit door?
Not really. I’m not so keen on Gareth Taylor, but his experience and reputed coaching skill could prove invaluable to some of the younger lads, so I’d like to see him stay.
Any promising youngsters coming through?
Lots. We lost Kai Edwards to Neath, but we have the great young keeper Chris Maxwell (our number 1), Curtis Obeng who has come on leaps and bounds since joining us, Obi Anuoro, who looks a different player since going on loan to Vauxhall Motors, and Adrian Cieslewicz, who started as a player with all pace and no end product, but really looks to be maturing as a player.
After a couple of years now in the Blue Square what is the one key difference between supporting a side in the non-league as opposed to a league side?
Away attendances (and home ones I suppose!). However, we’re used to it now and that famous Wrexham passion was present in abundance towards the tail end of last season!
After a horrid period when Chester City went out of existence and Wrexham fell out of the league are we witnessing a gradual resurgence in fortunes for the area?
I hope so. I’ll always hate Chester, but it’s good to see a community club enjoying some success, whoever they are! I only hope that the Wrexham Supporters Trust can conclude the deal to take over the club, and add another community club to the area. And anyway, it’s worth becoming a community club if only to show Chester how it’s done!
