Ex-Wrexham captain was left embarrassed after Ryan Reynolds assembly
Former Wrexham player Ben Tozer admitted feeling “embarrassed” by some of his team-mates’ reactions when they first met Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Speaking on Ben Foster’s ‘Fozcast’ podcast, the central defender revealed that the Hollywood stars’ presence led to some players even “following” them around. The 34-year-old also shared his impressions of the actors’ authenticity after they purchased the club in 2020 and elevated them from obscurity to League One.
Tozer, who clinched the National League with Wrexham in the 2022/2023 season, disclosed that people often “gravitate” towards Reynolds and McElhenney due to their celebrity status. The towering centre-back, who spent nearly three years at the Welsh club, also recounted his initial meeting with the owners and jokingly suggested that his team-mate, Ollie Palmer, was Reynolds’ “shadow” reports the Mirror.
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Foster, who had a dozen appearances for Wrexham during his second stint with the club, probed Tozer about his initial interactions with Deadpool star Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia actor McElhenney. “What about your first encounters with the owners, Rob and Ryan? What was your first dealings with the guys? ,” Foster asked the current Forest Green Rovers player.
Tozer revealed that, despite the Hollywood allure of the club’s new owners, he was not going to force himself on them. “They came over for the Maidstone game and we’re training on the pitch at The Racecourse. So they come in and it was one of them where people just gravitate toward them and stuff, and I thought I’m not,” he said.
What would you do if you met Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney? Let us know in the comments section below.
(Image: Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
“But you want it to be natural, don’t you?,” Tozer added. “I mean, well, I want it to be natural because that’s the way it is. You don’t want to go and force yourself on someone, you know, it’s going to happen naturally.”
The former Cheltenham Town defender acknowledged the influence of the Hollywood duo but confessed he wasn’t going to be swayed by their presence, although he hinted that some of his team-mate’s behaviour bordered on “embarrassing”.
“Fair enough, they’re the owners, I’m going to get a chance to meet them face-to-face but I’m not going to follow them around the pitch, like some people.” he continued, before adding: “It was a little bit embarrassing, some people, I won’t name names.”
(Image: PA)
Former West Brom keeper Foster then chimed in saying he could identify the culprit. Tozer then made a fresh claim about one Wrexham star who was particularly fond of Reynolds. “The man who man marks him (Reynolds) everywhere, Ollie (Palmer),” Tozer added: “Some people say when Ryan comes over, he’s a shadow.”
Foster then quipped sarcastically: “Yeah, he literally is though, isn’t he? Just sniffing him, smiling at him, and just looking at him, adoring him.” Foster went on to quiz Tozer about whether Reynolds and McElhenney are as sound as they seem.
Tozer responded with the inside scoop that Wrexham supporters are well aware of, affirming the pair are “class” and adding: “They are (nice) yeah. They’re good people and they care.”
