That's the series. We uh we appreciate you guys being here. Welcome to the National Conference. Phil. Phil Parkinson here with us. Uh Welcome if you have a couple of days here in North Carolina. And uh and you know, if you've been open with the group state and then we'll go with your questions. Yeah, obviously delighted to be here. But two good days so far throwing it, really enjoy it. The lads have adapted well and uh yeah, we're looking forward to a terrific game on Wednesday. All right. Do you have questions? Raise your hand? Uh Oh Michael WCU, I assume this is your first time in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. What, what are your thoughts on it? So impressive? Uh The University of Campus is just amazing. The facilities are incredible. All the lads are, are kind of blown away by it and been very well looked after as well. I have to say that we've been so welcoming and can't do enough for us, which is, which is great. Um But it's been very interesting for us all to get a taste of university life over here in the USA. And uh we've got a good talk from Richard who's looks after all the sports teams explaining to the lads about how many trophies the university has won and all the sports they competed. So, yes, we've enjoyed it. Shelby Swanson and wanted to ask you previously had some staff out in North Carolina. I think it was the ST seven side tournament. They kind of reported back just how great the support was here. What have you heard about it? And what kind of environment are you expecting on one side? Yeah, obviously we had a few of the staff who were with us on this trip over there and they came back and first of all, they enjoyed the experience. It was, uh no, I didn't quite know what to expect going into the tournament, but they, they got a, a real good feel for it. And um yes, there was a good support for, for Wrexham in, in the area which um obviously is fantastic for us and made us all the more eager to get out here and, uh, you know, be a part of it. I'll go again. This is going to be a chance obviously for you guys to test your talent against some elite competition. What does a successful match tomorrow look like for us? You know, it's obviously preseason progression. Um 2.5 weeks away from the season started and physically, you know, it's a good workout for, for all the players you get on the pitch, you know, make sure the data, physically, data is high where it needs to be comparable to, to where we need to be when our season starts. And also an understanding we're up against the top class team and it might be an evening where they have more possession than we do. But that's great for us to, to work on our structure without the ball because football is about both sides of the game without the ball. We played Manchester United last year at the training ground and that was a fantastic exercise for us and I expect Wednesday night to be no difference. So as always, when you put on the Wrexham Shire, there's an expectation to, to give a good account of yourself as an individually and collectively and that's what we're looking to do. But it's the progression as a team and more the physical side of it we'll be looking at on Wednesday, one of Ben. How surreal is this preseason tour? I know you're used to the cameras and the Hollywood aspect, but how surreal is it to be heading into preseason playing? Yeah, me and Sean were just, just sort of saying that a couple of years ago, me and Sean met about when we both come on board and we're talking about plans that I don't think we expected two years later to be played in front of 50,000 people over here. You know, a couple of years ago or last year, we, we're playing that town in our first official preseason game and now we're playing Chelsea. So it is, you're right. It is that got that surreal feel to it. Um But it's part of the kind of journey at the Wrexham and the profile of the club and what the owners have created. So, yeah, it's been a, it's been an enjoyable kind of journey for everybody we love last year, you get a promotion but it's now fully focused on, on the season ahead. They may just follow up briefly. The other thing in your career was when you were at Bradford and you also beat Chelsea and I know that you are back right up there with your achievements. Just talk a little bit about that. Yeah. Well, it was uh Jose Mourinho was managing Chelsea and they very rarely conceded goals at the Stanford Bridge. They were very, very difficult team to play against. We went to nil down in the game, but even at two down, it wasn't, we were playing ok. We had a couple of chances ourselves and just before half time, we got a goal back. And uh there was a belief in the dress room and the second half, we kicked 6000 Bradford fans and played with a great intensity and belief. And um, you know, sometimes even through a great manager like Mourinho and great players, we just caught them on the back foot and they they did respond and we went on to win the game for two. So yeah, memorable occasion in Fa Cup um history really because the Fa Cup is all about John Killing A and uh yeah, it was amazing to be part of that environment I feel are from the evening. I just wanted to ask you as, as a sort of opportunity. How big is this for to have the big show piece friendlies and how much will it help you next season? Almost because you gene from these huge events. Yeah, you know, that's obviously important, um because we've still got some squad building to do before, before the season starts or before the window closes. But I think it's always good for players to play in front of the, you know, big crowds expectations on the spotlight because as the season goes on, the pressure kind of mounts, all teams are playing and hopefully at the top of the table and it's always a good indicator how the players react to those pressures games. And, you know, last year in the FA cup, we played commentary in Sheff United, high profile games for us. And I thought they were a great benchmark for what was to come towards the end of the season when the pressure really mounted in those crucial games towards the end and we had to win to get promotion. I felt, um I was, it kind of follows on from the surreal element in some ways, I'm sure we've had loads of those questions here over the last few months. But, um, just being here and last night I was watching one of the news channels and the sports section led on Wrexham being here and the second thing was on messy. I just wondered your thoughts on that. But also having been here for a couple of days, have you had a sense of the impact that Messi coming to the States has had and grown the interest in the sport here? Yeah, I mean, you know, people I've been speaking to over here, they always talk about the messi signing. Obviously, it's an incredible sign for them to attract him to, to, to the club. And if anything's really gonna lift the profile of the game is, is that sign because, you know, you go back to the World Cup and even 35 36 he was outstanding. You know, he's just a little genius and, you know, the American people are gonna enjoy watching him so much. So. Yeah, definitely picked up a sense of the excitement of Messi being here and I think everybody in the room, we'd all pay a lot of money to be in the stadium to watch it, like, for sure. Put a range of friendly. Well, have you seen many examples of Rex mania and how people dealing with you in the street? They have been here a few days ago. What's the reaction been to you? Yeah, we've had a walk into the town. There's been quite a few people coming up to us and speaking about the club, which is, you know, was just great and, you know, I went on my own family holiday to Europe. Actually, there was a lot of, uh, Americans in the same resort come up to me to speak to about Wrexham, which was, I was a bit surprised at the time, but that was, you know, equally, you know, great to, to listen to how much they knew about the team. You know, it wasn't just a, um, you know, people coming out watch all the games I watch every game I can I watched and, you know, all the players and a lot of people, a lot of American people had, had a great knowledge for the team, which for our players, it's just amazing. They quite enjoyed their lifestyle. Yeah, I think it's, uh, you know, the camera crew follows around. We've all kind of got used to that and we've got a great relationship with the production team as well, which is so important because we know that's telling the story of the club and the area and what Rob and Ryan have set out to achieve. And, um, you know, this is just the start of the club. I really believe that because there's so much growth left in, in the club. And, you know, we're delighted obviously to get over the line last year because it was such a key moment to get out of the national league and now we're looking very excited about building the top forward one second bec um, just touching on what you said about the effect you have on, on your players. You can have a big effect of playing against Chelsea this game and a lot of pressure as you kick on can make your players want to pull more out of themselves earlier on the team. Yeah. Well, I mean, we speak a lot to the players about separating the kind of the profile of the club and the documentary and the Hollywood element with the running, the hard yards in training and on the Saturday afternoon and that's, I feel the lads have done that well, the staff have kind of managed the group really well because first of all, it's important to be humble at all times, not get carried away with ourselves. You know, those teams will be desperate to beat us in our league and, you know, everywhere we go went last year, it was like the opposition's cup final. Um So yeah, we remain in humble at all times and remember we're representing Wrexham, which is a working class town and we've got a responsibility to, to make sure our supporters, you know, can sense that kind of passion the players have got for the football club. I feel from haters. I would like to ask you about Ben Foster, how important he is in the squad for the next season and if you are a fan of his youtube blogs. Um Yeah. Well, I've watched a few of his uh because he's always entertain it. Um I mean, this is, it's a great story really when we brought him in and obviously the penalty save against Knox County. And we left him for about 10 days to two weeks before we had to chat about him coming back because I wanted the kind of the euphoria to die down. But when I spoke to him, he was straight away. Yeah, I really fancy it. I feel in good shape and I feel with the preseason he, you know, he thought it could be even better. Um I said lots of times about Fozzie that he epitomizes what we want, where of course, there is a profile with him as a player, there's a lot of attention, but when he trains, he is incredibly professional and um for our players to have England international in the camp and see professionalism and attention to detail. The way he trains is great for our younger players. And uh yeah, he's, he's great to work with if you saw him out there and training today, you know, he was 40 years of age and you're literally holding him back. So you know what a character on board Caroline garner us today for the win when you have the come over and you're going to be here for a few weeks. How do you balance getting the guys to see and experience and enjoy a trip like this with knowing that there's so much that they can learn from on the pitch. And did you have much familiarity if at all with Chapel Hill before arriving with this as your first time with the university and the area? Um But yeah, no, that's, we've had a couple of chats with the lads about. We want this trip, we want them to, you know, embrace each area we're in and find out what the area is all about. We had a talk last night in the hotel where they used coordinating the trip for us came, learn to talk about the university, but other things in the area as well because sometimes on football trips, you go in the hotel at the training ground and you go home and people say, what was the line? I didn't see it. I really, I don't, don't want that to happen on this trip. I want the lads to experience, you know, get the most out of each day that's training also experience each area we go to. So when we go back, you know, we've got a story to tell where we've been. So yeah, it's a good question and it's something that a staff we've been speaking about a lot. We want the lads to get a feel for each area that's that's the kind of thing. You know, Sean's got some things organized for us later in the trip. And I think it's really important to do that because, you know, he's, this uh is, is, you know, an opportunity for, for a club at this level to come to America, you know, it doesn't happen normally. So we're gonna make the most of it. I also want to ask one of those stops here. I believe it is UN C children's hospital. Um If you could just talk a little bit about that. Yeah, myself and staff and players went to the hospital yesterday to visit the, the kids. And um, yeah, I was just, it's very moving when you, when you, when you do things like that back home and obviously here and, you know, it was great for the players to speak to the, to the young kids who obviously got problems and, and life is tough at the moment, but, you know, they're getting really well looked after the staff are so impressive and uh not just the patients, it was great to meet the staff in the hospital as well. You spoke about not getting ahead of yourselves. How hard is that to manage as a coach because I think it's quite easy to get swept up in a whole Hollywood story. How hard has it been to keep them? Um, yeah, I think first of all work ethic on a football pitch and um at any level at any period of football, um getting the lads work for each other and no egos on, on the football pitch. No superstardom is key to getting promotion and we worked very hard to recruit the right characters in the club. And you know, the selection process to bring the lads in. We know that players have got to deal with kind of exposure and not get carried away with that and separate it from the day to day work. So, um, I think the lads get it. So they've got an understanding that obviously it's my job and the rest of our job to keep minding them. Um, and that comes from every day in training, the standard side and, and every game that, you know, a Wrexham team can't come off the pitch and, and be out worked and, you know, that's a mantra that when teams come to the racecourse, you know, if it doesn't go our way and we don't get the result, we got to make sure that the opposition have been really put under pressure in all areas of the football pitch and that's what we try to do so far. You know, that's served as really, what have you had a chance to reflect personally, the country ups and downs and you're now sat here in, in America preseason. Yeah, management is about ups and downs and it's, uh, being resilient because you've got to at any level as a manager because you have tough times within the season from season to season. Uh but equally enjoying the, enjoying the good times and, and uh you know, promotion is accumulation of a lot of work and players, the backroom staff, Sean or people who work behind the scenes of the club, the incredible amount of work went into to achieve what we did last year. And uh yeah, enjoy every minute of it. Tactics are obviously something that you have the chance to kind of tweak in friendlies like this, anything that you can reveal to us at this time about kind of line up tactics that you're looking at. Um Well, like I said earlier that this is a good exercise for us because realistically, you know, Chelsea will have a large percentage of possession, you would imagine because obviously the, the the the quality of the players and that's, we're not saying we're not saying that when we got the ball, we want to play our game, but it's um our level, you know, the level we've been at, we tend to dominate a lot of the games with the ball. So this is kind of the reverse of that. Um So yeah, it's a good exercise. So tactically, we've got to set ourselves up to when it's on the press and to make sure we're nice and compact, um when we drop in and that's what we've been working on this morning with players and we'll continue to do that before the kick off tomorrow, from the outside, we can see the social media accounts, we can see different sponsors get added to the Jersey as you know, people follow along. How is the internally felt support wise, especially from Rob Ryan and, and that's how we kind of visualize the support from the outside but internally, what has that support system been like from the top down, the owners of supported always want what they say they're going to do, they want to implement it. So they don't make false promises. They, they're just very genuine people. And for me as a manager, um you know, they let me get on with the job. Um and any time, you know, I need to touch base with them about anything, you know, they, they've been incredibly supportive and um yeah, you know, they're great to work with and um I think you've seen how much they've enjoyed the journey so far. Thank you. Appreciate your time. Good to go availability at two this afternoon that the NFL uh colleague here can, can help with the more details on that if I need it if you already have it. Yeah.