“No one likes us, we don’t care!”
It is Millwall’s famous war cry, adopted as a stand of defiance against those who branded every supporter of the south London side a mindless thug when, as ever, it was always an unsavoury minority who gave the club a bad name.
The chant, given a lusty rendition by the locals during the early stages of Wednesday night’s resounding 3-0 victory for Wrexham, has since been picked up by others, perhaps most famously by Philadelphia Eagles’ Jason Kelce during the NFL team’s Super Bowl winners’ parade in 2018.
Chances are Wrexham fans won’t be following suit any time soon, even allowing for how a rival manager in the Championship went public this week with his own grievances over how the final few days of the transfer window played out at The Racecourse Ground.
“This is not a criticism, but Wrexham are in for half the division,” Sheffield United’s Chris Wilder told reporters on Monday amid Wrexham’s ultimately successful attempts to prise Callum O’Hare out of Bramall Lane.
“They’ve done business; it’s their prerogative and what they need to do. I know there have been bids on other players from that football club in that position as well, so maybe it’s a bit of blanket bombing in that position and see what comes up.”
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson applauds fans after the win over Millwall (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Wilder had also had a little dig at Phil Parkinson a few days earlier, disagreeing with the Wrexham manager’s verdict on how the 1-1 draw at Cardiff City on the opening weekend had panned out. “Second half, I didn’t agree with what the Wrexham manager said — I don’t usually anyway — in terms of it being a one-sided game,” said the United chief.
Not quite “no one likes us” territory but, still, further evidence that Wrexham are ruffling feathers in the Championship. Transfer outlays of £36million, the Welsh club’s summer spend on seven new faces, can do that, especially if this comes on the back of £38m being spent across two windows last season.
However, as Wrexham headed to Millwall occupying a relegation place in the admittedly fledgling Championship table, perhaps the most pertinent question concerning that summer spree was whether the gaps had been filled in a squad that just came up short in their quest to reach the play-offs last May.
The answer will only be known come the end of the season, though this was certainly an encouraging start.
“Squad depth is absolutely key for us,” Parkinson said. “We were pleased with the work we did but also pleased the window is now closed. It creates uncertainty. Every club has had it, not just us.
“People looking over their shoulder, thinking, ‘Am I going to be going?’ That can unsettle a squad. I felt we produced a performance against Millwall that reflected what we are all about as a group.”
The Den was surely as good as anywhere to test the mettle of a refreshed squad, considering this corner of the capital — secreted among a web of railway arches and tightly-packed streets — is regarded as among the most hostile territories in football.
With four of the new signings starting and another coming off the bench — deadline day arrivals Joe Worrall and O’Hare didn’t feature — Wrexham certainly passed their first post-transfer window test with flying colours.
Central to this was the control exerted in central midfield, an area patrolled by Ben Whiteman and the ever-reliable Matty James.
In many ways, the duo are a microcosm of Parkinson’s Wrexham in that both are proven Championship performers who can be relied upon to give everything. Neither sported the captain’s armband on Wednesday evening, but their leadership duties shone through, particularly when marshalling those around them.
The Den, home of Millwall, has a fearsome reputation (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
It was a similar story at the back with skipper Dominic Hyam vocal throughout, including when confronted by team-mate Callum Doyle after Millwall striker Josh Coburn had briefly been afforded far too much space on the edge of the visitors’ penalty area when collecting a long ball forward midway through the first half.
That the Wrexham pair quickly got on with their jobs after such a frank exchange of views said everything about the character of a squad that has now benefited from more than £70m investment since winning promotion from League One last year.
The fruits of that outlay could be seen as Wrexham made light work of a Millwall side who were in the running for automatic promotion last season, right up until the final day.
Best of all, it was a mix of old and new that made the win so comfortable with Issa Kabore and Jacques Ekomie joining fellow summer signing Whiteman in excelling.
Wrexham signing Jacques Ekomie scored his first Championship goal against Millwall (Jacques Feeney/Offside via Getty Images)
Not only did the wing-back duo put in a sterling shift at the back, they also attacked with purpose, turning Millwall around time and time again, especially in the second half.
With substitute Danny Imray, another new face at The Racecourse Ground, setting Ekomie up for his first goal in English football, Wrexham look well served in what has been a key area throughout Parkinson’s five years at the helm.
As for the old guard who had taken Wrexham so close to a top six finish last season, Kieffer Moore was superb, his ability to hold the ball up and bring team-mates into play almost as impressive as the pinpoint finish that doubled the visitors’ lead early in the second half.
Josh Windass, too, showed what has been missing during his recent absence through injury, while Max Cleworth, the only member of the 20-man squad to have been part of Wrexham’s journey from non-League, fully justified his first start at the back.
“Where’s your famous atmosphere?” sang the elated fans in the closing stages; such was Wrexham’s control. Big tests, of course, lie ahead, with trips to early Championship leaders Swansea City and West Ham United sandwiching a home game against newly-relegated Burnley in the next 10 days.
But, on this showing, Wrexham may just have equipped themselves for a concerted promotion push via another strong transfer window.
