Portsmouth chairman Michael Eisner left in no doubt what fans would like from him following Welcome to Wrexham tweet
Pompey chairman Michael Eisner has been accused of missing a trick after tweeting his admiration of the Disney+ docuseries Welcome to Wrexham.
The former chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company has also been encouraged to follow the Welsh non-league outfit’s example by doing a Blues version of the hit behind-the-scenes series.
Welcome to Wrexham was first aired on the popular streaming service in August and tracks the club’s fortunes under the ownership of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
The duo purchased the then struggling National League side in 2021 with no apparent prior knowledge of football but determined to revitalise the Racecourse Ground outfit’s circumstances.
Since then they have certainly lived up to their promises, with Wrexham currently second in the table as they look to win promotion back to the Football League and attracting huge interest thanks to a global Disney+ audience.
This month it was reported that club merchandise was the subject of a huge spike following the release of each new episode – an average of 47 per cent the day after a new instalment drops.
Meanwhile, shirts – old and new – are currently changing hands for hundreds of pounds on eBay.
Clearly a fan of the series, Eisner – whose Tornante company bought over Pompey in 2017 following their League Two title win – tweeted: ‘WELCOME TO WREXHAM is an excellent series by club owners @RMcElhenney and @RyanReynolds.
‘Centered around the story of fan angst, the series shows us the emotion and aspiration of a football club receiving life support in Wales.’
Yet his Twitter post encouraged Pompey fans to ask why a similar project hadn’t been undertaken at Fratton Park given the American’s background, which also includes stints as president of Paramount Pictures and roles at major US television networks NBC, CBS and ABC.
One Blues fan, @ChillandBill1, said Eisner & Co had ‘seriously missed a trick here’, adding ‘I think the opportunity has passed now. If you were to do it now, it would be just another football doc.’
However, others believed it would still be good to have something akin to Welcome to Wrexham and the Sunderland 'Til I Die series that was shown on Netflix.
@pfcdave1898 wrote: ‘Would love to see a similar thing with Pompey Michael’, while @djliamh replied: ‘Something similar for PFC would be welcomed by many’.
@pompeyshaun1986 continued the responses by saying: ‘Imagine #pompey being owned by the ex CEO of Disney and numerous other studios and not having such a documentary after 5yrs. Wrexham are benefitting big time from the exposure’.
And he was joined by @egg_ay, who commented: ‘Should've/still could make one around Pompey!
‘Sunderland had one and it was a success, I think it'd be a success as our rise, success, downfall and rebuilding, is so well recognised throughout the UK’.
@Marc__Nunn added: ‘If only Pompey had owners like that who have links to Netflix or Disney who could do a documentary series for us’.
Meanwhile, @Clarkeyboy12345 said: ‘Come on Mikey this is your game get a Pompey one going’.
In 2019, a documentary film – Our Club: The Fall & Rise of Pompey – which tells how the Blues went from boom to bust and was then saved by its fans was premiered.
It charts the period after Pompey's 2008 FA Cup win when the club faced going out of business before members of the Pompey Supporters’ Trust raised enough funds to take ownership.
Approximately 250 hours of footage were collated, including interviews and clips taken from match days, away trips and club events.
It is still available to stream on Vimeo for £6.