Wrexham owner makes position clear on Phil Parkinson with four-word statement

Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has been issued a message by his club's owners (Image: Getty)

Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney has taken to social media to applaud manager Phil Parkinson. McElhenney, who shares ownership of the Welsh club with Ryan Reynolds, posted on X after they defeated Shrewsbury to move top of League One.

The Red Dragons have enjoyed a storming start to the new season, having picked up 13 points from their opening five games. Victory over their cross-border rivals on Saturday saw them maintain their good form, with goals from Ollie Palmer, Elliot Lee and Jack Marriott doing the damage.

Parkinson has led Wrexham from the depths of non-league to the third-tier in the space of just a few season, having been appointed by Reynolds and McElhenney in 2021. His impact was demonstrated by a post on X, which detailed how Wrexham have accumulated more points since the start of the 2022/23 season than any other club in the top five divisions of English football.

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That inspired McElhenney to quote-tweet the post with a message of his own, writing: "And it’s all because of this man." Before adding: "In Phil we trust," demonstrating Wrexham's long-term commitment to the man who has steered them to League One.

Parkinson, who formerly managed the likes of Bradford City, Charlton, Bolton and Sunderland, took over in July 2021 but didn't get things all his own way at first. In his debut campaign, Wrexham suffered an unexpected blip in their trajectory as they lost to Grimsby Town in the National League play-off semi-finals.

That stirred the fire in both the manager and the players and, under Parkinson's guidance, Wrexham subsequently went up the following season, snaring a record-breaking 111 points along the way. After arriving in League Two, they achieved back-to-back promotions, sealing a return to the third-tier for the first time since 2005.

McElhenney and Parkinson have formed a good relationship (Image: Getty)

And they have taken to their new surroundings like a duck to water. They began the campaign with a 3-2 home win against Wycombe Wanderers, before a 0-0 draw away at Bolton. They’ve tallied three wins on the bounce since, though, beating Reading, Peterborough, and Shrewsbury all without conceding a goal.

McElhenney has previously displayed his admiration for Parkinson on social media, writing on X earlier this year: “If we could bottle up and sell what Phil says to these players at halftime we'd be billionaires.” Wrexham’s co-owner also told BBC Sport this summer: “It’s been difficult every year, but, it’s only going to get harder, harder, and harder.

“The best we can do is invest in our manager Phil, and invest in the infrastructure of the town and team, and build up our Youth academy. Hopefully give Phil the access to every player he wants and then give it a shot.”

The Red Dragons continue to impress in League One (Image: Getty) SUBSCRIBE Invalid email

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Despite the club’s brilliant start to the season, and the fact that manager Parkinson is clearly well-liked and backed by Wrexham’s hierarchy, he is not letting his side get carried away and stated after victory over Shrewsbury. “It’s a great start for us, it really is," he admitted.

“We’re pleased but five games in now, we know it doesn’t count for a great deal. But we have to be pleased with our work so far this season and now we take a deep breath.

“You could sense that in the build-up to the game, and I said to the players beforehand, there were a lot of people talking about the game everywhere you went. They were mentioning the rivalry. So it’s a special feeling to win a derby game.

“It was a good win for us against a team that came into it off the back of a good win last week (over Leyton Orient). Today we should have scored more towards the end of the game, but we didn’t, and 3-0 at home is a good solid win for us. It means a lot to our supporters.”

Wrexham owner makes position clear on Phil Parkinson with four-word statement

Wrexham owner makes position clear on Phil Parkinson with four-word statement

Wrexham owner makes position clear on Phil Parkinson with four-word statement

Wrexham owner makes position clear on Phil Parkinson with four-word statement

Wrexham owner makes position clear on Phil Parkinson with four-word statement