Phil Parkinson puts Wrexham doubters in their place after director’s ‘disgrace’ claim

Phil Parkinson has responded to speculation over his future at Wrexham after the club’s non-executive director Shaun Harvey branded the rumours as “an absolute disgrace”

Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson has defiantly responded to his critics after shutting down rumours about his job security. Last week, reports claimed that the ex-Sunderland and Bolton boss’s position could be in jeopardy.

The speculation came on the back of a disappointing start to Wrexham’s Championship campaign, with results in their first five matches leaving them languishing in 21st place, perilously close to the relegation zone. However, the rumours were swiftly quashed by the club’s non-executive director Shaun Harvey, who labelled them as “an absolute disgrace.”

Parkinson’s squad rallied on the pitch on Saturday after coming back from trailing by one goal at half-time away against Norwich to secure a 3-2 victory, courtesy of a brace from Josh Windass and a goal from Ryan Longman, pushing up them to 15th. The win will undoubtedly alleviate some of the strain on Parkinson, who has steered the Red Dragons to three successive promotions in recent years.

Post-match, the 57-year-old said his extensive experience in football has taught him to disregard external chatter. “First of all, I don’t listen to any outside talk,” he told the BBC. “I don’t know where that [speculation] came from but I’ve had nothing but unbelievable support from everybody.

“It’s not just about me. We’ve had periods in all my time at Wrexham where people have doubted us and we’ve got stronger as a group – not just the players, the staff and the owners, and we’ve come through the other side of it.

READ MORE: Wrexham transfer verdict delivered as Ryan Reynolds and Phil Parkinson phone call details emergeREAD MORE: ‘I managed Wrexham before Ryan Reynolds transformed club – I’ve heard unbelievable rumour’

“This is a good result. We’ve got work to do, we know that. But I’ve managed over 1,000 games so if people really think I listen to what people say on social media, then I don’t think I’d be stood here because if you do get involved in that, it’s very difficult to continue to be a manager.

“I block everything out, concentrate on the people that I trust and the people that have given me great support at the football club – and this is a good day for us.”

Wrexham’s trio of deadline day arrivals, Ben Sheaf, Issa Kabore and Dom Hyam, all made their starting debuts for the club against Norwich. The Canaries opened the scoring late in the first half through Jack Stacey before Windass, who has recently returned from a hamstring problem, netted the leveller shortly after the interval.

Ryan Longman then fired Wrexham ahead as Windass went on to give them a two-goal cushion. Despite Jovon Makama offering some hope for the home side in stoppage time, Parkinson’s men clung on to claim all three points.

Ex-Wales and West Ham defender Danny Gabbidon reckons the manager now needs additional time to allow his squad to click. Speaking on BBC Radio Wales’ Feast of Football phone-in, he suggested if club officials show patience, Parkinson will have his team competing nearer the top end of the Championship come January.

“Nobody is untouchable, but this man has so much credit in the bank for what he’s done with three promotions on the spin,” he said. “I don’t know where these rumours have come from, but they got quashed quite quickly, and rightly so.

“It was a big win for them, but with success brings added expectation. If you look at the way Wrexham have done it over the last three seasons, at the first time of asking, they’ve always been at the top of the league or there abouts for the whole season.

“This season, it might be a little bit different. It might be a bit more of a slow burner. That jump from League One to the Championship is huge and a lot of players have come in. There’s going to be a bedding in process, with a new league and new players, but [they have] a manager who knows exactly what he’s doing.”

Gabbidon added: “I expect Wrexham to get better and better as the players understand each other more and they get players back from injury. In the second half of the season, you’re going to see them absolutely fly because they’ve got the quality there.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.