Rob and Ryan appointed Phil Parkinson as Wrexham manager
SHAUN HARVEY admits Wrexham needed an experienced manager to begin the journey under their Hollywood owners and he says Phil Parkinson has earned a lasting legacy at The Racecourse.
When Dean Keates left the club at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, Parkinson became the first managerial appointment since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed their takeover.
Although the Reds missed out on promotion in Parkinson’s first season in the hot-seat, success quickly arrived.
Wrexham clinched the National League title following a record breaking 2022-23 campaign and followed it up by finishing runners-up in League Two last term, securing back-to-back promotions for the first time in the club’s history.
There has been no standing still with Wrexham making a brilliant start in League One, taking 20 points from the opening 10 games, and director Harvey says Parkinson, who already had three promotions on his CV before arriving in north Wales, deserves all the plaudits he gets.
“None of us at the time truly knew how big the football club was going to become back then,” said Harvey.
“But what we did realise was with everything else that was going to be attached to the club, we needed a manager with experience.
“Not just an experienced manager but somebody who was prepared to commit for the long term.
“Everybody says it’s been great but it was always going to be.
“There were moans and groans amongst the fanbase early on that we weren’t delivering, you have just got to have courage and strength in your conviction.
“What success over a period of time buys you is that right. You should have it right from the start but understandably, everybody needs to be persuaded it is right rather than trusting you.
“Whereas at the moment, I think the phrase ‘in Phil we trust’ is probably the default now for the majority of fans but that is only because he has earned it over the last three-and-a-bit years.”
Harvey says Parkinson would be the first to praise his back-room staff for helping deliver success.
“Phil would quickly point to all the people around him,” he said.
“They are all playing a massive part behind the scenes in making this football club successful.”
Parkinson was appointed manager on a 12-month rolling contract on July 1, 2021, and Harvey added: “Phil’s contracted approach hasn’t changed since the day he arrived.
“We made a commitment to Phil to get him to come to the club and that commitment still remains in place today.
“He’s on a rolling contract and that continues until either party decides it is not going to.
“And for anybody who has got any concerns about it, we can only point towards the success we have had so far.”
