Wrexham AFC individual has Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney to thank for proving EFL Championship doubters wrong | OneFootball

Wrexham AFC manager proving his worth thanks to owners financial support.

With points in five consecutive Championship fixtures and a 13th-place standing, things are looking up for Wrexham AFC, and especially manager Phil Parkinson.

That wasn’t always the case for the Red Dragons’ fiery boss, whose side had its share of mixed results in the first couple of months of the season.

They claimed just two triumphs domestically after 10 matchdays. It wasn’t just the dropped points that were concerning, but the way these draws and losses had occurred. This side lacked a killer instinct to finish off games and was particularly vulnerable in transition down the flank.

It was difficult to pinpoint the single, solitary issue that was holding them back, but none of it reflected well on Phil Parkinson. After 10 matches, some Wrexham followers were surely saying, 'I told you so', alluding to Parkinson’s Championship history before taking the Red Dragons into the second tier. As a manager, you are often judged solely on results, which can be unfair at times.

Phil Parkinson has unconvinced at Championship level

Phil Parkinson’s managerial resume, particularly in the third tier or lower, speaks for itself. He’s guided three different EFL clubs to promotions, and nearly a fourth, with Bradford City losing out in the play-offs. He is also the only manager to take a fourth-tier English side to the final of a major cup competition, with Bradford finishing as runners-up in the 2013 Football League Cup.

His achievements at lower levels and his demanding ways were the reasons Wrexham pursued him while in the National League.

At the Championship level, though, his achievements were nonexistent. Red Dragon fans have long supported the Chorley-born coach, but Parkinson came into this campaign with perhaps more to prove than in any prior one as a manager. That’s because his Championship record at other clubs is abysmal.

Hull City, Charlton Athletic and Bolton Wanderers all put their trust in him, and all three of them failed to deliver with Parkinson at the helm. In nearly 50 Championship fixtures combined at Hull and Charlton, Parkinson amassed just four league triumphs for each team in the second tier.

He didn’t last a full season with the Tigers before leaving by mutual consent. While at Charlton, they were relegated in the 2008-09 season for the first time in nearly three decades.

More disappointment was to follow Parkinson at Bolton Wanderers, guiding them to a League One promotion in 2016-17. By 2018-19, however, the club appeared to be a sinking ship, struggling with financial constraints and being relegated from the Championship by the end of that campaign.

Parkinson may have felt like he was cursed at the Championship level, a division in which he struggled mightily as a coach.

There were plenty of questions surrounding his ability to deliver results in the second tier for a side like Wrexham, playing at this level for the first time since the 1981-82 season.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have shown undying faith in Parkinson

While there were numerous skeptics unsure that Phil Parkinson could sustain success long-term for the Red Dragons, the owners’ support of him has never wavered.

When Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over, he was the coach they had in mind, and they pushed hard to get him. That speaks to the power of persuasion the Hollywood owners had to convince him to drop down to the National League after he had so many successes in higher divisions. It also speaks to the kind of faith the owners had in him that he could accomplish a task.

Even though neither Reynolds nor McElhenney had prior experience running a football club, they didn’t need any to know that this club needed a shakeup. That had to come not just in the form of better players but a coach who could get the best out of them.

There was a time when Wrexham appeared to have a permanent home in the National League. They needed someone who had a track record of bringing teams up. To their credit, they did what was necessary to bring Parkinson over.

Through the promotions, though, there’s been even more reason to stay the course and trust in Parkinson. Ahead of every season over the past few years, Parkinson’s had to integrate new players into his system. His brand of football wasn’t always popular, particularly in League One last season, but he has consistently delivered results.

There were times early on in League One and Two when this team went through some rough patches and Parkinson navigated them through it. That surely had to be another reason why the owners chose to stick with him during a rough start to this Championship campaign.

At the start of every season, Parkinson has had new faces to integrate into the squad but for the Championship the turnover has been much great. Kieffer Moore, Nathan Broadhead, Josh Windass, Dom Hyam, Callum Doyle, Lewis O’Brien, Ryan Hardie Issa Kaboré, Liberato Cacace, Ben Sheaf and Conor Coady all come with plenty of experience at Championship level or higher. Plus there was Danny Ward, currently out injured, and George Thomason, who are new faces this season, with the latter missing time earlier with a knock.

In total, Wrexham spent £33 million in the summer transfer window, per Wales Online, on new talent. Most of the names mentioned have had strong impacts this season; Moore and Windass, in particular, are two players the team have been heavily dependent on upon to score.

Integrating that many players into this squad, some of whom only arrived in September, is not an easy task. Many of them have missed time through injury, while Parkinson has had to make some tough decisions with some, such as dropping Coady in favour of Hyam, a move which has steadied the Wrexham backline.

The Wrexham owners gave him the resources he wanted for the Championship and Parkinson is showing what he can do with proper talent at his disposal at this level.

Parkinson is showing what he can do at this level with owners' support

Reynolds and McElhenney are not ones to congratulate themselves publicly, yet their patience and instincts regarding Phil Parkinson have been spot on.

Right now, even without a promotion, this season is shaping up to be a redemption one for the Wrexham boss after several rough ones in the Championship before.

It is remarkable how far financial support can help. That’s something Parkinson never experienced at this level until this season. His time at Bolton ended in disarray, with players not being paid and the club being penalized for its financial issues. The financial situations at Hull and Charlton weren’t as dire as at Bolton, yet neither of those clubs showed a great desire to spend or push for promotion.

At Wrexham, not only has Parkinson had support from managers, but they have also shown a desire to spend big to give Parkinson what he needs to thrive. At the same time, they’re leaving the player signings in Parkinson’s capable hands. Having the freedom to build the team he wants in a system he wants is not something every manager gets. The owners and Parkinson are on the same page and willing to do what it takes to get to the top-flight. That’s not always the case with owners who often get bogged down and worried about losing money.

With the Red Dragons, Parkinson has been able to do it his way, without nosy owners questioning him. However, it was touch-and-go at times early in this season. We’re now seeing the rewards that come with financial support and staying the course.