‘The owners are involved in everything’ Phil Parkinson reveals Wrexham’s recruitment blueprint – and what Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds said to make him ‘so determined’
The Welsh club's manager tells FFT how the owners provided vital support, just when he needed it most
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Wrexham have come a long way since defeat in the National League play-offs in 2022 – and boss Phil Parkinson will forever be grateful for the support he received from the club’s Hollywood owners at that pivotal moment.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds took control of the Welsh club in November 2020, appointing Parkinson as boss months later, but Wrexham were beaten by Grimsby in the play-offs at the end of the manager’s first season in charge.
At some clubs, such a defeat could have frayed or even ended the relationship between boss and owners – at Wrexham, it was the opposite.
Assured by McElhenney and Reynolds that he still had their backing, Parkinson led the club to the National League title last season, taking them back to the EFL for the first time in 15 years. Now, they sit third in League Two.
“When we lost in the play-offs, it really hurt – I’ve never watched the game back,” Parkinson told FourFourTwo. “But straight away after that match, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney came up to me on the pitch.
“They said ‘Phil, this is going to make our resolve stronger, we’re going to build the squad even stronger and have another go next season’." That support was amazing.
“It made me so determined – to chase players that summer that I felt could make a difference. We looked at where we felt we needed to improve, what had cost us that season, and tried to rectify it.
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“Work started straight away – it took us until early July to get Elliot Lee in, sometimes deals take a while, but the work to sign him started literally a week after the Grimsby game.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Wrexham have continued to strengthen their squad significantly since then – after promotion, Parkinson recruited James McClean and former Scotland striker Steven Fletcher, who netted a hat-trick in the New Year’s Day thrashing of promotion rivals Barrow.
All deals are done with the involvement of McElhenney and Reynolds, such is their enthusiasm to progress the club. “We work very closely with the owners on recruitment,” Parkinson said. “They’re involved in everything and want to be kept in the loop.
“When we’re looking at potential signings, we’re constantly explaining who we’re considering and why. When we’ve worked out which one we’re going to go for, I involve everyone in that decision and why we think that individual is suitable.
"Then Shaun Harvey, who’s operated as an advisor to the board, would establish the finances with the agent and the player, we see what it’s going to cost and decide if that player is still the one we want.”
Wrexham have even been linked with a move for Peterborough striker Jonson Clarke-Harris during January – it will be no surprise if the club continue to strengthen, in a bid to seal a place in League One.
Chris joined FourFourTwo in 2015 and has reported from more than 20 countries, in places as varied as Ivory Coast and the Arctic Circle. He's interviewed Pele, Zlatan and Santa Claus (it's a long story), as well as covering the World Cup, AFCON and the Clasico. He previously spent 10 years as a newspaper journalist, and completed the 92 in 2017.
