Wrexham were back in League One action on January 28th, taking on a mid-table Stevenage in Wales and fans have had a lot to say.
The Red Dragons kicked off on Tuesday knowing a win was likely needed to keep pace in the race automatic promotion.
Wycombe Wanderers were already three points ahead of them going into the midweek fixtures, while Huddersfield Town were four points adrift with a game in hand.
Wrexham drew 1-1 with Birmingham City in their previous match and were favourites for this game at the Racecourse Ground.
Stevenage began the day 15th in the third tier and the Welsh outfit were still yet to lose a clash on home soil in 2024/25.
Phil Parkinson named an unchanged starting eleven for the game, with Ryan Longman’s Wrexham shirt number revealed after the winter addition earned himself a place on the bench.
Wrexham fans have a lot to say about Phil Parkinson vs Stevenage
Things got off to a nightmare start for the home team, with two errors from Arthur Okonkwo seeing Stevenage take a 2-0 lead after 18 minutes.
Following what was a disastrous start, Wrexham fans took to social media to hit out their manager.
They took particular issue with his tactics on the night, especially the pairing of Elliot Lee and Ollie Palmer up front.
One fan wrote: “Parky should shoulder some of the blame too, tactics are dreadful got away with it in the lower league,s found out now, but he won’t change it he’s too negative to try something new.”
A second added: “Not directly linked to errors but such a negative team selection with Palmer, Lee upfront and James/Dobson in midfield. Will Parky have the nerve to bring on Mullin and Marriott at half-time for James and O’Connor?”
“I really don’t understand why when we’ve got four capable strikers in the squad (Mullin, Palmer, Marriott and Fletcher) we force our best midfielder (Lee) to play up front. I trust Parky but come on,” another wrote.
A fourth Wrexham fan added: “Awful. Absolutely terrible. And it’s not the player’s fault. Lining up against their overloaded midfield we have no chance. Change it Parky you dinosaur.”
Another simply stated: “Phil Parkinson being Phil Parkinson,” while a sixth claimed: “Jurassic Parkinson being found out.”
A seventh Red Dragons supporter wrote: “Diabolical performance. All of them. Parky will no doubt tell them off but he’s caused this problem.”
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Phil Parkinson Wrexham tactics are becoming predictable
While fans are, of course, going to be hypercritical after such a dismal first half, it is becoming clear Parkinson needs to change something up.
His insistence on starting Lee and Palmer up front so frequently is baffling given the latter has been poor this season and the former is much better when playing in his natural midfield role.
But Wrexham fans have become accustomed to seeing this in 2024/25 and it doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon.
Steven Fletcher is being relied upon too much to change things from the bench and with less than a week of the January transfer window to go, it’s more obvious than ever that a proper goalscorer and maybe even another number 10 need to be signed.