Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson has warned his players about the nature of the Championship and how they must not lose motivation ahead of the likely ‘setbacks’.
Wrexham travel to Southampton on Saturday for their Championship opener, with the Red Dragons being pitted against the tough challenge of a recently relegated Premier League side.
Phil Parkinson is expected to field a completely new-look Wrexham side compared to the last one that ran out in a competitive fixture after Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac sanctioned several signings this summer.
Wrexham have successfully added Championship experience to their ranks, although many players from previous years remain in the squad.
There are a handful of Wrexham stars who are venturing into the unknown of the Championship, and Parkinson has since issued them a warning as to what to expect in the English second tier.
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Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson discusses the ‘nature’ of the Championship and what his players must ‘understand’
Ahead of Wrexham’s clash with Southampton, Red Dragons boss Phil Parkinson has faced the media.
Parkinson has discussed the challenges that lie ahead for his side, and how Wrexham need to show top mentality to overcome any issues they come across.
“That’s the nature of the division and football in general,” said Parkinson, via The Athletic. “As a manager, you just have to accept that and concentrate on doing your best every single day.
“We must understand this is a division where you can get a good run, but that can very quickly change to a bad run. Over the years, the division has been so tight. Look at last season, with so many teams in contention right until the end. So many could have got in the play-offs.
“If we get beat in games — which inevitably will happen — the key is not to over-react as a staff. Just regroup and work towards the next one. That’s the mindset we had last year.
“There were setbacks along the way with people doubting us. People think the three promotions were praise and plaudits all the time, but we had periods where people started questioning me as a manager, questioning the players. But you come through those periods.
“There’s always a bigger picture. We’re all confident as a staff. We’ve proved that over the last few years and we look to do that again.”
Parkinson has previous experience managing in the Championship for Bolton Wanderers, Charlton Athletic and Hull City, having accumulated a record of just 26 wins in 141 matches, as well as 37 draws. That works out to an average points-per-game of 0.82.
Pressure will be on Phil Parkinson to perform this season
Many eyes will be on Wrexham this season following their three successive promotions. Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac’s side have risen through the divisions, but not done so quietly.
The American owners have a dream of reaching the Premier League, and whilst there is no time frame on such aspirations, that could still lead to pressure on Phil Parkinson’s shoulders.
One EFL expert, Ryan Dilks suggested that Wrexham sacking Parkinson in 2025/26 was possible, having said: “I think this could be Phil Parkinson’s last season at Wrexham I think the most likely scenario is they don’t do as well as expected, and then they sack him and get in a manager who’s a much bigger name and is more entertaining for a documentary.”
Nobody knows what this season has in store for Wrexham; however, there will be expectations that, after a wave of recruitment this summer, there will be expectations on the Red Dragons to notch yet another successful campaign.