Wrexham are having to pick themselves up from a disappointing defeat to Leyton Orient that has left them five points behind Wycombe Wanderers.
Wrexham fans were furious with Phil Parkinson after his long-ball approach against Leyton Orient did not work and left star players such as Ollie Rathbone and Sam Smith starved of the ball.
Smith is drifting away from the central striker position and there are now calls for Parkinson to reshuffle his midfield in order to have more creativity and runners from deep.
George Dobson and Matty James are struggling to play together and now another area of the pitch has been up for debate ahead of the trip to Mansfield for the Red Dragons.
READ MORE: Former Wrexham midfielder reveals thoughts on Phil Parkinson’s ‘crazy’ omission of one star player
Wrexham expert questions Phil Parkinson’s selection of Mark Howard
Speaking on the latest edition of the Rob.Ryan.Red. podcast, journalist Rich Fay has questioned the continued selection of Mark Howard given that the club have moved on from the veteran goalkeeper in previous seasons,
Fay stated: “Mark Howard was deemed not good enough in non-league. That’s why we went out and signed Ben Foster after that Maidenhead game, where we almost threw away promotion to League Two that season.
“Yet two seasons on, Mark Howard, who was basically deemed third choice in the National League, was third choice in League Two. He’s now first choice in League one.”
The Wrexham journalist went on to explain that although Howard has played well in the recent matches, he fears for the keeper’s future if he continues to be picked as the number one.
Fay explained: “It feels harsh to blame Howard because he’s not done anything wrong since being recalled to the team. It’s just I kind of feel like there’s a matter of time before he does become even more of a talking point.”
Parkinson unsure on Okonkwo following wrist injury
Arthur Okonkwo played well in the EFL Trophy recently but has been unable to force his way back into Parkinson’s league side after his poor performance against Stevenage last month.
Parkinson admitted his Okonkwo mistake in playing the goalkeeper too early after his return from a fractured wrist however, his latest absence is more peculiar given Okonkwo’s recent fine displays.
The 23-year-old goalkeeper has kept clean sheets in half of his 18 league appearances for the Red Dragons so far this season and many believe he should be given a run of games again as the number one goalkeeper.
Plenty of selection dilemmas for the manager to mull over before a trip to a Mansfield side who are without a win in nine games.