Wrexham fans must look back on the summer of 2021 with great fondness and relief following the appointment of Phil Parkinson.
Wrexham went into that summer having parted ways with former boss Dean Keates and new owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were under pressure to deliver their promises to fans.
Phil Parkinson was used to plying his trade in the Football League and with the Red Dragons languishing in the National League, it was always going to be a tough task to bring him to North Wales.
However, the Wrexham owners did just that and the club have not looked back since. It is all thanks to a 90-minute phone call from McElhenney whilst on the set of his American TV show ‘It’s always sunny in Philadelphia.’
Rob McElhenney outlined Wrexham vision to Phil Parkinson to convince him to join
Speaking on season one episode three of the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series, McElhenney discussed how it took a 90-minute phone call to help convince Parkinson to join the Red Dragons.
Parkinson was initially against the idea of moving to the Racecourse Ground but was soon convinced by the vision that McElhenney and Reynolds had for not only the club but the whole town of Wrexham.
McElhenney stated: “It was a tough sell because we were asking him to drop down two or three leagues and people could look at that as steps backwards.
“But I just kind of laid out for him what our vision was for the club is and why we thought that the town deserved it in the hope that he was going to see that potential in that.”
Fast Forward four years and after three successive promotions, Parkinson is set to be handed £10m for a striker in order to bolster his squad for the Championship campaign.
A lot has happened at the club since that summer of 2021 but that phone call from McElhenney will forever be a pivotal moment in the history of Wrexham Football Club.
Phil Parkinson going all out to prove himself in the Championship
There is no doubt that the upcoming season will be the toughest in Parkinson’s tenure in North Wales with the step up in quality to the Championship enormous from League One.
However, the club have begun the summer window with four new additions, all bringing value to the squad in their own way.
Parkinson’s Championship record doesn’t make for great reading during his time with Bolton Wanderers and Charlton Athletic, averaging just 0.82 points per match.
Supporters will be backing their manager and team all the way and enjoying the ride this season after years in the darkness of non-league football.
If the manager can get one or two more quality additions through the door in key areas, Wrexham may surprise a few once again this campaign.