‘Wiggle Room’—Rob Mac Reveals True Feelings on Phil Parkinson As Wrexham Manager

Parkinson is under pressure after a poor start to the new EFL Championship season.

Phil Parkinson is already a Wrexham legend after three successive promotions. | Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

Rob Mac insists Phil Parkinson has “earned a lot of wiggle room” amid fresh pressure on the Wrexham manager.

The Red Dragons have endured a difficult start to the new Championship season, winning just one of their opening seven matches and losing 6-0 away against West Ham United last time out.

Wrexham will hope to bounce back in style when they host Southampton at the Racecourse Ground this weekend, with Parkinson well aware that one win could drastically alter the mood around the club. The 58-year-old is firmly a club legend after leading them to three successive promotions, while last season’s seventh-place finish in the Championship was the highest in the club’s entire 162-year history.

Despite his achievements, Parkinson has come under fire from some critics who believe Wrexham should be doing much better given the money they have invested in their playing squad. The Welsh club spent $48 million on seven new signings this summer but have been unable to find their rhythm during the opening matches of the new season.

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Rob Mac Backs Phil Parkinson as Wrexham Manager

Rob Mac wants to give Phil Parkinson as much time as possible to turn things around. | That Wrexham Podcast

Mac and fellow co-chairman Ryan Reynolds previously stated that Parkinson had a “job for life” at Wrexham, a statement that could be put to the test if the slow start to the season continues for much longer.

The Wrexham owners would love to give the manager as much time as possible to turn things around at the Racecourse Ground, though there is an acceptance from all parties that the stakes are now higher after so much investment amid the club’s pursuit of promotion to the Premier League.

Parkinson has come under fresh pressure following the recent hammering by West Ham, though Mac remains fully behind the manager who took Wrexham from the National League to the Championship in just three seasons.

In an interview recorded over the summer but only recently released, Mac spoke about the pressure on the Wrexham manager and explained why the owners would not rush into a decision to make a managerial change.

“I always give everybody the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise,” Mac told That Wrexham Podcast. “Phil has earned a lot of wiggle room. When I look at how quickly managers are fired, not just in English football, in all the sports over the world, every league. Managers are fired so quickly. Phil is one of the longest tenured coaches and it has only been five years.

“In American sport, it is a lot more common to give somebody the space and the time that it takes to build a winning club. Sometimes coaches are in and out of there in a year or two, but often times, they are there for a decade, especially if they have sustained success. If you have a great culture and a really great human, but are losing, that is going to be problematic. It is still a business; it is still sport.

“Phil has shown over and over again that he can win at every level, so far. So I don’t see why he doesn’t have as much room as he can possibly have over the next few years to continue to prove it.”

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Why Mac Only Speaks to Parkinson When Wrexham Lose

Phil Parkinson has never been under pressure in the eyes of the Wrexham owners. | Carl Recine/Getty Images

It was after Wrexham lost heavily to Stockport County three years ago this month that Mac texted Parkinson immediately with a message of reassurance that read: “Phil, we are right behind you.” At the end of that season, Wrexham and Stockport County were both promoted from League Two.

It would not be a surprise if he did something similar last week, when Parkinson was slated following the 6–0 humiliation at the hands of West Ham.

“People are asking questions about Phil all the time,” Mac added. “I never talk to Phil when we’re winning, ever. I reach out to him after we’ve lost to remind him that he’s doing an incredible job and that he’s got our support 100%.

“That’s when I reach out to him. I’ve noticed in my life that when you’re winning, everybody’s texting you, everybody’s calling you. When something worked out, that’s when everybody’s your friend. And then something bad happens, and it happens to every human on the planet. You’re losing, or you’ve lost something, or something terrible is going on, and it’s just crickets. It’s a weird thing about our species, right?

“I try to find the moments when I know he’s at his lowest and that’s when I reach out to him. I do that with players, I do that with my friends. I do that with other business associates because that’s when you need to hear from the people that love you, that they got your back.”

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