Wrexham have been urged to show manager Phil Parkinson the door if they are serious about realising their Premier League ambition.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it has been impossible to ignore Wrexham’s remarkable rise up the football pyramid. Since the club was purchased by Hollywood superstars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney in 2021, the Red Dragons have enjoyed a constant cycle of success.

Three successive promotions between 2023 and 2025 saw them rise from the National League to the Championship, whilst their first season in England’s second tier in over 40 years saw them miss out on a place in the play-offs on the final day. They then had to watch from afar as the team that pipped them to sixth – Hull City – triumphed at Wembley to reach the top tier.

Parkinson Mastermind Behind Success

Wrexham meteoric rise has been masterminded by manager Phil Parkinson. The 58-year-old was appointed in July 2021 and has been the man that has steered them through the divisions.

Despite that, he found himself under some external pressure last season as they languished in mid-table at Christmas. A strong second half of the campaign put them in play-off contention, which eased some of the criticism that had been directed towards the former Bolton Wanderers boss.

This season has started in identical fashion and they head into tonight’s clash with league leaders Middlesbrough 19th in the table. This has led to familiar rumblings, although there has been rumours in recent days that Parkinson could find himself out of a job if results don’t improve sharply.

Wrexham Told To Make Difficult Decision

Parkinson clearly deserves time to turn things around at the STōK Cae Ras, but there is rightly question marks as to whether he is the right man to lead the club into the Premier League. Speaking on the latest episode of The Championship Lowdown, co-host James Fleming stated his belief that he must be sacked to achieve that aim:

“I think as much as the players are letting him down, I just think the football’s bad. The blame at some point has to go on Parky’s shoulders. How long is he going to get away with lacklustre seasons or performances before Wrexham pull the trigger and say ‘look, thanks for everything you have done for us to get us to this point, but ultimately our ceiling with you is here.’

“It’s being a mid-table, maybe on the cusp of the play-offs team in the Championship. If you get someone else in, all of a sudden you can start looking at the ambitions that Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have in terms of taking this team into the Premier League.

“I’m sure that is in their near future if they can get another manager in who’s more capable and more likely to take them up.”

🗣️ “If you want to be a Premier League club, you need to sack Phil Parkinson.”@JamesSCFC_ urges Wrexham to make a huge decision if they are serious about promotion. 😳#WxmAFC pic.twitter.com/JL8N5q6my8

— The Football Lowdown (@FBLowdown) November 4, 2026

Wrexham have lost three of the last four games prior to tonight, with their only success coming against rock-bottom Preston North End. Continuing, James stated that a decision needs to be made imminently if they are to launch a challenge this season.

“It’s just amatuer hour at Wrexham at the minute. I think something has got to change. 

“My ultimate question, and I’ll keep saying it, is when does the buck stop with the manager? How long do you keep pushing the sentiment of, ‘yeah, he’s done so much for the club?’

“Yeah, he absolutely has. I’m not taking that away from him, but if you want to be a Premier League club, you need to sack Phil Parkinson.”

Defeat tonight and more dropped points against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday could lead to an interesting international break for the decision makers at Wrexham.