Wrexham are set for their first season in the Championship in more than 30 years and club legend Mickey Thomas has given his thoughts ahead of their opening clash with Southampton
Co-owner Rob McElhenney insisted “Not Done Yet” following Wrexham’s third straight record breaking promotion into the Championship. And after enjoying lunch with manager Phil Parkinson last week, club legend Mickey Thomas also quickly sensed that survival wasn’t on the menu.
Wrexham became the first team to enjoy three successive promotions and are back in the second tier 21 years after being in the old Second Division, now the Championship. “What has been happening to this football club has been pure madness and hopefully there’s more of it to come,” Thomas enthused.
It comes as Thomas prepares for the funeral of his great friend and fellow Red Dragons icon Joey Jones whose £210,000 return to the club in 1978 – the last time north Wales enjoyed this level of football – was an incoming transfer record for 45 years.
“It’s been smashed well and truly now,” Thomas added. “And there’s going to be more signings. It’s incredible to think that not so long ago when they were in the non-league the club was going around with begging bowls to stay alive.”
In the space of a few weeks New Zealander Liberato Cacare (£4million from Empoli) and Lewis O’Brien (£5m from Nottingham Forest ) have come through the door. Wrexham also fought off Leicester and Norwich for Sheffield Wednesday free agent Josh Windass.
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Thomas added: “You have to be prepared for going into the Championship and you can see they are having a right go. Everywhere you go people are talking about Wrexham. Without a doubt the spotlight will be on them again this season in their severest challenge. As we all know the Championship can be a graveyard for ambitions.
“More managers perish there than in any other division but in Phil Parkinson Wrexham have an amazing manager. He has surrounded himself with good people and has players who really play for him. Phil is one of the greatest Wrexham managers of all time, there’s no question of that.”
While the Disney success story chronicled in the brilliant ‘Welcome To Wrexham’ series knows no boundaries there’s been no easy ride for Parkinson and his coaching team. To the surprise of many including owners McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, goal scoring hero Paul Mullin was left on the sidelines and has been shifted to Wigan Athletic on loan.
Thomas stated: “Phil has managed everything in the right way. Look at the hard decisions he has to make, dropping Paul Mullin who had become a hero figure with the fans and Ryan and Rob.
“Phil knows what he wants and he won’t shy away from making what can be unpopular decisions. To be fair to Ryan and Rob they don’t get involved in that, they leave it to Phil who they trust. I’ve got to know them and they are great people.”
There will be no easing into the Championship with a Sky Sports TV date away to Southampton on the opening day followed by a visit from perennial promotion scrappers West Brom. “It’s not the easiest start but that’s what the Championship is all about,” Thomas admitted.
“But these days at Wrexham it’s not about looking back it’s always about the future. Okay you have the likes of big clubs like Southampton, Leicester and Ipswich who have come down from the Premier League but there’s no fear of competing with them for a promotion spot.”
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