"Never forgave him for that" - Wrexham: Sam Ricketts branded club's "worst manager" | OneFootball

FLW's Wrexham fan pundit has named the worst manager the club has had in his memory

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Phil Parkinson has overseen Wrexham’s remarkable rise from the National League to League One.

The veteran coach has worked with clubs like Charlton Athletic, Bradford City, Bolton Wanderers, and Sunderland previously in his managerial career.

But it is his stint with the Red Dragons that has brought his name to new heights, having been a central figure around the increasingly popular team.

However, the club went through several difficult years prior to his appointment in 2021, and not every manager has quite earned the popularity among supporters that he has.

There have also been some managers who are not remembered well by fans at all, even in the years since their departures.

Sam Ricketts, Wrexham claim

When asked who is the worst manager the club has had, and where it went wrong, FLW’s Wrexham fan pundit Liam Grice identified Sam Ricketts.

While he believes the 43-year-old’s side played great football and got good results, he has claimed the off-field issues he brought with him led to a sour exit from the Welsh outfit.

“The worst manager to ever manage at Wrexham, that I can remember, is Sam Ricketts,” Grice told Football League World.

“This isn’t really due to results on the pitch because, on the pitch, he was an amazing manager.

“He got his tactics spot on for the division and the players he had at his disposal, despite us having no money.

“He had us playing some really good football, high up in the league, pushing for promotion, but off the pitch, there was loads of turmoil surrounding his appointment and his assistant manager Graham Barrow.

“He came in and within six months he had his head turned by one of our rivals Shrewsbury, and was off there as manager of the club.

“Wrexham fans never forgave him for that.

“I remember in an FA Cup game against Newport, I think it was, and he was told by the board not to show up because fans weren’t happy with the way he decided to go about things.

“So that’s why he’s the worst manager.”

Sam Ricketts' Wrexham record

Ricketts was in charge at the Racecourse Ground from May 2018 until December 2018, spending just seven months at the club.

During that time, he oversaw 23 fixtures, winning 13 and only losing three times before jumping ship to Shrewsbury.

Meanwhile, Parkinson took charge almost three years later, having been appointed in July 2021, and has now overseen 185 games with the club.

The 56-year-old’s side has won 113 times, giving Wrexham a win percentage of 61.08 percent during his spell as manager.

Parkinson’s rise has taken Wrexham to new levels

Supporters can quite easily move on from the memory of Ricketts now because the team has been taken on a great journey with Parkinson.

The level of investment from new owners has certainly helped, but it still took great managerial skill to get the club this far in such a short span of time.

The fact they are already in promotion contention in League One as well is massively encouraging that Parkinson still has plenty to give to the team too.

It’s an exciting period to be a Wrexham fan, and it’s difficult to see anyone jumping ship for Shrewsbury at this stage.