Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson says he has held "honest" discussions with his players as they look to respond to defeat at Sheffield United. Parkinson admitted his side needed to be very honest and self-analytical after their lacklustre display in Friday's 1-0 loss at Bramall Lane. Wrexham will look to bounce back as they host Middlesbrough and Wolves in back-to-back home fixtures this week before the November international window.
"I think there's decent honesty in the room," Parkinson said. "Quite often we show parts of a game, but I felt we needed to sit down and watch the whole of it as a group. "I think it's important we did that because we can talk about accountability and what we did and what we needed to do." Parkinson added: "There's some discussion points, as you'd imagine, but like I said, sometimes the door's got to be closed and we've got to get some honesty within the group.
"I felt we did that, and it's up to us now to respond to that. I feel we've had a productive few days on the training ground, and the lads know that it's an important week for us with two home games." Wrexham did not manage a shot on target against Sheffield United until Sam Smith's tame header was saved in added time. The Red Dragons, who are 18th in the Championship table heading into the midweek fixtures, face leaders Boro on Wednesday at the Racecourse on the back of successive away defeats.
Wrexham suffer 'significant' Smith injury blow Listen to the latest Wrexham interviews, news and discussion on BBC Sounds "We're not where we want to be, we know that, but we've got to dig deep," Parkinson added. "Like I said after the game, what's important is that the performances reflect how the team has played over a number of years. "I felt, for whatever reason, we weren't anywhere near that in the first half at Bramall Lane.
"But as I equally stress, there's been a lot of games this season where we have reached those levels, and we've got to look at the reasons why we didn't, what we need to get back to, and we'll see where that takes us." Wrexham beat Preston North End 4-1 in their most recent home game, but have yet to achieve back-to-back wins on their ground this season. "The Racecourse's atmosphere is huge for us," Parkinson said. "We need our supporters [against Middlesbrough].
"We're a bit depleted, but we've shown grit and determination a lot of the time over these years, and that's what we're looking for. "We've got to fight tooth and nail whilst understanding the tactical side of the game and what's required. I want to really see that kind of spark and effort and intensity in our play."
Extract — continue reading at the source.
