Phil Parkinson reflected on Wrexham’s troubling Sky Bet Championship start by saying the Red Dragons were never going to find life easy after assembling almost a completely new team.
After slumping to a 3-1 home defeat in front of Hollywood star and co-owner Ryan Reynolds, Wrexham dropped to 21st spot in the Championship — one place and two points above the relegation zone after five games.
Wrexham were the Championship’s biggest summer spenders after their third successive promotion, splashing £33 million ($45m) on 13 players before potential add-ons are taken into account.
– Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds watches team lose to QPR
Only five of that 13 started the Rangers defeat, with five others on the bench, and injuries having sidelined Danny Ward, George Thomason and Liberato Cacace.
“We’ve changed the squad around completely,” Wrexham manager Parkinson said after watching his side be thoroughly outplayed by a rejuvenated Rangers outfit.
“There was always going to be a period at the start where it doesn’t go completely as you’d want it.
“We’ve got to work this week on the training pitch to put on a performance like we showed at Millwall two weeks ago [when Wrexham won 2-0].”
Wales striker Kieffer Moore scored for the fourth successive game midway through the second period to cut QPR’s interval lead in half.
But Rumarn Burrell added to a Conor Coady own goal and a Richard Kone thunderbolt to pile the misery on Wrexham — and the watching Reynolds.
The Red Dragons have now conceded eight goals in three home league games, which has yielded just one point.
Parkinson said: “The previous home games, we looked like we can create chances and score.
“But the goals we conceded — on one hand, you’ll say they were clinical but when we analyse them all, we’ll know we could have done better.
“I thought we started the game well and then we had a scrappy period with some mistakes on the ball.
“The goal really typified that period. We had to clear our lines quicker and be braver in the key moments to keep the ball out of the net.
“The third goal was just a real killer for us, it knocked the stuffing out of us.”