MICKEY THOMAS can’t wait to see who Wrexham’s new manager will be in what he calls an exciting new era for the club.

Dean Keates became the latest Racecourse casualty - the 10th boss in the club’s non-league nightmare to lose their job.

The club’s new high-profile owners, mega-rich movie stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, showed Keates the door on Sunday after the Reds finished eighth in the National League table.

They have bought in former FA Technical Director and Southampton Director of Football Les Reed (pictured above) to find the perfect candidate.

Club legend Thomas, who had two spells with Wrexham - the first in the great teams of the Seventies and the second during Brian Flynn’s Reds renaissance - believes the writing could have been on the wall for Keates even if he had led them to the play offs.

“I think it was coming anyway,” said Thomas. “But let’s be brutally honest, finishing eighth was a massive, massive failure.

“We’re talking eighth - not second, third, fourth or fifth. Eighth! It’s disastrous and they were rubbish at Dagenham.

“They said it was a must-win match and then they didn’t bother to turn up.

“I think it’s good that all the coaching team has gone and Les Reed can come in and look at what’s needed in terms of a new manager.”

Thomas says he isn’t shocked by some of the names being linked to the Wrexham job but admits the appointment must be the right one this time.

“They have to get it right,” added Thomas. “There’s some good names out there. They need someone with a reputation of getting teams promotion, someone with good contacts in the game and someone who wants to play entertaining football.

“We all know that Wrexham will never have any problems attracting the fans and you can imagine the first game of the new season being a sell-out.

“That’s what makes it an exciting prospect for any manager who fancies the chance of making a name for himself amid all the publicity of what’s going on off the pitch.

“The squad needs major surgery and Ryan and Rob are going to have to pay big money - just like Fleetwood and Forest Green have done in the past - to get out of this league.

“We’re the longest serving club in the National League - and that’s embarrassing.”