🔗 Share this article

'I would say that the likelihood of us transforming our fortunes are slimmer than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' The Austrian veteran is discussing his fresh chapter as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of preventing a drop into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be possible,' he remarks.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'That's the element of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he says, erupting in laughter. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear demonstration of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion travels in various tangents, from working under the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another envelope brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this genuinely makes me very content,' he adds.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Until coming back from North Carolina to assume his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards came out, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach worked wonders. {'When you see Claudio you envision an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to observe training in Austria for the first week. He didn’t get involved at all. After that week we had a meeting and he said: 'I’ve watched you for a week and I’m not going to change anything.''

Fuchs cherishes lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our methodology as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very motivated, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Determined Nature

Fuchs’s drive stems from his upbringing in Neunkirchen. {'There are comparisons to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be good enough,' he shares. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can not do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see promise, I’m doing it.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he says, noting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very physical, fourth-tier football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers present grim reading. Newport have won three of 19 league matches and are winless in eight in all competitions. By the time of their next home game, they will have not won a game at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent last-gasp equaliser with 10 men earned a valuable point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two nutmegs already, brilliant! I want us to see each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this together.'