🔗 Share this article

'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably less likely than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favor.' The Austrian veteran is talking about his new life as boss of Newport County, and the monumental task of staving off a drop into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be achievable,' he notes.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's not logical, right?' he comments, letting out a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Our talk runs in various tangents, from working under Thomas Tuchel 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 note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another package brings a collection of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this really makes me very happy,' he concludes.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Prior to returning 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 suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. During that match David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the official sheets dropped, an interesting error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach produced miracles. {'When you observe Claudio you imagine an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to watch training in Austria for the first week. He remained on the sidelines at all. After that week we had a meeting and he said: 'I’ve studied you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs values insights gained 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 challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our approach as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very motivated, very keen to prove himself.'

Roots and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his early years in Neunkirchen. {'There are similarities to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be capable enough,' he shares. {'There are people who let that overcome 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 cannot do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty stubborn. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he says, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very physical, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers make grim reading. Newport have managed three of 19 league matches and are without a victory in eight in all competitions. By the time of their next home game, they will have not tasted victory at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men secured a precious point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the drills – two nutmegs already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re working on this collectively.'