🔗 Share this article

'The probability of a late surge is arguably less likely than that historic 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is discussing his recent venture as boss of Newport County, and the daunting task of averting a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a winner's medal. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be possible,' he notes.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the part of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he comments, letting out a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse flows in various tangents, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another delivery brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card 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

Until returning from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. That day the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the teamsheets were released, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Insights from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach produced miracles. {'When you observe Claudio you envision an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 alter anything.''

Fuchs holds dear lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our methodology as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation originates in his upbringing 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 good enough,' he reveals. {'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 cannot do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

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 analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he explains, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, fourth-tier football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present bleak reading. Newport have won 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 secured three points 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 valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two nutmegs already, yes! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this collectively.'