🔗 Share this article

'I estimate that the likelihood of us transforming our fortunes are slimmer than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his recent venture as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of staving off a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with far more than a winner's medal. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be achievable,' he notes.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he says, breaking into a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. The discussion travels in different directions, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, along with a couple of glossy photos from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another delivery brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this makes me very happy,' he states.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Until returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets came out, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled 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 nice.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs says. {'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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

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

Origins and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s motivation comes from 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 get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m pretty determined. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed Approach and the Battle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season highs,' he points out, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 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 distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers make 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 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 earned a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to build a stronghold.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he remarks, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two megs already, yes! I want us to regard each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re tackling this as one.'