'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 the League Two strugglers, and the immense task of preventing a fall into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 gave him far more than a winner's medal. {'It helped change my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be possible,' he states.
'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'
The natural place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he says, breaking into a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. Discourse runs in various tangents, from working under the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a local barber.
He looks at some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another delivery brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he states.
A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake
Prior to his move back from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards were released, an curious error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'
Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel
His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you imagine an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 cherishes experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy 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 focused, very eager to prove himself.'
Background and a Stubborn Mindset
Fuchs’s motivation stems 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 skilled enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, 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 prove that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m pretty stubborn. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'
Detailed Approach and the Battle for Survival
Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very direct, League Two football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to be successful than just going long all the time.'
The overarching numbers paint bleak reading. Newport have won three of 19 league matches and are yet to win 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men earned a crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'
One of the Lads at Heart
By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs enjoys 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 member of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the boxes – two nutmegs already, brilliant! I want us to regard each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re striving towards this collectively.'
