🔗 Share this article

'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably more remote than that historic 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favor.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his recent venture as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of preventing a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unattainable can be achievable,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'I guess that's the part that's illogical, right?' he says, breaking into a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. The discussion runs in different directions, from playing for the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, with a smile. Another delivery brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this really makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Typographical Error

Until returning from North Carolina to assume his first job in senior management 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. That day the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets were released, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Experiences from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired 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 light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you see Claudio you imagine an seasoned professional, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to watch training in Austria for the first week. He stayed out of it 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 change anything.''

Fuchs holds dear insights gained 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 push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s determination comes 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 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 prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m very headstrong. If I see possibility, I’m doing it.'

Analytical 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 opens his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'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 percentage to arrive 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 secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the drills – two nutmegs already, yes! 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 as one.'