'The probability of a late surge is arguably more remote than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his new life as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of averting a descent into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he notes.
The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'I guess that's the part that's not logical, right?' he states, erupting in a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. Our talk flows in multiple pathways, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a local barber.
He sorts through some post on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another envelope brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this really makes me very content,' he adds.
Prior to his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in first-team coaching 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 David Pipe faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the official sheets dropped, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelt 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 pleasant.'
His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. 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 observational approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you imagine an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, 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 modify anything.''
Fuchs cherishes insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our approach as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very driven, very eager to prove himself.'
Fuchs’s motivation originates in his early years in Neunkirchen. {'There are comparisons to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be capable enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't 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 quite determined. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'
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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very direct, fourth-tier football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just going long all the time.'
The overarching numbers make grim reading. Newport have secured 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 secured three points at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent injury-time equaliser with 10 men earned a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a impenetrable home.'
By his own admission, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two pannas already, get in! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re striving towards this together.'
