An outside candidate in Christian Fuchs has been appointed as the new Newport County manager less than a week after David Hughes’ sacking.
The Exiles face an uphill battle at the moment in securing survival, and currently reside at the foot of the English Football League. They sit 4 points behind Harrogate Town heading into this weekend’s action, with a trip to Oldham Athletic on the cards for County with a new leader in charge in the form of Christian Fuchs.
Risky Move – But The Right One?
With Hughes given the sack the night of Newport’s loss to Shrewsbury Town, the hierarchy at Rodney Parade have acted quickly to find a successor. Multiple names were mooted, including former Swansea City manager Garry Monk, as well as Michael Flynn.
However, former Cheltenham Town boss Flynn was ruled out of the contest days later, and now a new manager has been appointed in former Austria and Leicester City defender Christian Fuchs. Best known for his role in the Foxes’ improbable Premier League title win, he had made the transition into coaching alongside former boss Dean Smith at Charlotte FC.
Coaching players such as Wilfred Zaha and former Crewe Alexandra‘s Ashley Westwood, Fuchs arrives in Gwent having signed a ‘long-term deal’. This is his first senior job in management, which may begin at Boundary Park but remains unclear whether he will take charge against Oldham.
County chairman Huw Jenkins has discussed the decision to give Fuchs the role, telling the South Wales Argus:
“We see Christian as the sort of man to lead our club forward. I believe he matches our ambition and goals for Newport County AFC. “I do feel we can now look forward with a great deal of optimism. We’ll look to improve our current situation in League Two and take things from there.
“Christian is ambitious and wants, one day, to manage in the Premier League, we believe he shares our strong belief in what Newport County can eventually become.”
Managerial Merry-Go Round Can’t Continue
There have been a fair few changes in the hotseat at Rodney Parade in recent years, with Flynn being the last man to see out 2 full campaigns with the club. There have been 6 managers in both permanent and temporary charge of the club.
This instability has translated on the pitch, with a steady decline in table positions since 2020/21’s high of 5th place. Last season saw them match their worst performance in the table since re-entering the EFL with a 22nd place finish under Nelson Jardim, who was replaced by Hughes.
