Have Newport County Fuched Up With Their Manager Appointment?

It's fair to say Newport County have had an absolutely abysmal start to the season.

Any hope of an improvement on their disappointing 22nd-place slump, which saw them only win one of 10 at the back end of last season, quickly dissipated.

Instead, it was quickly replaced with a growing anxiety that the impending sense of doom which enveloped the club in the dying embers of last season was, in fact, not a temporary one.

A win and draw in their first two were replaced in brutal fashion by a conveyor belt of L's, which saw five defeats in a row that informed the fanbase that this was going to be another tiresome year.

This form continued, coming to a head in the wake of an agonisingly uninspiring 1-0 loss to Shrewsbury, which saw County pose about as much threat as a chocolate fireguard and led to the sacking of manager David Hughes in pathetic fashion.

Attention turned to who would take over; it needed to be someone with a backbone, someone who could face the mounting issues at hand and begin steering the club back in the right direction.

The man chosen was first-time gaffer Christian Fuchs, a far cry from what many expected as Hughes' replacement.

Newport fans weren't exactly enthralled by the appointment, a sentiment which was immediately backed up in Fuchs' opening fixture, which saw a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of midtable and newly promoted Oldham Athletic.

Everyone Deserves A Chance, Right?

Given Newport's perilous situation at present, the decision to bring in someone with such little experience left many understandably bewildered.

The expectation was that an experienced manager with a track record of stabilising sinking ships and turning spiralling fortunes into respectable points tallies would be announced.

Instead, and this is nothing against Christian Fuchs, the Newport faithful were greeted with a newcomer. Someone without any experience at all, never mind a resume which can stand the test of a gruelling uphill relegation battle.

Now the 3-0 defeat to Oldham can't be purely pinned on their new head coach; he had barely a week to learn and understand his squad, essentially having to put together his matchday plan on a whim.

🤝 Newport County is delighted to announce the appointment of Christian Fuchs as the club’s new manager.

Welcome to Rodney Parade, Christian 👊#OneClubOneCounty pic.twitter.com/pgAuoVTcrf

— Newport County (@NewportCounty) November 20, 2025

But often, when a manager is appointed, the club and players experience what is widely known in football as the 'new manager bounce'… It seems Newport has been cursed with, well, whatever the opposite of that is.

This has put fans in an unwanted situation. If they are to get out of the mess they are in, backing the new man at the helm is imperative – but when most are already adamant he doesn't have the required skills, giving him full support becomes difficult.

Every manager deserves a chance to stand up and be counted when appointed, but for one placed in such a precarious predicament as is the case with Christian Fuchs, the task becomes an almost impossible one.

Not Fuchs' Fault

It is worth stating that nothing about this is the fault of Christian Fuchs himself.

In fact, the fans have been in fine voice sharing that very sentiment. Across social media the fans have vocalised how Fuchs has essentially been given an untenable task.

They have even shared how previously employed David Hughes was thrown under the bus rather than being to blame, despite his limp start to the season.

Rather, it has been Chairman Huw Jenkins in the line of fire.

I really don’t understand the whole Christian Fuchs angle. It really does read like David Hughes believes Huw Jenkins asked him there with the possibility of Fuchs replacing Hughes. The line about ‘one or two have deviated in their faith in me’ seems a dig at Jenkins too. pic.twitter.com/04nsucrmsk

— Newport County Thoughts (@NCAFCThoughts) October 12, 2025

Jenkins has been criticised in almost every facet you can imagine, from his policies to his recruitment – fans have protested against it all.

And this has led to growing calls for his head, ones that have admittedly been present for some time now but are only increasing with every passing day of turmoil the club endures.

In short, it appears Fuchs never really had much of a chance to succeed.

And, of course, his tenure only consists of a singular defeat, but to even begin turning the tide and feeling, not only on the pitch but also off it, will be a monumental ask for someone looking to get their feet under the table in their first job.

It may not be Fuchs' fault, but it appears Newport have made a rookie error appointing this rookie given their situation.