Newport were four points adrift of safety in the fourth tier when Fuchs was named as Dave Hughes’ successor in November last year.
The Austrian guided Newport to survival in League Two, but left the club on the eve of their return for pre-season ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.
The arrival of Mullins means it is the third successive summer that there has been a managerial change at Rodney Parade.
He is also the fourth permanent boss appointed by owner Huw Jenkins since his January 2024 takeover of the club, following Nelson Jardim, Hughes and Fuchs in the hot seat.
Former England Under-21 international Mullins – who also played for Reading, Birmingham City and Notts County – moved into coaching within Watford’s youth system in 2016.
Having managed the Hornets’ under-23s, he twice took temporary charge of Watford’s senior team, following the exits of Quique Sánchez Flores and Nigel Pearson from Vicarage Road.
Mullins joined Colchester United as an assistant in 2020 and – following a stint as interim boss – took permanent charge of the U’s in May 2021, but was sacked less than a year later.
He went on to have a brief stint in charge of the Turks and Caicos Islands national team in 2023 before joining Fulham as under-21 boss later that year.
In his first campaign in charge, Mullins led the young Cottagers to Premier League Cup glory with a 4-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur Under-21s in the final.
Hardcore soccer fans already knew that about the Premier League’s top scorer. Casual fans certainly found out during Norway’s run to the World Cup quarterfinal round, where they lost 2-1 to England on Saturday.
Case in point: After the team’s plane landed at Oslo Airport on Monday, the 6-foot-5 striker with flowing blond hair stepped out with a rather unusual carry-on tucked under his left arm.
It was a taxidermy raccoon clutching an empty liquor bottle.
“It followed me home,” Haaland wrote in an Instagram post that also included a photo of himself carrying his new prized possession.
The stuffed creature was one of many purchases Haaland made during his team’s stay in Dallas for its round of 32 game against Ivory Coast on June 30. Following the 2-1 victory at AT&T Stadium, Norway’s all-time leading scorer decided he wanted to add a little Texas style to his look before departing for East Rutherford, N.J., for the next round.
“I want just a cowboy hat,” Haaland said at the time, as seen in a video posted on his YouTube channel. “That’s all I want.”
He ended up getting much more during what ended up being a 90-minute visit to Wild Bill’s Western Store with some team staff members just hours after the game.
Norway’s Erling Haaland wears a viking helmet after his team’s World Cup round of 32 game against Ivory Coast on June 30 in Arlington, Texas.
(Jessica Tobias / AP Photo)
“Just every department: boots, hats, belt, buckles, T-shirts, Western shirts,” store co-owner Julie Newport told The Times of Haaland’s purchases. “It was such a fun time for all of us because they were all chill and relaxed, and our team was just doing their job, you know, getting in the right sizing and having some fun with them.”
At some point while roaming the store, Haaland noticed the hard-partying raccoon and had to have it. His haul ended up including two taxidermy squirrels as well — one dressed as a sheriff and the other posed to look like it is drinking out of a Budweiser can.
The so-called Whiskey Raccoon sells for $750, and the squirrels go for $450 each. Because of their price tags, the taxidermy items weren’t typically huge sellers. Instead, Newport said, folks mainly liked coming by and posing for pictures with them.
Now, however, they are sold out and in high demand. Newport said three of the raccoons are on order and should be in-store by next week. After that, she said, the availability depends on whether they can talk the man who makes them out of retirement.
Other items that Haaland purchased and featured on his YouTube video have also been flying off the shelves. Those include a gray Stetson Brenham cowboy hat, Dan Post python boots and a T-shirt that proclaims “Y’all Can Kiss My Dallas.”
“We opened up international shipping for the first time ever, and so we started shipping to Norway, to Germany, to the UK,” Newport said. “I added Brazil and Australia this morning, and luckily our supplier is able to keep us with it.”
She added: “We’re so grateful because we’re one store. We’re locally owned, you know? So this is an incredibly exciting time for us, and we’re learning how to pivot and handle this kind of exposure and traction with sales. It’s just been a really wild ride.”
Born to Norwegian parents in Leeds, England, Haaland moved with his parents to their hometown of Byrne at age 3. He has played for Manchester City since 2022 and has won the Premier League’s golden boot for most goals scored in three of the last four seasons, including his 27-goal effort in 2025-2026.
During the World Cup, Haaland garnered a stateside fan base with his seven goals in five matches, as well as his quirky social media posts and fun personality. Few were likely surprised when Haaland asked on his Instagram Story for help naming “my new buddy” (a.k.a. the Whiskey Raccoon). The choices were Cowboy, Ranger, Tex or R.O.W. (Raccoon On Wheels).
“I think it’s a good thing because I like the Americans,” Haaland said of his newfound U.S. popularity during a team news conference last week. “I think they are kind of hilarious as well. They are funny. I like the way they are.”
