ROBERT Lossau looks remarkably relaxed for someone who has just upped sticks from the other side of the world.

While City’s fitness coach finds his feet with the new job, his wife Martina remains in their base in Korea where she works for Volkswagen.

“She is eight hours ahead so mainly she’s getting up when I’m going to bed,” he smiled as we chatted in the plush surrounds of the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews where the team have been based this week.

“But it’s easier these days with social media, email and Instagram. You can almost live two lives.

“Last weekend she was on an island and I get all these pictures – and I was at Gateshead at the game!

“My wife and I decided almost two decades ago that only one of us should always work at a time.

“I did that with a club couple of years ago and then she did it with her job and wanted to work in Asia at the head department. We went to Hong Kong, then Malaysia and right now we’re in Korea.

“She’s still over there doing her job and I’m doing mine now so we’ll see how things run. But then she will definitely look to move across.”

The 50-year-old arrived on the eve of pre-season at the start of the new Stuart McCall era at Valley Parade.

But contrary to belief, there were no previous knowledge of owners Edin Rahic and Stefan Rupp. The first contact came via a scout who used to work with Lossau at Wolfsburg.

“Everyone thought we knew each other,” he said. “But from the first two phone calls I had with Edin, there seemed to be a connection.

“I told my wife ‘I must know him from somewhere’ but we had never met beforehand.”

Within a week, Lossau had flown over to have a look and his mind was quickly made up after those discussions with the chairmen and the management staff.

He said: “For me, it’s always about the team you are performing in.

“Imagine the manager finds out after two weeks that he cannot get along with the fitness coach. It doesn’t make any sense then to carry on.

“But for now, everything seems to be fine.

“Stuart is an idol here. It’s unbelievable how popular he is around the club and the staff.

“You want a leader that is respecting everyone’s work and gets everyone behind him.

“This is what the season’s going to be about. We have not had the best start because the squad is not formed and expectations of the fans are going to be huge.

“We don’t know if we can fit that standard yet but hopefully, with a bit of luck as well, we will do that.”

With over 17,000 season-tickets sold, the size of the audience is guaranteed. Lossau has quickly learned the connection between the Bradford people and their football club.

“The history around the club is incredible,” he said. “When I walked round the stadium and stood in front the (fire) memorial, reading those names and all the families it just chilled my neck.

“Everywhere you go people are so nice and behind the club. I have been very impressed.”

Lossau’s background suggests someone who is not concerned about taking a leap of faith.

Swimming was his sport and he was in top 15 nationally in Germany, specialising in the 100m butterfly.

“I never made it to the Olympics, not even close,” he admitted. “Unfortunately it was in the time of Michael Gross, the Albatross.

“I swum against him in semi-finals at the German championships but there was no chance of beating him.”

Lossau passed his apprenticeship in physiotherapy and joined the staff at Wolfsburg in 1998. When Martine went to Asia, he set up his own practice to work with Bundesliga players.

One of them recommended him to Frenchman Patrice Neveu, who was coach of the Guinea national team and a two-year spell followed working with them for the African Nations Cup.

The latest challenge in West Yorkshire therefore holds no fears.

Lossau added: “It’s always a risk but it’s also a big change around here because the whole coaching staff is new. The whole team will be a new one.

“Forming something new is a great danger but also a great opportunity. It’s a very interesting situation – I’m always working my brain.

“It can fail as well. You know how football is and if the results don’t come in the beginning then everyone will start questioning everything.

“My friends are all involved in football and they see this as something interesting. English football is totally different to Germany.

“For example, we have two pre-seasons that are longer than the pre-season here and less games to play.

“We even call those times ‘English weeks’ when we have a Tuesday game as well as Saturday. It’s just the cup games that are squeezed in between and two or three in the league.”

With the hectic schedule in mind, Lossau’s initial work is based on recovery or “exhaustion” management and injury prevention.

“I think we could play seven games in the first three weeks which makes it tough. And you cannot rotate your team with a smaller squad.

“We’re trying to get something settled now for injury prevention because our pre-season is so short.

“The physical things I would like to build up are not possible in that short time. But we will constantly look to improve that.

“I’m not the kind of person to rush into something. I always take a look at what’s there, what’s good and what we can just improve.

“I don’t want to change everything at once. I don’t want to change everything at all.

“They are all good players and there’s a reason why they are playing in this league.

“They know what I have produced already comes from my belief in injury prevention and strengthening. I think they are grabbing on to it.

“But they are the ones who perform on a weekend. I’m just one of many here to help them.”