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'The prospect of a dramatic turnaround is arguably a longer shot than that historic 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favor.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his new life as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of averting a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him much more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the impossible can be attainable,' he states.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'That's the element of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he comments, breaking into laughter. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his playful character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse runs in various tangents, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another package brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this really makes me very happy,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Until his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. That day the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets were released, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to watch training in Austria for the first week. He remained on the sidelines 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 alter anything.''

Fuchs values experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Character

Fuchs’s drive originates in his childhood in Neunkirchen. {'There are similarities to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be skilled enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see possibility, I’m going for it.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers paint grim reading. Newport have won 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 won a game at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent last-gasp equaliser with 10 men earned a precious point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a impenetrable home.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he remarks, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the drills – two megs already, get in! I want us to view each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re tackling this collectively.'