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'The probability of a dramatic turnaround is arguably a longer shot than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our corner.' The Austrian veteran is talking about his new life as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of staving off a fall into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be attainable,' he notes.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'That's the part of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he comments, breaking into a chuckle. This serves as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his playful character across a colourful conversation. The discussion travels in different directions, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some post on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another package brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this makes me very content,' he adds.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards dropped, an interesting error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to observe training in Austria for the first week. He didn’t get involved at all. After that week we had a meeting and he said: 'I’ve watched you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs holds dear lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very motivated, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his childhood in Neunkirchen. {'There are comparisons to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be capable enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can not do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite stubborn. If I see promise, I’m doing it.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, fourth-tier football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present bleak reading. Newport have managed three of 19 league matches and are without a victory in eight in all competitions. By the time of their next home game, they will have not secured three points at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent injury-time equaliser with 10 men garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to build a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he remarks, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the boxes – two nutmegs already, yes! I want us to see each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re tackling this as one.'