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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably a longer shot than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favor.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his recent venture as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of staving off a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him far more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be achievable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs find himself here? 'I imagine that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he comments, letting out laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Our talk runs in different directions, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, with a smile. Another delivery brings a collection of old collector's items, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very content,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. That day David Pipe faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the lineup cards were released, an curious error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt 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.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s so not,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 observed 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 considered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our methodology as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very driven, very eager to prove himself.'

Roots and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s drive stems from his early years 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 capable enough,' he shares. {'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 not do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m very stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Battle 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 analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers paint bleak reading. Newport have secured three of 19 league matches and are yet to win 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two nutmegs already, brilliant! I want us to see 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 together.'