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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably more remote than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our corner.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his new life as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of averting a fall into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it proved that the unthinkable can be possible,' he notes.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the aspect of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he states, letting out laughter. It is the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse flows in different directions, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of glossy photos from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, with a smile. Another delivery brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. During that match the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the lineup cards were released, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelled 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 pleasant.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian arrived at the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you imagine an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to observe training in Austria for the first week. He stayed out of it 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 change 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 additional out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our approach as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s drive stems from his upbringing in Neunkirchen. {'There are parallels to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be good enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see possibility, I’m going for it.'

Analytical Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very direct, fourth-tier 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 broader numbers paint grim 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 won a game 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 earned a valuable point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the boxes – two nutmegs already, get in! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re striving towards this collectively.'