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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably less likely than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our corner.' The Austrian veteran is discussing his recent venture as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of averting a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unattainable can be achievable,' he remarks.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he comments, breaking into a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Discourse flows in different directions, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of glossy photos from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another package brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this really makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Prior to returning from North Carolina to assume his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets came out, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Lessons from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you envision an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 change anything.''

Fuchs holds dear insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our approach as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s drive comes from 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 good enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs 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 show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite determined. If I see possibility, I’m doing it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Fight 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, sharing a slide he presented to 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 satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to find its target than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers paint sobering reading. Newport have won 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 tasted victory 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 secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two nutmegs already, yes! 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 working on this collectively.'