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'The probability of a seasonal revival is arguably less likely than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is talking about his recent venture as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of averting a fall into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be attainable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the aspect of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he states, erupting in a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear demonstration of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse runs in multiple pathways, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a barber in the area.

He opens some mail on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, along with a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another delivery brings a stash of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Until coming back from North Carolina to accept his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards dropped, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to redact 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 nice.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you imagine an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit old school, but he’s so not,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 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 psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our methodology 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 driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Mindset

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 good enough,' he shares. {'There are people who let that get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You cannot 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 make-up is: I’m pretty stubborn. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

Analytical Approach and the Fight 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 analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, fourth-tier football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to be successful than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers paint bleak reading. Newport have secured 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two pannas already, yes! I want us to see each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re working on this together.'