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'The prospect of a late surge is arguably a longer shot than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his recent venture as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of staving off a drop into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 provided him with a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he states.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'I suppose that's the part that's illogical, right?' he says, breaking into a chuckle. This serves as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse travels in different directions, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some post on his desk. Included is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another envelope brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Prior to returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the lineup cards came out, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Experiences from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs cherishes experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘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 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 eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s determination comes 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 capable enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that overcome 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 cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed 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 opens his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season highs,' he says, noting 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 states. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to arrive than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers make grim 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 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 secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to create a impenetrable home.'

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, enjoys being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two pannas already, yes! I want us to view each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re working on this as one.'