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'The prospect of a dramatic turnaround is arguably less likely than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our corner.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his recent venture as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of staving off a fall into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that fairytale 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 proved that the unthinkable can be possible,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The natural 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, breaking into laughter. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse runs in different directions, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. Included is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, along with a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, smiling. Another delivery brings a hoard of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Until coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling 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 official sheets were released, an curious error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian joined the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you envision an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs says. {'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 alter anything.''

Fuchs holds dear lessons learned 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 test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy 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 Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his early years 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 discloses. {'There are people who let that get the better of 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 can not do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m doing it.'

Analytical 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 data from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to arrive than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers present grim reading. Newport have secured three of 19 league matches and are winless 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 injury-time equaliser with 10 men garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so bad 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 states, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two megs already, yes! I want us to view each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re striving towards this as one.'