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'The prospect of a late surge is arguably more remote than that historic 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his recent venture as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the immense task of preventing a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my outlook a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be possible,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

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, erupting in laughter. It is the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk travels in different directions, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another package brings a stash of old collector's items, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this really makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Prior Encounter and a Typographical Error

Until his move 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 cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the teamsheets dropped, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to censor 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 fitting.'

Experiences from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was 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 produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you envision an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s so not,' 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 cherishes lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major 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.'

Background and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s determination stems from his early years in Neunkirchen. {'There are comparisons 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: ‘Watch me, 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 prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m going for 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 opens his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he says, highlighting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'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 chance to find its target than just going long all the time.'

The broader numbers make 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 last-gasp equaliser with 10 men earned a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to build a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs likes 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 thick of things. {'I’m a member 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 megs already, yes! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re tackling this collectively.'