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'The probability of a seasonal revival is arguably less likely than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his fresh chapter as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of averting a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that miraculous title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be possible,' he remarks.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'I guess that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he states, letting out laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk travels in different directions, from playing for the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He opens some mail 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 says, smiling. Another envelope brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. During that match the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets came out, an interesting error was discovered. {'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 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs states. {'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 modify anything.''

Fuchs values lessons learned 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 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 motivated, very keen to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s determination originates in his upbringing 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 skilled enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Forget 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 demonstrate that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty stubborn. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

Analytical Approach and the Battle 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 analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he points out, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, lower-league football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers present grim reading. Newport have won three of 19 league matches and are yet to win 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a fortress.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the drills – two pannas already, yes! I want us to regard 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 as one.'