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'The probability of a seasonal revival is arguably more remote than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our corner.' The Austrian veteran is discussing his new life as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of preventing a fall into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him much more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be attainable,' he states.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'I guess that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he says, breaking into a chuckle. This serves as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse travels in various tangents, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He opens some mail on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, along with a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, with a smile. Another package brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this really makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Prior Encounter and a Typographical Error

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. That day David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards came out, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Insights from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to watch training in Austria for the first week. He didn’t get involved at all. After that week we had a meeting and he said: 'I’ve observed you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs cherishes experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy 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 motivated, very eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Nature

Fuchs’s drive comes from his childhood 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 skilled enough,' he shares. {'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 give absolutely everything. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m very determined. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he points out, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, League Two football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to find its target than just going long all the time.'

The broader numbers make grim reading. Newport have won 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 won a game 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 secured a precious point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to build a impenetrable home.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the thick of things. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two nutmegs already, get in! I want us to regard each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re striving towards this collectively.'