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'The prospect of a dramatic turnaround is arguably less likely than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our corner.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his new life as manager of the League Two strugglers, and the immense task of staving off a drop into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be attainable,' he notes.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs find himself here? 'I imagine that's the part that's illogical, right?' he states, erupting in a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion runs in different directions, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some post on his desk. Included is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, along with a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another envelope brings a stash of old collector's items, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. 'Stuff like this really makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Until his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. That day David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards came out, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelled 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 fitting.'

Lessons from Claudio, 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 hired Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach worked wonders. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' 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 holds dear lessons learned 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 major part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Character

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 skilled enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't do this, you cannot do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see promise, I’m doing it.'

Detailed Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'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 percentage to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers make sobering reading. Newport have managed 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men earned a valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to build a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He retired 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 getting involved in the small-sided games – two nutmegs already, get in! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re striving towards this collectively.'