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'The probability of a seasonal revival is arguably a longer shot than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favor.' The Austrian veteran is talking about his recent venture as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the immense task of preventing a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be possible,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the aspect of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he comments, letting out a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion runs in various tangents, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another envelope brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Things like this really makes me very happy,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to assume his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets dropped, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. '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 pleasant.'

Experiences from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you imagine an elder gentleman, 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 stayed out of it 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 alter anything.''

Fuchs cherishes insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘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 methodology as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s drive originates in 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 good enough,' he shares. {'There are people who let that overcome 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 cannot do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite determined. If I see potential, I’m doing it.'

Analytical Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season highs,' he says, highlighting ball progression and statistics about breaking 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, lower-league football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers present bleak 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 tasted victory 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 secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two pannas already, yes! 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 together.'