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'The prospect of a dramatic turnaround is arguably a longer shot than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is discussing his recent venture as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the immense task of staving off a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him much more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my outlook a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be possible,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The obvious place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'That's the part of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he comments, letting out a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear demonstration of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. Our talk flows in various tangents, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He opens some post on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another package brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this genuinely makes me very content,' he adds.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Until coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets were released, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They got wrong 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 pleasant.'

Experiences from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach worked wonders. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' 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 observed you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs holds dear experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very driven, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Stubborn Character

Fuchs’s motivation comes from his early years 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 capable enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that get the better of 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 can not do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m very determined. If I see potential, I’m doing it.'

Detailed Approach and the Fight 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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he explains, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, lower-league football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just going long all the time.'

The general numbers present sobering 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men garnered a precious point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to build a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two megs already, get in! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this collectively.'