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'The prospect of a dramatic turnaround is arguably less likely than that historic 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his new life as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of averting a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 gave him far more than a winner's medal. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he notes.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's illogical, right?' he states, 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 colourful conversation. Our talk flows in various tangents, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some mail on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, smiling. Another envelope brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets dropped, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in 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 see Claudio you envision an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to watch training in Austria for the first week. He remained on the sidelines 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 values 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 psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our methodology 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 eager to prove himself.'

Roots and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s drive comes from his early years in Neunkirchen. {'There are comparisons to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be capable enough,' he shares. {'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 cannot do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m very headstrong. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

Detailed Approach and the Struggle for Survival

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

The broader numbers present sobering 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 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 crucial point. {'We need to be a power 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 likes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two megs already, get in! 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 tackling this together.'