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'The probability of a late surge is arguably more remote than that historic 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is talking about his fresh chapter as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of averting a fall into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unattainable can be achievable,' he states.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he says, breaking into a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. The discussion flows in different directions, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a barber in the area.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Included is a message from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another envelope brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this makes me very content,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Until returning from North Carolina to assume his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards came out, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach produced miracles. {'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 observe 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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs values experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our methodology as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Resolute 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 good enough,' he shares. {'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 cannot 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 pretty stubborn. If I see potential, I’m going for it.'

Data-Driven 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 data from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased 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 chance to arrive than just going long all the time.'

The overarching numbers make grim reading. Newport have won three of 19 league matches and are without a victory 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 garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a stronghold.'

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, loves being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he states, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two pannas already, yes! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re working on this collectively.'