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'The prospect of a dramatic turnaround is arguably a longer shot than that historic 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is talking about his new life as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of preventing a descent into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, 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 showed that the impossible can be attainable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The natural place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'I imagine that's the part that's illogical, right?' he says, erupting in a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. Our talk flows in different directions, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another delivery brings a collection of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this makes me very happy,' he states.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Prior to returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. That day David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets were released, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to redact 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 nice.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired 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 hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an older man, so long in the business, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 holds dear insights gained 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 test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our approach as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very driven, very eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s drive stems from his upbringing 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 good enough,' he shares. {'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 prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite determined. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed Approach and the Battle 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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season highs,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very direct, League Two football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present bleak reading. Newport have secured 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 secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two nutmegs already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re striving towards this collectively.'