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'The probability of a late surge is arguably less likely than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his new life as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of preventing a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him far more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be possible,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's illogical, right?' he comments, breaking into a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his playful character across a fascinating conversation. Our talk flows in different directions, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another delivery brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this really makes me very content,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management 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. On that occasion David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards were released, an interesting error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. '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 choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you imagine an older man, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s the complete opposite,' 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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs cherishes lessons learned 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 push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our approach 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 eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Nature

Fuchs’s drive comes from his upbringing in Neunkirchen. {'There are similarities 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: ‘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 give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite headstrong. 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 analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased 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 different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers paint 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 secured three points 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 earned a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

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 component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – 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 a collective, we’re tackling this together.'