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'The prospect of a late surge is arguably a longer shot than that historic 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is discussing his fresh chapter as boss of Newport County, and the monumental task of staving off a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be achievable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the part of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he states, letting out laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear demonstration of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Discourse flows in multiple pathways, from working under Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some post on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another package brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this really makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Until coming back from North Carolina to accept 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 giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion David Pipe competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets dropped, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach worked wonders. {'When you see Claudio you picture an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'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 change anything.''

Fuchs cherishes insights gained 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 test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our philosophy 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 anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his childhood 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 skilled enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that overcome 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 make-up is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, League Two football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers make bleak 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 tasted victory 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 valuable 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 create a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he remarks, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two megs already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re striving towards this as one.'