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'The probability of a seasonal revival 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 Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of staving off a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 provided him with a great deal more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be achievable,' he states.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'That's the part of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he comments, erupting in a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Our talk flows in multiple pathways, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a local barber.

He looks at some mail on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another delivery brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this really makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Until returning from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior 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. During that match the Newport kit man faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets came out, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself 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 choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach worked wonders. {'When you see Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, 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 observed you for a week and I’m not going to change anything.''

Fuchs holds dear experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get more 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 thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a comparable position to where I am now … very driven, very eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Nature

Fuchs’s motivation 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 skilled enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't 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 character is: I’m very determined. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Analytical 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, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he explains, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind 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 direct, lower-league football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to find its target than just going long all the time.'

The broader numbers make grim reading. Newport have managed 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 tasted victory 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 says. {'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 admission, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he remarks, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two pannas already, get in! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re working on this collectively.'