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'The probability of a late surge is arguably a longer shot than that historic 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our corner.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his fresh chapter as boss of Newport County, and the immense task of preventing a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with far more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it proved that the unthinkable can be possible,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the part of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he states, erupting in laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk runs in various tangents, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a local barber.

He opens some mail on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, smiling. Another envelope brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. 'Stuff like this makes me very content,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. That day a former full-back faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets were released, an interesting error came to light. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelt 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 pleasant.'

Experiences from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice 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 joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you envision an elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit old school, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to watch 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs holds dear lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant 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 motivated, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Determined Nature

Fuchs’s determination comes 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 skilled enough,' he shares. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, 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 put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty determined. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about breaking 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 physical, League Two football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just hoofing it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present sobering 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a stronghold.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He retired 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 at heart,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two pannas already, get in! I want us to regard each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re tackling this as one.'