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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably more remote than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his fresh chapter as head coach of Newport County, and the immense task of averting a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with far more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be possible,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'That's the element of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he comments, erupting in a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his playful character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion runs in different directions, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another package brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this makes me very content,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Funny Mistake

Until returning from North Carolina to assume 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 cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs admits. But when the lineup cards were released, an curious error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' crept 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 decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an older man, so long in the business, 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 studied you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs values lessons learned 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 challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major 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 focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s motivation originates in his childhood 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 capable enough,' he shares. {'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 can't do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty stubborn. If I see potential, I’m doing it.'

Analytical Approach and the Battle 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 statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not happy 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 different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to be successful than just going long all the time.'

The broader numbers make sobering reading. Newport have won three of 19 league matches and are yet to win 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 injury-time equaliser with 10 men earned a precious point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He hung up his boots 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 in here,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two nutmegs already, yes! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re tackling this as one.'