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'The prospect of a late surge is arguably less likely than that historic 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favor.' The Austrian veteran is discussing his new life as manager of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of staving off a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 provided him with far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It helped change my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be possible,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the part of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he states, erupting in a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. Discourse flows in various tangents, from being managed by the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He opens some post on his desk. Included is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, with a smile. Another envelope brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this really makes me very content,' he states.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Until returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards came out, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelled 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 Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 change anything.''

Fuchs cherishes 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 push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant 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 eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Character

Fuchs’s drive stems 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 defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, 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 show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty determined. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very physical, fourth-tier 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 sobering 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men earned a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two pannas already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re striving towards this collectively.'