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'I reckon that the odds of us reviving our campaign are lower than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' The Austrian veteran is discussing his fresh chapter as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of averting a descent into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'I imagine that's the part that's illogical, right?' he comments, letting out a chuckle. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear demonstration of his playful character across a colourful conversation. The discussion flows in various tangents, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a barber in the area.

He opens some post on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another envelope brings a stash of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very content,' he states.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Until his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards were released, an interesting error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Insights from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you observe Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit old school, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs cherishes lessons learned 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 challenge 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 focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Determined Nature

Fuchs’s motivation 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 capable enough,' he shares. {'There are people who let that get the better of 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 can't do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite stubborn. 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 fires up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, lower-league football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers paint grim reading. Newport have managed 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 won a game at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent last-gasp equaliser with 10 men garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He retired less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two megs already, brilliant! I want us to view each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re working on this collectively.'