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'I estimate that the odds of us reviving our campaign are lower than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' The Austrian veteran is discussing his new life as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of staving off a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the impossible can be achievable,' he notes.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the element of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he says, letting out laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. Our talk travels in different directions, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some mail on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, along with a couple of professional photographs from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another delivery brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this really makes me very content,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Typographical Error

Prior to coming back from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. That day David Pipe faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets were released, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. '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 fitting.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in 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 observe Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s so not,' Fuchs explains. {'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 observed you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs holds dear insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our approach as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very motivated, very eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s motivation originates in his childhood in Neunkirchen. {'There are similarities to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be skilled enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Forget you, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to demonstrate that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he points out, highlighting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'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 percentage to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers present sobering 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 earned a crucial point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to build a stronghold.'

Still a Player 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, enjoys being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two megs already, get in! I want us to see each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re tackling this together.'