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'I would say that the likelihood of us transforming our fortunes are less than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' The Austrian veteran is reflecting on his recent venture as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of staving off a fall into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he notes.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he states, erupting in laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear sign of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. Our talk flows in multiple pathways, from working under the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some correspondence on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another package brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this makes me very happy,' he concludes.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Prior to returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion David Pipe faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets dropped, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is amusing because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach produced miracles. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so long in the business, 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 remained on the sidelines 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 holds dear 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 major 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 driven, very eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s determination comes from 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 good enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can not do this, you cannot 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 headstrong. 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 previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, fourth-tier football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers make grim 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 tasted victory 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 valuable 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 stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

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