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'I estimate that the odds of us transforming our fortunes are less than Leicester claiming the Premier League, so they are in our favor, right?' The Austrian veteran is discussing his recent venture as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of preventing a descent into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him much more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he notes.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'I guess that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he comments, breaking into a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk flows in different directions, from working under Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He sorts through some post on his desk. Included is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another envelope brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards dropped, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' smuggled itself in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Insights from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach did the trick. {'When you see Claudio you picture an older man, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs states. {'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 values insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our approach as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very driven, very eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Character

Fuchs’s determination stems 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 capable enough,' he discloses. {'There are people who let that get the better of them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs 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 prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m very stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m doing it.'

Analytical Approach and the Fight 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 analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit many, many season bests,' he says, highlighting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, fourth-tier football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers paint grim reading. Newport have secured 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 won a game 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 says. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two nutmegs already, yes! I want us to view each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re tackling this collectively.'