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'The probability of a dramatic turnaround is arguably a longer shot than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our favour.' The Austrian veteran is discussing his recent venture as head coach of Newport County, and the immense task of staving off a descent into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be possible,' 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 element of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he states, breaking into laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Our talk runs in different directions, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He looks at some mail on his desk. There is a message from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, smiling. Another package brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this really makes me very content,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Until coming back from North Carolina to assume 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. That day a former full-back duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets dropped, an curious error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs says with a smile. '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 pleasant.'

Experiences from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian arrived at the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you imagine an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'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 modify anything.''

Fuchs cherishes lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our approach 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 keen to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s motivation originates in 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 skilled enough,' he shares. {'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 can't do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my personality is: I’m pretty stubborn. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed 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 fires up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he points out, noting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to be successful than just hoofing it all the time.'

The general numbers paint bleak 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 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 garnered a valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not good enough, not even having a win. We need to construct a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two nutmegs already, yes! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re striving towards this together.'