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'I would say that the odds of us turning the season around are less than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' The Austrian veteran is discussing his recent venture as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of averting a drop into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him far more than a Premier League trophy. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it proved that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he notes.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'That's the part of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he comments, letting out a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear demonstration of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. Our talk flows in various tangents, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some mail on his desk. Among it is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another envelope brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Things like this genuinely makes me very content,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Prior to his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. During that match David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets were released, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They got wrong 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 nice.'

Insights from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs explains. {'He just said he was going to watch 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 watched 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 pondered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our approach as well. How can you make good thinkers on the pitch? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Roots and a Stubborn Mindset

Fuchs’s determination comes from his early years in Neunkirchen. {'There are parallels to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be skilled enough,' he reveals. {'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 can not do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and give absolutely everything. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty determined. If I see potential, I’m making it happen.'

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 boots up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he says, noting ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very direct, fourth-tier football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to find its target than just launching it all the time.'

The overarching numbers present sobering reading. Newport have won 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 secured three points 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 valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to build a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs enjoys a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two nutmegs already, yes! 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 together.'