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'I reckon that the likelihood of us turning the season around are lower than Leicester lifting the Premier League, so they are in our benefit, right?' The Austrian veteran is discussing his fresh chapter as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of averting a descent into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him much more than a winner's medal. {'It helped change my perspective a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be possible,' he states.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: how did Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the part of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he says, letting out a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear sign of his playful character across a fascinating conversation. The discussion runs in various tangents, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some post on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another package brings a stash of old collector's items, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this really makes me very happy,' he concludes.

A Previous Visit and a Misspelt Name

Until returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. That day David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his life,' Fuchs admits. But when the lineup cards dropped, an amusing error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and what followed is legendary. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his light-touch approach worked wonders. {'When you observe Claudio you picture an elder gentleman, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs says. {'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 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 psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our philosophy 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 anxious to prove himself.'

Background and a Stubborn Character

Fuchs’s motivation originates in his early years 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 shares. {'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 potential, I’m doing it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season peaks,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about penetrating defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he states. {'My first game, it was very direct, League Two football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The general numbers make bleak reading. Newport have managed 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 secured a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

In the Thick of It at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots 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 at heart,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two pannas already, get in! 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.'