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'I estimate that the chances of us transforming our fortunes are less than Leicester winning the Premier League, so they are in our favour, right?' The Austrian veteran is talking about his fresh chapter as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of staving off a drop into non-league football. It is a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be attainable,' he remarks.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'I guess that's the part that's not logical, right?' he states, letting out a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. Our talk flows in multiple pathways, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He opens some mail on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that memorable year. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, smiling. Another package brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Typographical Error

Prior to returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in first-team coaching last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the lineup cards were released, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt 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.'

Lessons from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. 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 a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor 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 values experiences 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 challenge them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our philosophy 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 focused, very anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Determined Character

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 defeat them or there are people who say: ‘Watch me, I’m going to show you.’ I’ve been told too many times: ‘You can't do this, you can't do that.’ I’m going to show that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m quite stubborn. If I see promise, I’m doing it.'

Detailed Approach and the Battle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season peaks,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very physical, League Two football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to find its target than just going long all the time.'

The general numbers make bleak reading. Newport have won 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 earned a precious point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own admission, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, pointing to 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 working on this collectively.'