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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.' Christian Fuchs is talking about his fresh chapter as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of preventing a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the spectrum of success, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 provided him with far more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be achievable,' he remarks.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The obvious place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the aspect of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he says, erupting in a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear demonstration of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Discourse travels in various tangents, from playing for the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. Among it is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, paired with a couple of shiny pictures from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, smiling. Another delivery brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. 'Stuff like this makes me very content,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Until his move back from North Carolina to take on his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester endured a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion David Pipe faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets dropped, an curious error came to light. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs jokes. '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 fitting.'

Experiences 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 brought in Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. 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 envision an older man, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to monitor training in Austria for the first week. He didn’t get involved 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 holds dear experiences from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant part of our methodology 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 eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Stubborn Nature

Fuchs’s drive comes from 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 good enough,' he discloses. {'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't do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m very stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m making it happen.'

Detailed Approach and the Battle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show data from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, lower-league football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to be successful than just hoofing it all the time.'

The overarching numbers paint grim 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 tasted victory at home for 273 days and have kept just two clean sheets in 26 matches this season. But a recent last-gasp equaliser with 10 men garnered a precious point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to build a stronghold.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs enjoys 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 middle of the action. {'I’m a member of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the drills – two pannas already, yes! I want us to see each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re all in this together, we’re working on this as one.'