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'The probability of a seasonal revival is arguably more remote than that historic 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favor.' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his recent venture as head coach of the League Two strugglers, and the daunting task of staving off a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 furnished him far more than a champion's gong. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unattainable can be attainable,' he states.

'How Did Fuchs End Up Here?'

The logical place to start is: what brought Fuchs wind up here? 'That's the element of the story that isn't straightforward, wouldn't you say?' he comments, letting out laughter. This serves as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear demonstration of his charismatic character across a colourful conversation. Discourse travels in various tangents, from working under Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another delivery brings a hoard of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club has pride of place. Items like this makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Funny Mistake

Until returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. That day David Pipe faced off against Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards were released, an interesting error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach worked wonders. {'When you look at Claudio you imagine an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit set in his ways, 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 observed you for a week and I’m not going to change 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 more out of the players? How can I test them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a significant 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 keen to prove himself.'

Origins and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s motivation stems 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 discloses. {'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 cannot 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 stubborn. If I see promise, I’m doing it.'

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 opens his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit several season highs,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not satisfied 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 different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to be successful than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers make bleak reading. Newport have managed three of 19 league matches and are yet to win 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 last-gasp equaliser with 10 men earned a precious point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not acceptable, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes 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 component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he remarks, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the drills – two pannas already, yes! I want us to see each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re striving towards this as one.'