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'The prospect of a late surge is arguably a longer shot than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favour.' Christian Fuchs is talking about his fresh chapter as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of staving off a drop into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that miraculous title win in 2016 gave him much more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my mindset a little bit ... it demonstrated that the unthinkable can be achievable,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the part of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he says, erupting in a chuckle. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear sign of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. The discussion flows in different directions, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some correspondence on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, accompanied by a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, with a smile. Another package 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 has pride of place. 'Stuff like this makes me very happy,' he adds.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Until his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in frontline management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport shock defeat in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the game of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the teamsheets were released, an interesting error was discovered. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs says with a smile. '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.'

Lessons from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester hired Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian came to the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you imagine an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' Fuchs states. {'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 modify anything.''

Fuchs values insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I test them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our approach as well. How can you make good players who choose wisely? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very driven, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Nature

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 capable 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 can not do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see potential, I’m doing it.'

Detailed Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season highs,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to arrive than just going long all the time.'

The general numbers present grim 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 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 garnered a precious point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He ended his playing career 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 in here,' he remarks, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the small-sided games – two megs already, get in! I want us to regard each other as one team. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re striving towards this together.'