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'The prospect of a seasonal revival is arguably more remote than that historic 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his fresh chapter as head coach of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of preventing a fall 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 a great deal more than a winner's medal. {'It helped change my outlook a little bit ... it demonstrated that the impossible can be possible,' he remarks.

'How Did Fuchs Wind Up Here?'

The natural place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs wind up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's illogical, right?' he comments, letting out a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his engaging character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse travels in multiple pathways, from working under the current England boss and Brendan Rodgers to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He looks at some post on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, smiling. Another package brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this makes me very pleased,' he adds.

A Past Trip and a Misspelt Name

Until returning from North Carolina to take on his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s last trip to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester suffered a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets dropped, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelled 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 fitting.'

Insights from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His move 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 what followed is legendary. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach produced miracles. {'When you look at Claudio you picture an seasoned professional, so a veteran of the sport, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s anything but,' 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 cherishes lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always thought: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I push them mentally?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our approach as well. How can you make good decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a analogous place to where I am now … very driven, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Mindset

Fuchs’s motivation stems from his childhood 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 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 demonstrate that I can and put in the hard yards. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite determined. If I see promise, I’m going for it.'

Analytical Approach and the Struggle 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 data from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season highs,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind 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 long-ball, fourth-tier football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher chance to arrive than just launching it all the time.'

The general numbers paint sobering 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 garnered a crucial point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'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 admission, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He ended his playing career 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 in here,' he remarks, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two pannas already, brilliant! I want us to regard each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re one team, we’re tackling this as one.'