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'The prospect of a dramatic turnaround is arguably more remote than that historic 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favour.' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his new life as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of averting a descent into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him far more than a champion's gong. {'It helped change my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be possible,' he remarks.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: how did Fuchs find himself here? 'That's the element of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he says, letting out a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. Discourse flows in different directions, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the urgent quest to find a local barber.

He looks at some post on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, smiling. Another envelope brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album commemorating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Things like this really makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Previous Visit and a Funny Mistake

Until returning from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s previous visit 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 match of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards dropped, an curious error emerged. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They misspelt my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something fitting.'

Insights from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach worked wonders. {'When you look at Claudio you imagine an seasoned professional, so long in the business, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs states. {'He just said he was going to watch training in Austria for the first week. He stayed out of it at all. After that week we had a meeting and he said: 'I’ve watched you for a week and I’m not going to modify anything.''

Fuchs values 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 challenge them mentally?’’ 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 similar situation to where I am now … very focused, very eager to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s motivation comes 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 shares. {'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 demonstrate that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my make-up is: I’m quite headstrong. If I see potential, I’m going for it.'

Data-Driven Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs boots up his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit several season bests,' he explains, highlighting ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not happy with that … that needs to be in the mid-90s,' he insists. {'My first game, it was very long-ball, League Two football, but we want to be distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just going long all the time.'

The broader numbers paint bleak 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 injury-time equaliser with 10 men garnered a precious point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to create a impenetrable home.'

Still a Player 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, enjoys being in the thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he states, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating 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 tackling this together.'