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'The prospect of a late surge is arguably less likely than that historic 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his new life as boss of the League Two strugglers, and the monumental task of staving off a fall into non-league football. Here lies 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 contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be achievable,' he notes.

'How Did Fuchs Find Himself Here?'

The obvious place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs find himself here? 'I imagine that's the part that's illogical, right?' he says, erupting in a laugh. It is the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear demonstration of his engaging character across a fascinating conversation. The discussion travels in various tangents, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the urgent quest to find a barber in the area.

He looks at some correspondence on his desk. Included is a note from a Leicester supporter sending best wishes, paired with a couple of professional photographs from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, with a smile. Another delivery brings a collection of old stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this makes me very pleased,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Until his move back from North Carolina to assume his first job in first-team coaching 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 the Newport kit man competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his career,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets came out, an amusing error emerged. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' crept in in place of the 'h'. It is funny because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something nice.'

Experiences from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 turned out to be a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed 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 light-touch approach produced miracles. {'When you see Claudio you imagine an older man, so experienced in the game, maybe a bit set in his ways, but he’s so not,' Fuchs says. {'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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs holds dear lessons learned from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always pondered: ‘How can I get extra out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a big part of our methodology 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 eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s drive 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: ‘Forget you, 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 put in the hard yards. The other thing about my character is: I’m very stubborn. If I see possibility, I’m doing it.'

Detailed Approach and the Fight for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and previously led Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs fires up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he used with his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he explains, noting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not satisfied 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 distinct. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers paint bleak reading. Newport have won 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 secured three points 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 earned a valuable point. {'We need to be a power at home,' Fuchs says. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs likes a challenge. {'What’s so wrong with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, loves being in the middle of the action. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, pointing to his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the boxes – two pannas already, yes! I want us to regard each other as a unified group. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re striving towards this together.'