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'The prospect of a late surge is arguably more remote than that fabled 5,000-1 title, which strangely puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is discussing his recent venture as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the monumental task of averting a descent into non-league football. This represents a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum of success, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 gave him far more than a winner's medal. {'It assisted in altering my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unthinkable can be possible,' he states.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs end up here? 'That's the part of the story that defies logic, wouldn't you say?' he says, letting out a laugh. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his engaging character across a colourful conversation. The discussion flows in different directions, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some post on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, along with a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, smiling. Another package brings a stash of old stickers, one from an album celebrating Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he states.

A Prior Encounter and a Typographical Error

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 suffered a Newport cupset in the FA Cup third round. During that match a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the lineup cards dropped, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to edit this,' Fuchs says with a smile. 'They got wrong my name – somehow a 'k' found its way in in place of the 'h'. It is hilarious because Fuchs, in German, means fox, so it’s something pleasant.'

Experiences from Claudio, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision 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 the rest is history. The Italian came to the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you look at Claudio you envision an seasoned professional, so long in the business, maybe a bit old school, but he’s the complete opposite,' Fuchs says. {'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 watched you for a week and I’m not going to alter anything.''

Fuchs cherishes insights gained from Rodgers and Tuchel, under whom he worked while on loan at Mainz. {'He always considered: ‘How can I get more out of the players? How can I challenge them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our methodology 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 motivated, very eager to prove himself.'

Origins and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s determination stems from his upbringing in Neunkirchen. {'There are similarities to where we are now, because I was told when I was 11 years old that I would never be good enough,' he reveals. {'There are people who let that get the better of 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 work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see potential, I’m going for it.'

Detailed Approach and the Struggle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and formerly ran Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, displaying a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he points out, 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 physical, lower-league football, but we want to be unique. I think a five-yard pass has a higher percentage to be successful than just launching it all the time.'

The broader numbers present sobering reading. Newport have won three of 19 league matches and are winless 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 earned a precious point. {'We need to be a dominant side 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 admission, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so negative with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, enjoys being in the heart of the battle. {'I’m a component of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he states, indicating his chest. {'At training I’m always joining in in the boxes – two nutmegs already, brilliant! 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.'