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'The probability of a seasonal revival is arguably less likely than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which logically puts the odds in our favour.' Christian Fuchs is talking about his new life as boss of the Football League's bottom club, and the daunting task of preventing a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him much more than a Premier League trophy. {'It contributed to shifting my mindset a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be achievable,' he remarks.

The Surprising Path to Rodney Parade

The logical place to start is: what was the journey that led Fuchs end up here? 'I suppose that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he states, letting out a laugh. This serves as the 39-year-old's introductory line and a clear indication of his playful character across a colourful conversation. Discourse runs in various tangents, from being managed by the current England boss and the former Leicester manager to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He opens some mail on his desk. There is a note from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of glossy photos from that campaign. {'Young Fuchs,' he remarks, grinning. Another envelope brings a stash of old collector's items, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he captained Austria. A note from the Newport Supporters’ Club is given special attention. Items like this really makes me very pleased,' he states.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Prior to returning from North Carolina to accept his first job in senior management last month, Fuchs’s most recent encounter to Rodney Parade was in January 2019, when Leicester were on the end of a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. On that occasion a former full-back competed with Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the teamsheets came out, an curious error was discovered. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs jokes. '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.'

Experiences from Ranieri, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved inspired. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and an iconic story unfolded. The Italian arrived at the club in the midst of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach did the trick. {'When you observe Claudio you envision an older man, so long in the business, maybe a bit old school, but he’s anything but,' Fuchs says. {'He just said he was going to observe 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 change 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 extra 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 decision-makers? Back then he was probably in a similar situation to where I am now … very motivated, very anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s motivation originates in 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 reveals. {'There are people who let that overcome them or there are people who say: ‘Fuchs you, 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 give absolutely everything. The other thing about my personality is: I’m very determined. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

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 boots up his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, sharing a slide he showed his players. {'The team hit numerous season bests,' he says, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was logged at 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he declares. {'My first game, it was very direct, League Two football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to find its target than just hoofing it all the time.'

The overarching numbers make sobering reading. Newport have secured 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 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 secured a valuable point. {'We need to be a force at home,' Fuchs emphasizes. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to construct a impenetrable home.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, 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 member of the group. I’m still a player at heart,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two megs already, get in! I want us to regard each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re tackling this collectively.'