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'The probability of a late surge is arguably more remote than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our favour.' Christian Fuchs is reflecting on his recent venture as boss of Newport County, and the daunting task of staving off a fall into non-league football. It is a challenge at the complete other end of the scale, though that fairytale title win in 2016 gave him much more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it showed that the unattainable can be attainable,' he notes.

The Illogical Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: what brought Fuchs find himself here? 'I suppose that's the part that's unpredictable, right?' he says, erupting in laughter. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's initial statement and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a fascinating conversation. Our talk travels in different directions, from being managed by Thomas Tuchel and the former Leicester manager to the immediate requirement to find a local barber.

He sorts through some correspondence on his desk. Included is a letter from a Leicester supporter offering encouragement, accompanied by a couple of glossy photos from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he muses, grinning. Another package brings a hoard of old stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he skippered Austria. A card from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. 'Stuff like this genuinely makes me very happy,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Until coming back 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 David Pipe duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the match of his life,' Fuchs recalls. But when the official sheets dropped, an amusing error came to light. {'You need to redact this,' Fuchs jokes. '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 pleasant.'

Insights from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His choice to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 was brilliant. A couple of weeks later Leicester appointed Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the middle of a pre-season camp in Austria and his hands-off approach did the trick. {'When you see Claudio you imagine an elder gentleman, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, but he’s so not,' Fuchs explains. {'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 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 pondered: ‘How can I get additional out of the players? How can I push them psychologically?’’ Fuchs says of Tuchel. {'That’s a major part of our approach 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 motivated, very anxious to prove himself.'

Origins and a Resolute Nature

Fuchs’s drive originates in 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 capable 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't do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my personality is: I’m quite determined. If I see potential, I’m going for it.'

Detailed Approach and the Battle for Survival

Fuchs’s assistant, Mark Smith, was born in Newport and had been in charge of Fuchs’s Fox Soccer Academy. Fuchs opens his laptop to show statistics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit many, many season highs,' he says, highlighting ball progression and statistics about breaking defensive lines. Passing accuracy was shown as 87%. {'Not pleased with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he insists. {'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 chance to arrive than just hoofing it all the time.'

The broader numbers present grim 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 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 crucial point. {'We need to be a dominant side at home,' Fuchs stresses. {'It’s just not satisfactory, not even having a win. We need to build a fortress.'

One of the Lads at Heart

By his own confession, Fuchs relishes a challenge. {'What’s so bad with that?' He hung up his boots less than three years ago and, like Tuchel, likes being in the thick of things. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player inside,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always getting involved in the small-sided games – two pannas already, yes! 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 as one.'