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'The prospect of a late surge is arguably more remote than that legendary 5,000-1 title, which somehow puts the odds in our corner.' Christian Fuchs is talking about his recent venture as manager of the Football League's bottom club, and the immense task of preventing a drop into non-league football. Here lies a challenge at the polar opposite of the spectrum, though that unbelievable title win in 2016 furnished him much more than a champion's gong. {'It contributed to shifting my perspective a little bit ... it proved that the unattainable can be achievable,' he states.

The Unlikely Path to Rodney Parade

The natural place to start is: how did Fuchs end up here? 'That's the part of the story that seems counterintuitive, wouldn't you say?' he says, breaking into a chuckle. This remark acts as the 39-year-old's opening gambit and a clear indication of his charismatic character across a wide-ranging conversation. The discussion flows in multiple pathways, from playing for Thomas Tuchel and Brendan Rodgers to the pressing need to find a nearby hairdresser.

He sorts through some mail on his desk. There is a letter from a Leicester supporter wishing him well, accompanied by a couple of shiny pictures from that season. {'Young Fuchs,' he says, grinning. Another envelope brings a stash of old Panini stickers, one from an album marking Euro 2016, when he led Austria. A greeting from the Newport Supporters’ Club is displayed prominently. Items like this really makes me very content,' he concludes.

A Prior Encounter and a Misspelt Name

Until 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 suffered a Newport giantkilling in the FA Cup third round. During that match the Newport kit man duelled against Fuchs. {'He had the performance of his life,' Fuchs says. But when the official sheets dropped, an interesting error emerged. {'You need to censor this,' Fuchs remarks. 'They misspelt 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 nice.'

Insights from The Tinkerman, Rodgers and Tuchel

His decision to join the Foxes in the summer of 2015 proved a masterstroke. A couple of weeks later Leicester brought in Claudio Ranieri and the rest is history. The Italian joined the club in the heart of a pre-season camp in Austria and his observational approach worked wonders. {'When you see Claudio you picture an older man, so long in the business, maybe a bit traditional, 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 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 more out of the players? How can I challenge them mentally?’’ 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 comparable position to where I am now … very motivated, very keen to prove himself.'

Background and a Resolute Character

Fuchs’s determination originates in his childhood 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 capable enough,' he shares. {'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 not do this, you can not do that.’ I’m going to prove that I can and work my socks off. The other thing about my character is: I’m pretty headstrong. If I see promise, I’m making it happen.'

Data-Driven 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 analytics from a recent 2-2 draw, presenting a slide he presented to his players. {'The team hit numerous season peaks,' he points out, emphasizing ball progression and statistics about getting behind defensive lines. Passing accuracy was recorded at 87%. {'Not satisfied with that … that needs to be in the 90-95% range,' he states. {'My first game, it was very physical, lower-league football, but we want to be different. I think a five-yard pass has a higher probability to be successful than just going long all the time.'

The general numbers present bleak 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 93rd-minute equaliser with 10 men secured 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 build a stronghold.'

Still a Player at Heart

By his own acknowledgement, Fuchs relishes 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 heart of the battle. {'I’m a part of the group. I’m still a player in here,' he says, tapping his chest. {'At training I’m always participating in the small-sided games – two megs already, get in! I want us to view each other as a single unit. Yes, you’re the ones on the field, but we’re a collective, we’re striving towards this collectively.'