Taking control ... Frank Farina oversees his first training session with Sydney FC. Source: News Limited
New Sydney FC coach Frank Farina wasted no time getting down to business.
Looking like he had not missed a beat despite being out of the A-League coaching ranks since 2009, Farina had his players out on the park at least 20 minutes before the media started rolling up for the scheduled 9am (EDT) session.
| P | W | D | L | GD | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Coast | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 20 |
| 2 | Adelaide | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 19 |
| 3 | Victory | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | -1 | 16 |
| 4 | Newcastle | 9 | 4 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 13 |
| 5 | Wellington | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
| 6 | Perth | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 11 |
| 7 | Brisbane | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
| 8 | Western Sydney | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | -3 | 10 |
| 9 | Heart | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | -1 | 9 |
| 10 | Sydney | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | -10 | 7 |
It says a lot about the man who has stepped into the toughest job in Australian football with a brief of resurrecting a Sky Blues season that has lurched from one disaster to another.
And resurrection is something Farina knows about. He departed Brisbane Roar three years ago when the club suspended then dumped him after he was charged with drink-driving while on his way to a training session.
Farina opens up in this one-on-one interview.
Did you think you would coach again in the A-League or did you think the issues from your time at Roar had made you persona non grata?
I never thought coaching at this level had slipped past me. This was very unexpected. To be brutally honest, only a month ago I re-signed with Oceania (to continue coaching in PNG) for another year. There was an agenda (at Roar) as well. I know and people formerly with the Roar know what went on.
Was it the worst period of your life?
It'd be up there. Enough said.
So what did you learn about yourself?
I've been through things like that before. I didn't learn any more apart from that it reinforced the fact I have a strong personality and some people don't like that, but that's bad luck for them.
Losing the Roar position came a few years after you lost the job with the Socceroos in 2005. Australia subsequently qualified for the 2006 World Cup finals under Guus Hiddink. Does that still play on your mind?
The Socceroos job, realistically, was six years. I had a good run. If I'd only done it for six days or six months most probably it would have hurt. I gave it a good crack, but my time was up.
In seven years there have been seven coaches at Sydney FC. Is it a dream job or a poisoned chalice?
It's a dream job, without a doubt. I defy anyone who is a career coach to say they wouldn't like this job. It doesn't get any bigger, except possibly for Melbourne Victory.
So where do you start to fix the problems?
A few things have to change, but nothing I will discuss publicly.
You are on a short-term contract to the end of the season. Is it fair to say if you get the team in the finals there's a chance you could get the job on a permanent basis. If nothing improves, could it hurt you as a coach?
The reality is I can't look at it in any other way. Even if I do well, the club might still want to move in another direction and if I do badly they will do that anyway.
Will we still see Cranky Franky?
I don't know. You'll have to wait and see. I'm very emotional sometimes when it comes to football . . . I'm too old to change.
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