Frank Farina ... 'Finals is not a word we're going to mention too much.' Source: News Limited
Forget about the captaincy, forget about the finals, just show some fight.
Sydney FC coach Frank Farina marked his first day in charge by ensuring the beleaguered side knows exactly what the priorities are as they look to climb off the bottom of the A-League table.
There is confusion over who should be the long-term skipper, with firstly Terry McFlynn given the nod and then Brett Emerton taking over when McFlynn was dropped. There are now calls for Alessandro Del Piero to take the armband.
But Farina, who declared himself a "fighter", said his primary concern was turning around the form which has seen them lose four in a row.
| 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 | Perth | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 11 |
| 6 | Brisbane | 9 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
| 7 | Western Sydney | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | -2 | 10 |
| 8 | Wellington | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| 9 | Heart | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -1 | 8 |
| 10 | Sydney | 8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | -10 | 6 |
"The captain is one thing, an important role, Alessandro has been a leading light for the club, most probably the best player over the last eight games they've played," Farina said.
"They're questions that will be answered in the future.
"The captaincy issue is only an issue for people on the outside. The media loves to speculate on things, but my immediate goal is not to appoint a captain but get the side back on track.
"That's the immediate concern for the club.
"Finals is not a word we're going to mention too much.
"It will virtually be as it is, every game as it comes.
"I get tired of hearing that from coaches all the time, but that's the reality. The situation I've come into now, that's how you have to look at it. It's game by game, and it's a fight.
"We've got to be up for that. I know I'm prepared to fight and the players here, they better be prepared to fight."
Farina, who only arrived in the country on Friday night, will watch Sunday's match against Melbourne Heart from a distance at Allianz Stadium, allowing caretaker coach Steve Corica a final game in charge.
"Steve has been working with them all week. I arrived last night and met them for the first time today," Farina said.
"As big a game as it is, you don't want to be confusing them. I told Steve, 'You continue what you've been doing all week'.
"I wasn't going to be able to change too much in that session this morning.
"They'll continue with what they've been doing, I won't be sitting on the sideline."
While Farina's contract is only guaranteed for the remainder of the season, he said his desire to return to the A-League negated the risk of a short-term deal.
"Contracts are hardly worth the paper they're written on half the time," Farina said.
"You can have a long-term contract and if things don't work out, you're out the door. That's the reality of professional football, the reality of big clubs.
"You see it overseas at the moment. Chelsea win the Champions League, win the FA Cup, and (Roberto) Di Matteo is out of a job.
"So it's a great challenge for me, and the opportunity to work with a big club like Sydney FC and the supporters they have.
"The Cove is arguably one of the best supported areas in the league and those fans expect certain standards, as do the club.
"So the opportunity was too good to turn down, the term of the contract wasn't important."
And Farina will have no qualms being brutally honest with a squad stacked with experienced players.
"I'm always honest," he said.
"I think it's fantastic we have some great personalities, some great players, in the dressing room.
"They're all in this together. There's 25 players in there that all have the same ambition, and that is to win, whether you're high profile or a 17-year-old.
"I have no problem working with that because ultimately we're all here for the same thing and that is to be successful and win games of football.
"They've had a lot of issues with injuries, a bit of bad luck here and there. At the end of the day the table doesn't lie."
"We're sitting in a position the club is not accustomed to, we need to get ourselves out of this.
"I'm hoping I can help that in terms of the 19 games we've got coming up."
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