HE'S hit the heights in both his playing and coaching achievements but it's been a rollercoaster ride for former Socceroo striker, coach and A-League boss Frank Farina.
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At a time where Australian football was at its most volatile, in the six years he held football's top position in the country, Frank reported to seven different Soccer Australia chairmen and the same number of CEO's.
"If that was to happen in business, it wouldn't be stable," he says.
But just as it is now, the expectations from the national team coach were huge.
"The difficult thing back then was that we weren't in Asia so we had so few competitive games, " he explains.
"We'd have year-round friendlies until we got to the qualifiers every four years and it was then we were expected to be battle hardened against top South American teams."
Frank reveals the pressure to select certain players was also applied, regardless of whether he chose to listen or not.
"It was one of the main reasons I lost my job," he says. "I got pressured to pick two players for a certain game and I didn't.
"But I always had the philosophy that I was going to do it my way, so if I got cut, it was on my own back."
June 2005 saw Frank and the FFA terminate his agreement to coach Australia by way of "Mutual Consent". The inverted commas speak volumes and Frank has no hesitation in clarifying this.
"I was sacked. It was just in a nice way," he says.

It came just two games before the World Cup Qualifiers, where Guus Hiddink famously steered The Golden Generation to a place in the World Cup.
"Hiddink was a high profile coach with an excellent record, he refreshed the place," he says.
"I had a good run, it may have even been too long. I have never harboured any bitterness about it and still don't.
"I was privileged to be in that position."
Frank admits to many disappointments as the Socceroos coach, but the Ned Zelic affair stands out as one of them.
After Frank - in his second game as Australia boss - dropped him from a game against an U23 Brazil side, Ned Zelic controversially quit the Socceroos proclaiming he would never play for Australia while Frank was coach.
But was it as simple as not being picked for a game?
"Absolutely, it was," Frank says. "Our results in the last two games were poor and I wanted to look at some other players.
"And I told him that without a doubt was he still in my plans, but I wanted to try something else for this game."
Frank is adamant that while he holds no hard feelings towards Ned for his stance - in fact he tried twice to persuade him to return to the Socceroos - he still feels it was a disappointing decision for not only Ned but Australia.
"Playing for your country is an honour and should be treated as such," he says.
Having this very public dispute played out in the media was not easy for the new boss.
"It definitely caused furore - he was the best player in the country in terms of standings," admits Farina. "But it was my first two games in the job and I needed to take a stance that I didn't agree to it."
And even though the controversy wasn't the greatest start to his tenure, the next six years saw Frank hold his position and he singles it out as his biggest career highlight.
"I came through the ranks being virtually unrecognised to playing for the National Team - I never thought it could get better than that," he says.
"To go through that and being named coach of your country was priceless."
While some call Frank Farina "Cranky Frankie" - a moniker that started way back in 1986 at Sydney City after a training scuffle - many would say his most endearing trait is his honesty, however brutal it may come across.
"I don't leave you wondering, that's for sure," he laughs. "Some people may see that as rude or arrogant but those that know me know I am just direct."
After finishing up with the Socceroos, Frank never had any doubt he wanted to return to coaching at club level.
"There were only eight teams in the A-League at the time and no positions available so I had to bide my time and stay involved in football where I could," he says.
As Brisbane Roar struggled in their second year under a notoriously mercurial Miron Bleiberg, Frank was approached by the club to take over the reins with nine games to go.
Continued on next page...
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