"The greatest quote I have ever heard Miron say was - in answer to a question about his job - was, 'all I can say is, when I wake up in the morning and I look in the mirror, I see Frank Farina," he laughs.
 
"I thought it was quality. He thought I had lobbied for his position when it couldn't be further from the truth."
 
Frank talks about his time at Brisbane fondly which is why he was so disappointed to have it end so abruptly.
 
"It was tough on my whole family, " he recalls. "We had every television station parked outside my house for three days until I called a press conference."
 
"People were knocking on my door when I wasn't home asking for me, and my wife had to call the police. They told her if they were on the footpath, there was nothing they could do."
 
All too often, when those with a profile have their personal lives played out so publicly, the people most affected become the family - and quite especially, the children.
 
"I'm a strong character, I can take it," says Farina. "And of course there were the smart-arses at school that would taunt my kids and tell them I was a drunk.
 
"I felt absolute guilt knowing that my mistake - something I could have avoided - caused my family such pain."
 
Frank's controversial dismissal from Brisbane Roar also made it brutally clear to him that while he had many colleagues - he only had a few friends.
 
"My phone stopped ringing for three years, while I was out of the picture, " he reveals.
 
"I remember just after it was announced that I would coach Sydney FC, I turned my phone on after the flight back from Papua New Guinea and I had 150 voice messages, and 130 text messages."
 
"People who hadn't contacted me since I was 'shunned' had wanted to catch up.
 
"I deleted many of those messages."
 
Of the few friends that had remained, one important relationship had given him the opportunity to get back into football, as coach of the Papua New Guinea national team.
 
"The President of Oceania had asked me to do a three month stint and I ended up being there 18 months," he says. "They saw me as a PNG boy, having lived there from 2 to 11 years old."
 
In what Frank describes as a 'different world over there', the class divide among people - and even players in his team - means that Papua New Guinea still faces issues that many of us in Australia have never experienced.
 
"I would have players that came from wealthy families that were educated in Europe or Australia," he says.
 
"And on the other scale I would have players that could barely speak English, don't have electricity or running water and their shower is to go into the creek and wash."
 
And as for the football talent, Frank emphasises a lot of it comes down to opportunity.
 
"There is definitely great talent over there but they don't get to play at a high level or challenge themselves," he says.
 
Frank recalls the exact moment when he saw he could perhaps be a candidate for the Sydney FC head coach position after then coach Ian Crook resigned.
 
"I was sitting in the hotel restaurant in Papua New Guinea and heard my name as the favourite for the position," he recalls.
 
"At that time I hadn't heard anything but sure enough, not long after, I received an email telling me to call this number.
 
"And a phone call later, the deal had been done."
 
For Frank, it was a no brainer, as he puts it - he was never going to say no to his chance to get back into the game.
 
But was the decision as easy for Sydney FC given the controversial circumstances he had left the game three years before?
 
"We knew the team needed confidence, and someone to take charge", Sydney FC CEO Tony Pignata explains.
 
"We were sitting last, we knew we needed someone with A-League experience, knowledge of the dynamics of the league and the players."
 
Known for his man management skills and strong character, Tony emphasises that they thought Frank could be the one that could grab that dressing room and get the players believing again.
 
"He's always been a great motivator - he is known for doing this throughout his whole career," adds Pignata. "And overall, we think he did a good job at turning the season around."
 
But Frank is under no illusion that he wasn't a popular choice among the fans.
 
"I reckon 80 percent of fans didn't want me, " Frank says, classically matter-of-fact.
 
"And rather than engage in the criticism, which a great deal of it was personal, the only way I was going to change anyone's mind was through results."
 
It was obvious to anyone watching Sydney FC's remarkable turnaround last season that Frank been a positive influence on the side that he took on at the bottom of the table - so much so that they had only missed out on finals football by two goals on goal difference.
 
"Players don't lose ability - they are there because they are good players," he says. "But what they can lose is confidence and form, both of which I told them we could change."
 
"And they responded to it. It's not rocket science, or magic. I'm not going to tap you on the head and suddenly you are a champion.
 
"Soon enough the players knew the only way to turn the season around was through hard work."
 
Once Frank had impressed the board enough to warrant a contract extension, Frank insists the show of faith didn't make him any more comfortable.
 
"Sydney FC is a tough gig, " he says. "The expectations are high from everyone - the board, the owner, the fans. They want to win every year.
 
"So I know despite of what my contract says, I need to keep performing."
 
Regardless of the vast experience Frank Farina has gained as a player or coach, he insists there is never a day he stops learning.
 
He adds: "A wise man once told me that the day you stop learning, is the day you retire.
 
"I've been to the Penthouse, to the Shithouse before - and I am halfway back to the Penthouse...but I'm not there yet."
 
  •  Kat Caravella is a journalist and wonderWAG as the other half of Newcastle Jets star Zenon Caravella, who gives au.FourFourTwo.com her unique insight to the lives of A-League families. In addition to her own blog at mammasvida.com.au, she is also co-owner of online wine merchants www.redwhiteandbubbles.com.au. You can follow her on Twitter on @KatCaravella