Mulvey took the coaching reins as the club drifted into chaos late in the A-League season.

The former QAS and United assistant coach took over for one game against Melbourne Heart after then-owner Clive Palmer’s one game sanction of then-head coach Miron Bleiberg.

With the exit of Bleiberg, Mulvey took control a few days later.

“It was surreal,” he told au.fourfourtwo.com of being told he was coach of the team on the morning of that flight to Melbourne. “It came out of the blue.”

Subsequent licence battles and court injunctions further complicated matters. But Mulvey had a clear plan.

He quickly instituted pillars around which he built his young team’s resolve over the final six weeks of a trying A-League campaign.

“We had a method, we had belief and most importantly, I told the players I trusted them; no matter what happens. I think this helps in self belief,” he said.

“And you know what? People can get carried away with tactics and technical ability. At the end of the day, it’s men who win games. What we were asking was a group of boys to be men.

“So we went out there and tried to play. And we made mistakes trying to play out.

“Every coach will tell you a mistake invariably leads to a goal but we’re trying to play the game the right way.”

Without the fear of relegation in the A-League Mulvey said it was about what lessons could they learn that are going to help in the future.

“We decided to simply concentrate on our game,” said the English-born coach who arrived in Brisbane some 30 years ago as an NSL player.

“We were playing against the likes of the Mariners with champion players and Kewell, Hernandez and others.

“We didn’t want to frighten the lads by saying we’re up against the best team in the league.

“We actually took the opposite view, and said let’s concentrate on our game and anyone who comes here, let’s have a real go at them.

“We haven’t once spoken about the opponent in any significant way about stopping them doing this… we said, let them worry about what we can try and do,” he said.

“That’s what we did and that’s the attitude we took forward. Let’s use these six games to give players that opportunity they may not have got ordinarily.

“Every coach wants to win but it’s the way you try and do that. I thought it was more important to have a system in place that we could adhere to and bring players in to play in that system.

“My mantra all along was: players, preparation and performance. While everything else was going on outside [of the playing group], we had to keep them together.

“And this was before the real issues started regarding the licence.”

Gold Coast lost 1-0 to Heart in that first game under Mulvey, which featured Mitch Cooper as captain, but United showed plenty of promise against a side that was finals-bound.

“We probably were fighting well above our weight,” conceded Mulvey, a midfielder back in the day.

“I was really proud of that effort but it gave me an insight into what these lads were capable of over the coming weeks.”

By the following Monday morning, Mulvey was appointed coach and two days later a young United stunned the A-League’s eventual Plate winner with an enthralling 3-3 home draw against Central Coast.

“They performed manfully," said Mulvey. "I was really happy with their attitude."

They then played Melbourne Victory for their third game in a week. A 1-1 draw confirmed to Mulvey the team was on the right track.

“You’ve got to think one game at a time," he said. "If you start thinking too far ahead it can tip over.

“What I said to the players was the only way we were going to achieve anything was to stick together.

“And if we didn’t stick together then we wouldn’t be able to achieve anything. And the attitude and courage of the players was there to see.”

Subsequent clashes against Newcastle Jets, Perth Glory and Brisbane Roar confirmed the side had something.

The only game in six weeks that United didn’t impress was against Wellington Phoenix.

But there was a context. Late night meetings and phone calls with the PFA and FFA in the lead up to the game, the club’s licence change, changed flight plans to New Zealand meaning a 1am landing on the day of the game and a new coach reported to be Tom Sermanni.

In the event Mulvey was always going to be the coach –he was the players’ choice as well as FFA’s.

“It was a tumultuous time,” recalled Mulvey. “To be fair, we got spanked. We could’ve been turned over five or six goals had it not been for Jerrad Tyson’s heroics. They only lost 2-0 at the Cake Tin.

“I knew we were a far better team than that.”

Two sessions later they played the Jets on the Friday night in the Hunter and United once again impressed.

In the last six games, Josh Brillante, Zach Anderson, Daniel Bowles, Mitch Cooper and Jake Barker-Daish have all made a name for themselves.

Bowles, for instance, began as a right full back and ended the season as a right-winger with a penchant for goals.

Mulvey explained it as shaping boys into men.

“Every club is a mini family and we’ve built up a great camaraderie," he said. "But there’s no room for sentimentality in football.

“As I said to the players, they need to put themselves in the shop window, and that what drove the desire to play well. We gave everybody and opportunity and I think that’s been proven right.

“But I do really want to highlight the senior players who played the bulk of games: Michael Thwaite, Peter Jungschlager and Maceo Rigters.

“I think it gave them a new lease of life. It’s been a great journey….”

CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE...

Right now, they’re all fielding expressions of interests from various A-League clubs while waiting to hear about Gold Coast - and Mulvey’s - future.

Mulvey too has caught the eye. And with loyalty from his players, who’s to say a few wouldn’t join him at another A-League club?

Like Kenny Lowe in Perth and Arthur Papas in Newcastle – hidden gems on the coaching scene with bright futures – Mulvey combines his technical vision with a tactical nous.

“I believe in a possession-based, attacking mindset," he said. "I like to play with wingers and overlapping full-backs. Centre backs wide, midfield pushes on and somebody come out and pick the ball up.

“There’s quality there in the group too and we tried to play a possession based game. It was unrealistic for us to press high and do things I’d really like to do on a regular basis because we had very few experienced players.”

But perhaps most importantly – and this is what all the players will say at Gold Coast – his man management skills were key in the team’s renaissance during their troubled times off the park.

Little wonder many of the players had come through with Mulvey in the youth team and the QAS – where he developed many of his coaching ideas.

In fact, over 11 years at the QAS he was able to tap into great coaches such as Wayne Bennett and champion athletes such as Susie O’Neill.

He said this has played a key role in helping him become the coach his is.

Gold Coast trained at Carrara this week – their final sessions as a group...perhaps for ever.

“There are a lot of emotions. There’s anger because they’re not sure what is happening and why is this falling apart?” said Mulvey.

“The mood’s been fantastic all this time. It is emotional because some were moving on.

“I’ve been with some of them for five years, I had some of them at the QAS, like Mitch Cooper who I had at the QAS when he was 14.”

“We talked about the friendships you gain over a football career which last you for life and they should never forget that.

“But also go on and make a good career for themselves. Because if they rest on their laurels they’ll be yesterday’s news. So they need to go out and do it all again.

“As a coach you’re part philosopher, part counsellor."

The team has a week off. In this timeframe, the players are expecting to be told whether Gold Coast will continue under new owners.

Mulvey described himself as a career coach. It would be a shame if because of a lack of coaching opportunities in the A-League he was forced to look overseas – just like the talented former Reds assistant coach Phil Stubbins who recently moved to Thai club Insee.

The likes of Sydney FC, Central Coast Mariners and Melbourne Victory could do a lot worse than to look at Mulvey.

He took his chance when it came along and has impressed many judges.

He added: “The opportunity came in awkward and difficult circumstances at a strange time but I’m quite happy with my contribution and I hope my role has helped develop these young players into professionals.

“Hopefully I can work in the A-League and cross paths with them in the future… if not I’ll bide my time and look for opportunities. That’s what anyone needs.

“It gives me great pride to have been part of something special with a special group of people.

"It just goes to prove what can happen if you give youth a chance."