Sydney FC coach Frank Farina admits the club have yet to reassure him about his immediate future but insists he won’t go down without a fight.
The embattled Sky Blues alleviated some of the pressure mounting on Farina with a desperately-needed win over Perth last week to leave them just hanging onto sixth spot.
Frustrated fans have been calling for Farina’s head, with the mentor set to be axed if Sydney don’t secure a top-four finish this season.
But while Farina says he talks to both chairman Scott Barlow and chief executive Tony Pignata daily, neither have promised he’ll even see out this campaign as Sky Blues coach.
“We’ve spoken about everything but people can’t reassure anything when you’re in the middle of a fight,” he said ahead of training on Thursday.
“When you’re in a fight you just fight.”
Asked what they expect of him for the remainder of the season Farina said: “To win football games, like I expect of myself and my team.
“It’s pretty simple, it’s not rocket science and there’s no hidden agendas or secret messages.
“Things calm down and the wolves stay away a little bit when you do well and get results.”
Farina confirmed playmaker Nick Carle, who missed last week’s clash with a groin injury, will sit out Saturday’s match against Newcastle but should be fit to play against the Central Coast the following round.
He insists he has buried the hatchet with both Carle and Matt Thompson after recently banishing them from first-team training.
“I’m not one to hold grudges,” he said.
“For me it’s over.”
A win at Hunter Stadium on Saturday could propel Sydney to third spot and with eight games remaining before the finals Farina is all too aware how important the three points will be.
“It’s probably the eye of the cyclone at the moment where it’s a bit calmer but we’re realistic and we know that nothing is a better tonic than three points,” he said.
Both centre-back Sasa Ognenovski and forward Terry Antonis will start again this week after both impressed against Perth.
Farina will also hand a debut to 19-year-old defender Themba Muata-Marlow.
“He’s quick, he’s mobile, good in the air and strong for a young player so he’ll start at right back,” Farina said.
tk
Guest
I'd still like to see the Sydney players cop some stick. They have been absolute garbage at times and you can hardly blame frank for thât.
Franko
Guest
That Heart v Brisbane match is a great one. Who would have thought first v last could be such a close game, one of the real strengths of the league that this one is worth rocking up to for Heart fans. Really hoping Kewell turns it on against the best team in the comp also.
Franko
Guest
We are pretty close in crowd figures AZ. Central Coast Mariners v Wellington Phoenix – Nix need a win for finals, CCM need a win for form. Probably a poor match to have on Friday night. 2-3 Nix Crowd 7k Newcastle Jets v Sydney FC – Must win for Cranky, hope he gets it 0-1 SFC Crowd 12k Perth Glory v Western Sydney Wanderers – Perth in struggletown and could go last with another loss 1-1 draw Crowd 9k Melbourne Victory v Adelaide United – The big one, both sides up for it, would love to give it to Muskey 0-3 AU Crowd 21k Melbourne Heart v Brisbane Roar – Top vs Bottom but a very difficult one to call. 1-2 BR but Williams to score Crowd 8k
AZ_RBB
Guest
Round preview anyone? CCM v Wellington - Hard to call this one. Last week I was praising Wellington as the form team in the comp. I think they'll bounce back with a good win tonight. Crowd: 6k Newcastle v Sydney - Although both had wins last week, neither did anything to put fear into the rest of the league. I think SFC will end up being the better team on the night, whether they put any in the back of the net is another matter. Crowd: 13k Victory v Adelaide - invariably an awesome match. This will be a big test for Muscat and his team. They struggled to contain Brisbane playing a similar style, I don't think they'll do much better against Adelaide. Expecting Adelaide to make a bit of a statement in this game. Crowd: 22k Perth v Wanderers - WSW played extremely well against Perth last time they met in Parra less than a month ago. They've had a good couple of weeks off but will have ACL on their minds. Perth were fairly decent against Sydney last week and could trouble WSW. But I'm confident we'll get a win here. Crowd: 10k Heart v Brisbane - oooooo this is an interesting. How often do you have such an intriguing match between top and bottom? Brisbane really should win but stranger things have happened, like Heart winning 5-0 in NZ haha Crowd: 8k Far from a blockbuster round but this is the last relatively 'quiet' round of the season.
bill boomer
Guest
Job security? He is the manager of a football team and as such his only security is in getting results, though even that isn't allways enough. Del Bosque at Real.
Franko
Guest
"A win at Hunter Stadium on Saturday could propel Sydney to third spot" #Farinaout - lol