The world game of Newcastle Jets coach Arthur Papas

He had no other intel. No profiles. No scouting report.

In front of him stood 50 players. Wide-eyed. Waiting.

Elsewhere on the Kolkata Maiden - the vast open space and spiritual home of football in the area formerly known British India - was a buzz.

Papas was just 32. He had given up the safety of a job as assistant to Gary Van Egmond at the Newcastle Jets and taken a leap of faith, taking over as coach of the India under-23 national team.

He had four weeks to cull 50 hopefuls - many of whom knew football was a ticket out of poverty, not only for them but their families - to a squad of 23.

Then, he had to mold them into a cohesive unit, capable of taking on countries steeped in football pedigree.

India entered the under-23 Asian Cup qualifying tournament in Oman in 2012 ranked 176th in the world.

"We went and played the UAE who were a good Asian nation, and we drew with them," Papas said. "We beat Lebanon, we beat Turkmenistan ... we did some really amazing things.

"It shows you the power of connecting with people, having a clear vision and being consistent."

Papas was only 10 years older than many of his players. In life experiences, they were light years apart.

As a foreign coach, the young Australian was afforded luxuries his players could only dream about.

"There is a great divide between foreigners and the locals in India. There is also a great divide between the locals," Papas said. "Being exposed to elements of that poverty was really confronting. It is nothing like you have ever seen before.

"I gave opportunities to players, who for them being successful in their career meant they would be able to look after their family and extended family for the rest of their lives. That creates a different level of motivation and desire that I hadn't experienced.

"In Australia, players have a fall-back. If they don't become a footballer, they will be okay. In India, they don't have that. You want to make it as a footballer or else you won't be able to support your family.

"They were raw, but they had amazing spirit. Every team that is successful has that spirit."

Though confronting, Papas' time in India was character shaping. For an aspiring coach, it was the perfect petri dish.

"You learn a lot about yourself and your process. How you identify players, how you build a team in a certain amount of time," Papas said.

"I grew so much in that period. Not just from a football perspective - living in India and seeing things we don't have to see daily living in Australia. It helped me have an appreciation for how lucky we are and motivated me to not waste a day of my career.

"Life is too short to be sitting there safe all the time."

Papas starts the next chapter in his coaching journey on Sunday.

Almost a decade after leaving the Jets, he is back as head coach, engineering a different sort of rebuild.

The Jets take on fierce rivals Central Coast at McDonald Jones Stadium in a blockbuster A-League opener.

As well as Papas and his coaching staff, 16 players have walked through the door.

In all likelihood, Jack Duncan, Jason Hoffman and Angus Thurgate will be the only survivors in the starting side on Sunday from the XI which upset Melbourne City 2-1 in the final round last season to avoid the wooden spoon.

Among the fresh faces are new captain Matt Jurman, fellow defensive hardman Jordan Elsey, excitement machine Sammy Silvera and foreigners Beqa Mikeltadze, Olivier Boumal, Savvas Siatravanis, Daniel Penha and Mario Arques.

Penha, a fleet-footed Brazilian, went viral after a launching a 25-metre missile in the FFA Cup qualifier against Western United.

By season's end, Papas hopes he and the other imports are household names with the Newcastle faithful.

"What excites me most about the team is the enthusiasm they have," Papas said. "We have been training over four months, yet I haven't felt a day when they have come to training and haven't been been ready to go again and push each other. Their behaviour and approach has been exemplary.

"It is a group that is hungry. They all have their individual reasons to be successful. They also understand that is only possible if there is unity and togetherness.

"I'm excited for some of the work we have done. Also for what is a little bit of the unknown that comes with it. You talk to all teams in pre-season and they will tell you how well they are travelling and all the aspirations that come with it.

"I'm excited to start another journey with another group of players and have a good crack at it."

Apart from three years in India including stints at Super League clubs, Papas has worked in the Victorian NPL, Saudi Arabia and Japan, building a multi-storey coaching resume over 25 years.

"Coaching was very different again in Saudi Arabia. There is nothing comparable," Papas said. "I have never closed myself from any opportunity that will help me grow as a person and as a coach.

"There is a traditional route. The route I have taken has been the best one for me. It has given me opportunities to travel to different parts of the world. Work in different cultures, but ultimately do the same thing everyday - coach football.

"I have added a lot of layers. I don't think I would be as refined in my craft if I had stayed here and stuck down the traditional road."

For all Papas' travels, his strongest influences were forged as a child.

His dad, Tom, left Greece to come to Australia on a boat aged 17, and went on to coach.

Football was central to family life. Each weekend, Arthur would accompany his dad to Middle Park to watch South Melbourne.

In the early 1990s, Ange Postecoglou was captain of a star-studded line-up featuring Paul Trimboli, Michael Petersen and Con Boutsianis.

"That is what you did as a family," Papas said. "You supported South Melbourne and you went down to Middle Park on a Sunday afternoon. It was amazing.

"I spent some time there growing up as player. The player I admired most was Paul Trimboli. The way he played goes back to how I like my teams to play. He was magic with the ball and could see things no-one else could see.

"Over time, Ange became coach [at South Melbourne] and was successful. That was a great period in my late teens when I was watching all that happen."

Papas was at Indian Super League club Northeast United in 2018 when he received an invite too good to pass up.

"I got a call out of nowhere to go and assist Ange in Japan at Yokohama F Marinos," Papas said.

Yokohama had finished 12th in the league but made the final of the league cup. The seeds had been sewn. In year two, with Papas on board, the Marinos were crowned J-League champions - ending a 15-year drought.

"We did some really amazing things. It was one of the great experiences of my coaching journey so far," Papas said. "That was a year into the project for Ange. The first year was quite difficult for him. They had been on the brink of relegation play-offs. If you give it some time, especially with Ange, he has shown, he will get it right."

Postecoglou is now winning games - and fans - at Scottish giants Celtic and was pleased for Papas to get a chance in the A-League.

"It's great for Arthur to get an opportunity. He's worked hard in his career, he's been prepared to move abroad and coach in some tough places," Postecoglou said. "I'm sure he'll do a good job in terms of implementing his own philosophies."

By design or accident, at times Postecoglou and Papas seem almost mirror-like.

Watch a Jets training session; the way Papas delivers his message, his mannerisms, the intensity of training, the absolute faith and commitment to a style of play.

"I have certain traits that have been there since day one," Papas said. "The way I like football to be played, the way I like to coach on a field. The main thing is; are you still being yourself? That is what I always come back to. Ten years ago I had the same message. That is not just because I spent time with Ange.

"The time with Ange allowed me to become more polished and more clear on how to send that message and how to transmit belief," Papas said.

"When you do get an opportunity to be next to a world-class manager, and you spend two years with them, you take away a lot.

"If I look at the journey over the past 10 years, that's why it was so valuable because I got so many of these different experiences.

"I have absolute clarity on the type of players, characters, teams that I like to build."

With that as his mantra, Papas has been meticulous with recruitment. He pored over videos, studied data, leaned on contacts for an insight on the players' characters, and spoke at length to the individuals.

"Recruitment is one of the most variable parts of football." Papas said. "The one thing I feel we have here is some really good characters. We have been pretty thorough in the type of people who have come in the door. Where they are at in their career and what they want to achieve?

"More importantly, are they brave and fearless to play this type of football? It is about getting them out of their comfort zones. There is not one way to play football. You can be successful playing different types of football.

"What we need to do is try to develop some identity. That is the key. If we look back there has been one successful Jets season in the past eight or nine years."

Ernie Merrick took the Jets from the cellar to the 2017-18 grand final, only to be dudded by a faulty VAR system.

"That was a team that scored a lot of goals, an aggressive team," Papas said. "History shows the most successful teams are the ones who score goals. That is not too say that you don't need to know how to defend.

"What I have been big on is being aggressive. There is only one ball on the field, we want to have that ball. Have the ball but be purposeful and aggressive with it. That is why we have recruited the way we have. We have guys all over the park who I think can score goals.

"We are up against it in this league because there are some real heavy hitters. What's important is that we create some consistency in our identity and build something.

"Some people change based on a couple of results. It is always about adjusting and adapting. That is not my way. If you believe in something stick to it and get better at it. It's a process of evolution. You should get better every day if you are clear on what you are working on. We are really clear on our principles, our behaviours.

"Everyone talks about success. Success is not a straight line. There will be ups and downs. They are the times you learn the most about yourself, your players, your club. We have stressed the importance of staying united and on the path."

Coaches, especially those new to a league, often get weighed down by the burden of needing results.

"I'm not expecting it to be rosy. No job is ever like that," Papas said. "Every job has challenges and that is when you roll up your sleeves and stick together."

The Jets avoided the wooden spoon on the last day last season.

What would Papas consider a successful campaign?

"We have done a lot of work together on measuring what is success in terms of our performances," he said.

"I try not to base it purely on the idea of a result. I want to judge it on performances and certain things that we are looking for. When we achieve certain outcomes with our football, ultimately we will be a lot closer to being successful in results as we progress.

"As long as we behave like that every day, it will take us down the road we want to go.

"It is not about having one good result. One good result ain't going to be enough.

"This club has had a lot of great results on a one-off. The reality is we are trying to build something a bit more sustainable here in terms of identity and culture."

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