Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, in a recent interview in the British media said he had admiration for every manager who lasts because they had gone through difficult periods and survived. This statement was part of his reaction to the decision by Brazilian super star Kaka to stick to AC Milan despite the astronomical offer from Manchester City.

Wenger was elated that Kaka had put what he described as “the sport in front of finances”. He asked “can our world go on like that. Suddenly tomorrow someone buys Liverpool and says that they will pay players ten million pounds per month what do you do”? I get the impression that Wenger and this columnist are on the same wavelength about the uncontrolled finances being pumped into football at the club level, especially in England.

I am afraid the owners of Chelsea are putting finances in front of sport and are making managers of the Stamford Bridge club an endangered species. No manager can feel safe and this can trickle down to the players which is a bad recipe for such a volatile team sport. The sudden dismissal of talkative Brazilian manager Felipe Scolari following the footsteps of his predecessors, the reticent Israeli Avram Grant and the flamboyant Portuguese Jose Mourinho, smacks of impatience on the part of the owners who are obviously eager to match the consistent progress of teams like Manchester United and Co.

Perhaps what is overlooked is that Manchester United has a manager who has been at post for more than two decades and there are some players who have been at Old Trafford for more than a decade. Consistency is the key to success in football and the way heads keep rolling at Stamford Bridge would make any new manager who hasn’t got a thick skin like Alexander “The Great” Ferguson nervous.

As one football commentator put it, the exchange rate of Chelsea managers must be obvious to the financiers that with all the moneys pumped into the team, one thing they cannot buy is class. They would have to learn from the masters at Old Trafford and stick to a consistent winning system that would ensure a delicate blend of the old and the young capable of building enough stamina for a marathon league spiced with European Cup matches and other fringe domestic fixtures.

Before you get the impression that I am a Manchester United fanatic, permit me to reproduce a short piece about United published in a truly independent international football magazine.

“What United have that no other club can match with money, machines or training techniques is the belief that runs through the club. No matter what hurdles are put before them they will overcome. United prepare for the very last kick- never accepting defeat.

It is why last season they plundered so many late goals to grab valuable points.

It is why when Terry walked to the penalty spot with one hand already on the European Cup; United still believed it was their destiny”. Minutes later, he was in tears and United were back on top of the world.”

That is for you the great institution called Manchester United.

Back home in Ghana, it is the expectation of supporters of arguably the best patronized team Kumasi Asante Kotoko that their pet club could grow to become the Manchester United of Ghana in terms of achievements to match their popularity.

Unfortunately the recent rapid changes on the technical bench don’t seem to be reaping the desired results.

There was an initial success when former Tema Youth coach the young braggart Opeele Aboagye who had signed for Kotoko teamed up with Belgian Coach Cooreman to whip Obuasi Ashgold 3-0 in Kumasi barely a week after joining Kotoko.

Critics said the victory was just coincidental with Aboagye’s presence on the bench but many Kotoko fans were prepared to give him credit for his assistance on the bench. Exactly a week after this splendid win, Kotoko suffered a terrible 2-1 home defeat at the hands of perennial rivals Hearts of Oak on Sunday and this seems to have justified the assertion by the critics that Opeele can’t be trusted to deliver the goods.

The good news is that the league is only nine weeks old and there is plenty of time for Aboagye to redeem his image, mindful of the fact that Hearts are topping the table comfortably with 22 points, seven points adrift of Kotoko and three other pretenders with 15 points apiece. The recent output by Accra Hearts of Oak shows that there is a growing confidence within the league leaders. Can Kotoko catch up with the pace setters.

Your guess is as good as mine. One thing I can confidently predict is that this really promises to be an exciting competition.