Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has set such a high standard in his handling of the club at Old Trafford that supporters of the club take victories for granted especially at the Theatre of Dreams. Victory is regarded as a matter of course and the way United have been able to keep away their traditional rivals, Liverpool, from the Premiership title for the past 19 years is invaluable to United’s supporters worldwide.

This explains why the 4-1 thumping of United at the hands of Liverpool last Saturday was regarded as a miracle by the packed Old Trafford faithful among them perhaps only a handful might have been born 73 years ago when Liverpool won so handsomely at the Theatre of Dreams.

Manchester United with their strong appetite for silverware appear to be too good for their own good and there doesn’t seem to be any way the supporters will accept any lowering of standards. That is the danger. You have to keep the flame burning. And move forward.

The same thing can be said about Sekondi Eleven Wise of Ghana who have gone what I will describe as the Liverpool way by beating champion club Kumasi Asante Kotoko 2-1 at the champions’ fortress, Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi.

It was a well executed victory with the winning goal coming in injury time. Those who thought the victory was a fluke had to revise their notes when Eleven Wise nearly succeeded in beating top of the table Accra Hearts of Oak in Sekondi the following week. Indeed, Eleven Wise were cruising to a historic 1-0 win when Hearts earned one of their trade mark last minute penalties and pulled even.

The story is that the rejuvenated Sekondi Eleven Wise is now being handled by two former Ghanaian internationals Charles Akunnor and Odartey Lamptey. Even though the two gentlemen were quite outstanding national stars in their heydays, they have little coaching experience.

Indeed the match against Kotoko in Kumasi was their first assignment after their grand outdooring in Sekondi a few days earlier. The management of Eleven Wise can take some credit for spotting a talent when they see one.

The snag is that with such brilliant performances against the two leading clubs in the country, Eleven Wise have set a high standard and even though football knows no logic, fans would expect a progressive forward march in the league with exciting victories over less glamorous opposition. In local parlance they will say “no shaking”.

Many football fans especially those who clamour for indigenous coaches as against expatriates, are watching with keen interest the output of Akunnor and Lamptey to strengthen their case for local coaches. With the young braggart Isaac Opeele Boateng gradually making his mark at Asante Kotoko , Bashiru Hayford reshaping Kessben, Afranie and Duncan on rescue missions with Sporting Mirren and Ashgold respectively, Ghanaian coaches are on the warpath to give Hearts expatriate coach Papic a good run for his money in the on going Premier league. This new trend of local coaches being given proper contracts to manage the top division league clubs is good for football development.

It is hoped the local coaches would raise their standards high enough to merit national recognition and the hullabaloo about foreign coaches being paid thousands of dollars to handle the national teams, especially the Black Stars, will rest once and for all.