West Ham fan, Joe Lee, has messaged David Gold on Twitter, saying “Hope you rot in hell for what you’ve done to Maiga”
Co-Chairman, Gold, politely responded: “I’m not sure why you would want me to ‘rot in hell’ for what I’ve done to Maiga. ?????”
And it’s little wonder the West Ham co-owner is slightly bemused by this abusive and unnecessary comment.
West Ham signed Maiga in July 2012 for a fee believed to £4.7m. The player agreed a four-year deal, worh a reputed £40,000 per week.
Maiga came to West Ham’s attention after scoring 24 goals in just 59 outings for French club Sochaux.
He never regained that form at the Boleyn, scoring just seven goals from 44 appearances for Sam Allardyce and Slaven Bilic.
In January 2014, he joined Harry Redknapp at QPR but failed to impress over the six month loan there scoring just one goal from two starts and four substitute appearances. In August last year he was loaned to Metz for one season, with the French club reportedly paying just £6,000 of his weekly wage. During his stint in La Liga, he scored nine goals from 26 appearances, but returned to West Ham after Metz were relegated.
Before the Metz loan deal was agreed, Maiga was offered a way out of east London, as the Irons tried to buy the remaining two years of his contract for £2m. But Maiga is understood to have turned the offer down.
If Maiga does join Saudi Arabian club, Al Nasr, West Ham will trim £1.6m off the club’s overall wage bill. It is thought he will be released on a free transfer.
People close to the Saudi Arabian club have mentioned a fee of 6 million but that is almost definitely in the local currency of Saudi Arabian Riyal which converts to just over £1m. I understand that sum is likely to go to agents and Maiga as a signing fee and West Ham will not see anything of this money.
So Mr Lee what exactly has Mr Gold done to Maiga beyond make him a very rich player. He has pocketed over £6m in wages for his 7 goals for West Ham which excludes any bonuses or signing on fee he may have received from the Hammers. I for one don’t feel sorry for Maiga, we invested over £11m in the player and have little to show for it after three years but that is football I suppose, but no-one needs to rot in hell.
Maiga was badly treated by BFS – that’s obvious – but he hasn’t helped his case by his apparent lack of effort, something to do with his ‘style’ of play!
Oh, and the other thing that hasn’t helped is the fact that he seems unable to understand the offside law – I think he was born offside!
This is a normal start for us fans,why all the panic we have one game against Liverpool then AC and Sakho will be fit and possibly a new striker and Lee,
Last year we played one game without a CF and shocked every body,
We have Payet,Lanzini,Samulesun and Jarvis all Lee with speed and good feet,
Let the big clumsy Liverpool Center backs chase their shadows,
Obiang and Kouyate can cover our back Four Tomks can shine at right back,
This is a game we can win but not with Magia,Nolan and Noble in the team
As Hammers fans we should perhaps look back to the start of last season; guess what; 3 points after 3 games – 2 home losses and one way win (sound familiar) followed by a loss to that Sheffield mob. It is early days for Slaven to impose his style on the squad but at least the games have been more entertaining.
I realise that football these days is a more results orientated business than when I first started watching in 1956 in the old second division but I will always support my team whatever and wherever.
No striker can be expected to shine playing as a lone striker or a chop and changing team forced through injury or other circumstance.
I have supported the Hammers for many years and whoever we sign we cannot defend . As many supporters know we must be the only team when 3-0 up we panic.
It is no good as reported to keep Maiga back for the Liverpool game. We have to accept until we get 3 or 4 strikers nothing much is going to change.
I’ve always felt there was something *there* with Maiga, but for whatever reason his confidence disappeared pretty quickly. Maybe more to do with BFS who has history with his treatment of strikers at the club. I think it’s unfair to lay the blame for his transfer fee at his feet – that’s the one place Gold and club can be blamed. But all in all a ridiculous and insulting comment from Mr Lee.
Re Reece Oxford, he looked uncomfortable against Leicester and I believe was injured for the Bournemouth…put too much pressure on him as some sort of saviour at this stage of his career could damage him more than help him. And, despite the sarcasm, it is only 3 games…and we do have more points than the Spuds at the moment. So, just as we shouldn’t have got too carried away after the Arse result, lets not get all doom and gloom either after the last two results.
The problem with modern football is, wrongly or rightly, the demand for instant success. If this was the attitude years ago, there’d be no John Lyall and no Sir Alex at Utd. Equally the great Liverpool sides under Shankly and Paisley allowed new signings to develop slowly. Yes, the game and world has changed somewhat, but I do think expectations have gone too far now in the modern game. The over optimistic and over pessamistic need to take a reality check…or go and support Spurs or Arsenals…you’ll fit right in there.
On paper the fee paid for him is a bargin £4.7m for a striker who had scored 24 goals in 59 matches. So i dont think anyone can say much about the fee paid for him. £6m in wages since he has been here for near enough nothing in return. The only person he can blame for his attitude is himself. He has shown no passion what so ever since he signed. He has spent the past three years not giving a **** other than picking up his wages. How many chances can the club give a player? Up until now we couldn’t give him away or even pay him to go away. Imho i would let him go now to any club who are daft enough to sign him. He must be the one player who makes Berbatov & Adedayor look like team players. 😀
Give Reece Ofxford another run out ,, he was one of reasons we beat Arsenal , so why couldn’t he be a reason to beat Liverpool ?.
We put up with the ” unsuccessful ” Allardyce for four seasons , and so far we are putting up with BILIC ,,, why not go the full hog and give Maiga a bit more of chance . .. After all , as so many people are fond saying ; no need to panic because we are only three games in .
Apart from that there don’t seem to be many options , do there ?.
It’s all question of how BILIC will play it with key players out injured .
We have some strange,very strange fans,lol
I can not believe that comment, this Mr Lee must be deluded, I am really sad that a Hammers fan could send a message like this
It doesnt surprise me at all.Just because someone supports our club doesnt mean that they are not idiots or a poor excuses for a humanbeings 😉
You mean the type of fan who retracts support of the manager after 3 games.That type of idiot!
He has had so many chances,I thought at first he was unlucky when he hit the wood work so much but what I don’t like about him is he has no fight his work rate off the ball is terrible,
He is not gifted enough to sit back and not work for the team,
Slav this year offered him a fresh start and he is just not good enough,
Mr Lee open your eyes,and if you are a Hammer Fan prey he leaves in this transfer window and leaves some wage room for another player,
Agree entirely, Bubs. Those times when he hit the woodwork, I always hoped he would score just to release his confidence. But when he did tuck one away, it never seemed to spur him on. Some players score one and then go on a run of inspiration with a glut of goals; it just never happened with Maiga.
Having said that, I wish him well wherever he goes; too often we played him as a lone striker and feeble attempt at a target man, whereas he can operate with support in the box as we saw with goal on Saturday. £11m? Kinda puts the price being asked for Austin into perspective, doesn’t it?