The Sale of Maynard to Cardiff Bucks West Ham Trend!

Dear God, for once the gods have looked kindly on West Ham! How many times have we splashed the cash on a player, only for him to arrive as damaged goods or break down almost as soon as he has joined us?

McBenni and Dyer are two glaring examples, of course. God only knows what they cost us in combined transfer fees and salary outlay, but there wouldn't be much change out of £20m - for a handful of appearances, literally.

Then there's Freddie Allergic to Cheese Ljungberg of course - we paid him £4m just to buy out his bloody contract!

Dean Ashton may have been finally crocked by Wright-Phillips but he arrived wrapped in more bandages than an Egyptian mummy fresh from a motorway pile up. The big clubs ignored him because there were rumours about his fitness apparently.

And we shouldn't forget Quashie and Davenport, although their injuries were blessings in disguise because it meant we couldn't pick them! Then Upson, who was crocked as soon as he joined us, causing him to miss the Great Escape run in, having been purchased specifically to help us avoid the drop!

Rumour has it that a guy called Diarra is on our books at the moment, though you wouldn't know it as he has stepped into Dyer's non playing boots since his transfer. Demel had most of last season off too, claiming a wage whilst sitting on his not inconsiderable arse.

Tarrico lasted just minutes before his career came to a crashing halt after donning the claret and blue, and Tristan spent two thirds of a season building up his fitness, playing with all the speed and mobility of a lamp post when he eventually made it on to the field.

Then there was Boogers, a mental case after just four appearances as a sub! And Beauchamp who was homesick because he was more than an hour's drive from Oxford! McAvennie's second stint was cut short by a broken leg and the same happened to Hutchison.

And so it goes on. But fortunately, we shipped out Maynard just in time. Out for the season just a few games into his Cardiff career - maybe our luck has changed!