Premier League club owners have been ranked in order of effectiveness and popularity by Talksport - and it makes for painful reading if you are of a claret and blue disposition.
According to the article, David Sullivan and David Gold - who purchased a majority share of the club in 2010 - are ranked above only Stan Kroenke or Arsenal and the hugely unpopular Mike Ashley at Newcastle United.Embed from Getty Images
"Sullivan and Gold may have been the two most hated men in east London last season, but their work over the summer helped lessen some of the pressure on the pair," read the Talksport article, which placed the duo 18th out of 20 in their club owners rankings.
"Hiring Manuel Pellegrini as manager and making big-money moves for star players have improved the Hammers, though a poor start did restore pressure on Sullivan and Gold for a short while.
"Many issues, created by Sullivan and Gold, remain in the memory – the move from Upton Park to the London Stadium, the hiring of David Moyes, and the ‘Dildo brothers’ affair, so they still need to play it careful.
"The Hammers’ stadium issues will see them mocked for a long time, with Spurs fans gloating from their new £1billion pad, which has now hosted a Champions League semi-final. They do have a new claret carpet though, so that’s nice."
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The top five Premier League owners, according to the list, are as follows:
1. Fosun International (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
"Many expect Fosun to keep investing in the Molineux club to make them one of the best teams in England."
2. John W. Henry (Liverpool)
"Henry has established himself as one of the best owners in the Premier League. His appointment of Jurgen Klopp in 2015 as the club’s manager was excellent and he has backed him completely in the transfer market."
3. Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (Manchester City)
"Since Sheikh Mansour purchased Man City, through the Abu Dhabi United Group, in 2008, the Etihad Stadium club have become a giant of European football."
4. Gino Pozzo (Watford)
"This is the club’s best period since the club’s heyday under Graham Taylor in the 1980s, and Pozzo continues to invest both on and off the pitch."
5. Mike Garlick and John Banaszkiewicz (Burnley)
"Some of the smartest owners in the Premier League, Burnley’s entire approach to the sport is about stability and consistency to achieve success."
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