West Ham United Joint-Chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold have been ranked as the second best in the Barclays Premier League in a new feature by the Daily Telegraph.
The survey ranked every Premier League club owner on five categories - investment, popularity, enthusiasm, avoiding controversy and communication. The Joint-Chairmen scored at least 8/10 on four out of the five categories, leading them to a level score with the owners of Swansea City and Crystal Palace and only behind Manchester City in the overall table.
The piece states that the Club are ‘now not just on an even keel, but upwardly mobile’ and that the move to the former Olympic Stadium next year ‘should make the club a force to be reckoned with.’
West Ham fan blogger Sean Whetstone believes the Chairmen’s investment, transparency and commitment are what has made their stock so high.
He said: “After almost one hundred years of under investment by anonymous men in suits it was a breath of fresh air when David Gold and David Sullivan came to our rescue in 2010.
“West Ham is a better Club through their personal investment in cash and time, for which they receive no salary or share dividends, and their blunt honestly in telling things as they are.
“They are probably the most transparent and approachable Chairmen in the Premier League. David Gold is very present on Twitter answering questions from fans, while David Sullivan personally answers hundreds of supporters’ emails on a regular basis.
“When you look at other Chairmen in the Premier League I think we are very lucky to have the pair of them on board at our great Club.”