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Mike Ashley is vilified by Newcastle fans but is he the worst in the Premier League? And who is the best? We rate the owners.

1. Roman Abramovich (Chelsea)

Source of wealth: Oil and industry

Estimated worth: £11.7 billion

The original foreign super-owner, Abramovich's cash is what made Chelsea such a force. He seems in it for the long haul and his only slip-up so far in the eyes of the fans was Jose Mourinho's departure and the purchase of Andriy Shevchenko

Wealth: 10/10

Cash splashabilty: 10/10

Fan support: 9/10

Sticking power: 8/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 6/10

Total Mark: 43/50

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2. Abu Dhabi United Group (Manchester City)

Source of wealth: Oil and finance

Estimated worth: £444 billion

Much like Nigel Tufnel's amp in Spinal Tap, City's wealth goes up to 11. Expect lots of ridiculous moves in the transfer market, but how much Mark Hughes will have to say about things though remains to be seen.

Wealth: 11/10

Cash splashabilty: 10/10

Fan support: 9/10

Sticking power: 6/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 6.5/10

Total Mark: 42.5/50

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3. Randy Lerner (Aston Villa)

Source of wealth: Banking

Estimated worth: £894 million

Lerner has spent astutely rather than with gay abandon and is seen as a positive forward thinker by Villa fans after the draconian Doug Ellis. A liked American owner? Say it isn't so!

Wealth: 8/10

Cash splashabilty: 8/10

Fan support: 9/10

Sticking power: 8/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 9/10

Total Mark: 42/50

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J4. Mohamed al-Fayed (Fulham)

Source of wealth: Retailing

Estimated worth: £555m

The Harrods owner has turned Fulham from a League One club to an established Premier League outfit. He celebrated his 10-year anniversary at the club last year underlining his commitment.

Wealth: 8/10

Cash splashabilty: 8/10

Fan support: 9/10

Sticking power: 8/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 8/10

Total Mark: 41/50

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J4: Steve Gibson (Middlesbrough)

Source of wealth: Global transportation

Estimated worth: £112 million

Loved by his fans and a manager's dream (who else would have kept Bryan Robson so long?), Gibson's fortune seems small change in modern times. But fans can also be sure that if he ever sells up it will be in the best interests of the club he loves.

Wealth: 4/10

Cash splashabilty: 8/10

Fan support: 10/10

Sticking power: 9/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 10/10

Total 41/50

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J4: Dave Whelan (Wigan Athletic)

Source of wealth: Sporting goods

Estimated worth: £200m

Much like Steve Gibson, Dave Whelan isn't the richest owner in the Premier League, but when Wigan fans compare the post-Whelan era to the pre-Whelan era, they can do nothing but love the man.

Wealth: 6/10

Cash splashabilty: 8/10

Fan support: 10/10

Sticking power: 9/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 8/10

Total Mark: 41/50

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7: Arsenal's non-quoted plc (Arsenal)

Source of wealth: Private shareholders

Estimated worth: Unknown

Neither owned by a sugar-daddy nor floated on the stock market, the Gunners are something of a unique case in the Premier League. A fantastic stadium has been built and Arsene Wenger has complete control, but it could get harder to compete.

Wealth: 7/10

Cash splashabilty: 7/10

Fan support: 8/10

Sticking power: 8/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 10/10

Total Mark: 40/50

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8: Malcolm Glazer (Manchester United)

Source of wealth: Various, most noticeably food processing

Estimated worth: £1.2 billion

The doom merchants were out in force when the Glazer family took over Manchester United in 2005, but the fears of many fans proved to be unfounded. Glazer has consistently given Alex Ferguson big bucks and has also seen his own wealth double in recent years.

Wealth: 9/10

Cash splashabilty: 8/10

Fan support: 6/10

Sticking power: 7/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 9/10

Total Mark: 39/50

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9: Drumaville Consortium (Sunderland)

Source of wealth: Various, mainly property.

Estimated worth: Unknown

A collection of Irish businessmen fronted by Niall Quinn, the Drumaville Consortium have ploughed millions of pounds into Sunderland. A new share issue is trying to raise £50 million as the club looks for new investors.

Wealth: 7/10

Cash splashabilty: 8/10

Fan support: 8/10

Sticking power: 6/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 9/10

Total Mark: 38/50

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10: Alexandre Gaydamak (Portsmouth)

Source of wealth: Family business

Estimated worth: Unknown

Gaydamak doesn't have the wealth of a certain other Russian owner down at Stamford Bridge, but as long as players like Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch keep coming into the club the fans will be happy.

Wealth: 7/10

Cash splashabilty: 8/10

Fan support: 7/10

Sticking power: 7/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 7/10

Total Mark: 36/50

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J11: The Walker Trust (Blackburn)

Source of wealth: Steel

Estimated worth: £300 million

The Walker Trust has bankrolled the club with around £100 million since Jack died in 2000. But it announced earlier this year that it would not be funding the club anymore and was looking to sell.

Wealth: 6/10

Cash splashabilty: 5/10

Fan support: 8/10

Sticking power: 5/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 8/10

Total Mark: 32/50

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J11: Paul Duffen (Hull City)

Source of wealth: Media and sales

Estimated worth: Unknown

Took over the club with a couple of property developers in 2007 and turned them into a Premier League side within a year. All nice and rosy so far but still very much in the honeymoon period.

Wealth: 6/10

Cash splashabilty: 6/10

Fan support: 7/10

Sticking power: 6/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 7/10

Total Mark: 32/50

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J11: Peter Coates (Stoke City)

Source of wealth: Catering and gambling.

Estimated worth: £200m

Coates is currently in his second spell at Stoke City and got to the Premier League due to sensible purchases rather than big spending. The fact that he is a local boy helps him earn fan trust. He is also close friends with manager Tony Pulis so don't expect a rash sacking.

Wealth: 5/10

Cash splashabilty: 5/10

Fan support: 7/10

Sticking power: 6/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 9/10

Total Mark: 32/50

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J11: Joe Lewis (Tottenham Hotspur)

Source of wealth: Currency markets

Estimated worth: £2.8 billion

One of the richest owners in football, most Tottenham fans couldn't pick Joe Lewis out of a line-up, with chairman Daniel Levy being the "face" of the club. Lewis is first and foremost a businessman, with Spurs being just one of over a 100 companies that he owns.

Wealth: 9/10

Cash splashabilty: 7/10

Fan support: 5/10

Sticking power: 6/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 5/10

Total Mark: 32/50

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15: Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson (West Ham)

Source of wealth: Various, but mainly banking.

Estimated worth: £500m

Gudmundsson was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 2 years, for book-keeping offences in the 90s. However, he re-made his fortune in Russia and what is most encouraging for Hammers fans is that he is a football man, and a former footballer himself.

Wealth: 7/10

Cash splashabilty: 7/10

Fan support: 6/10

Sticking power: 6/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 5/10

Total Mark: 31/50

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J16: Eddie Davies (Bolton)

Source of wealth: Kettle parts

Estimated worth: £60 million

There was some outcry when local kettle king Davies made the stake in the club he had held for five years a controlling one in 2003. However, since then the Trotters have become an established side who play the transfer market briskly.

Wealth: 3/10

Cash splashabilty: 5/10

Fan support: 6/10

Sticking power: 7/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 8/10

Total Mark: 29/50

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J16: Bill Kenwright (Everton)

Source of wealth: Theatre

Estimated worth: £30m

A boyhood Everton fan, Kenwright bought into the club at the turn of the century but has seen most of their Premier League rivals shoot past in the money stakes in recent seasons. Backed by his richer friend Robert Earl, worth more than £200m, Kenwright has always said he would love to sell to a sugar daddy.

Wealth: 2/10

Cash splashabilty: 6/10

Fan support: 6/10

Sticking power: 5/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 10/10

Total Mark: 29/50

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18: Tom Hicks and George Gillett (Liverpool)

Source of Income: Various

Estimated: worth £1.4 billion

Loathed by Liverpool fans, the American duo are extremely wealthy but have much of their money tied up in other ventures. This means that the club are struggling to build a new stadium and not spending like the Kop think they should be.

Wealth: 8/10

Cash splashabilty: 5/10

Fan support: 2/10

Sticking power: 4/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 4/10

Total Mark: 23/50

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19: Mike Ashley (Newcastle United)

Source of wealth: Sporting goods

Estimated worth: £1.4 billion

Ashley has reportedly invested over £250m in Newcastle United and all he has got for his troubles is hate mail and death threats. He won't be around for much longer and can anyone blame him?

Wealth: 8/10

Cash splashabilty: 6/10

Fan support: 1/10

Sticking power: 2/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 3/10

Total Mark: 20/50

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20: Jeremy Peace (West Brom)

Source of wealth: Stock trading

Estimated worth: £35m

Not the most popular chairman with everybody, Peace, who trained as an accountant, has always preached sensible financial practices, which of course, very rarely goes down well with fans. Peace would likely sell the club if he got a decent price for his shares.

Wealth: 2/10

Cash splashabilty: 4/10

Fan support: 4/10

Sticking power: 3/10

Letting the manager do his thing: 5/10

Total Mark: 18/50

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