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"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death. But football fans know it is much more important than that. Once you are in, you are in. For the long haul, for life. It is not easy being a fan but real fans wouldn't want it any other way. Years of pain and hopeless expectation. In exchange for what ? Moments of pure joy. You have to be a fan to know how much it means."
Pepsi's "We know how much it means" TV commercial, which aired between 2014 and 2017, struck a chord with many fans of the game; they could relate to the words from the commercial.
It is not easy to be an active fan of a club. With the ever-inflating regular and season ticket prices in the Premier League, it becomes even harder. The difficulties in transportation to and from game venues also add to the unpleasant experience of football fans. However, like the commercial says "real fans wouldn't want it any other way".
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However, what fans are very unwilling to tolerate whatsoever are terrible club owners. Right from owners' unwillingness to splash money on transfers or the community, inability to connect with the fan base, exploitation of the club for personal gain, ever-increasing ticket prices or any other forms of unpleasantness.
Fans do not just like when the club owner is adding to their suffering and remains indifferent to their plight and that of the team.
Despite added pressure on owners of EPL clubs to increase their investment, some of them refuse to budge and keep their fans in perpetual frustration. Here, we look at three EPL club bosses that are despised by the fan base of their respective clubs.
#3 The Glazer Family - Manchester United
The animosity of fans of the Red Devils towards their owners, The Glazer family, has somewhat waned in recent years. However, they remain one of the most controversial and disliked club owners in the Premier League.
The manner with which the Glazer family seized power at the Old Trafford club left many fans and the supporters trust disgruntled. Plunging the Red Devils into serious debt was of little consideration for the wealthy family, as they used several loans to finance its acquisition.
A fan campaign called "Love United, Hate Glazers" eventually turned into a movement by the wealthy fans known as the "Red Knights" to do a billion-pound takeover of the club in 2010. The takeover bid failed as the group couldn't match the Glazers valuation of the club.
Many Manchester United fans still have a strong distrust of the Glazer family and believe they are exploiting United for personal gain. Reports of huge payouts or debts accrued by the Glazers do not also help their cause.
#2 Stan Kroenke - Arsenal
Arsenal's sole owner, Stan Kroenke, is a hugely despised man at the London club. Unlike the United takeover, the Arsenal takeover by the American businessman is a recent occurrence and it leaves a sour taste in the mouth of the supporters.
After Kroenke bought out the shares of the other majority shareholders, Alisher Usmanov, the Arsenal Supporters Trust that owned about 3% of the clubs shares refused to sell. They were eventually legally forced to sell, but they raised concerns about the sole ownership of the club by Stan Kroenke.
Since Kroenke first bought shares at the Emirates, he has not invested a penny of his money into the team. Arsenal has famously been run as a self-sustaining business, spending only what they earn and this has left the club severely uncompetitive and paralyzed in the transfer market.
A steady decline has seen the club sell its best players made the club go trophyless for a number of years and fall out of the Champions League in recent years. This has further reduced the club's revenue and left fans of the North London club very frustrated.
The fans' frustration has markedly increased after reports that the club is unable to make permanent signings in the 2019 January transfer window.
The supporters' dislike for the American billionaire has also not been helped by his aloofness to the plight of the team and his unwillingness to truly connect with the fans.
#1 Mike Ashley - Newcastle United
It is difficult to believe that Geordies fans loved Ashley when he first took over at the club. In the backdrop of Alan Sugar's horrendous spell, they thought Ashley had come to deliver them and usher in another period of sustained success. His appointment of club legend Kevin Keegan further endeared him to the fanbase.
However, the relationship between Ashley and Newcastle United fans has steadily declined since the older days. Since the British billionaire bought the club in 2007, he has overseen two relegations in his time at the helm.
There are so many reasons why the business magnate is disliked by the Newcastle faithful. How can fans actually like an owner who has put the club up for sale three times and has publicly declared that he regrets ever buying the club?
And now, to add to the fans' woes, the club is currently facing yet another relegation battle. The club hasn't seen proper investments being made in a long time. Michael Owen's £16m transfer to the Geordies in 2005 still remains the club's transfer record. The end to the misery is not in sight as no takeover bid is in the works either.
Fans go through a lot of pain and sacrifice to support a club. There is nothing as infuriating as having an owner who stays oblivious to that suffering and chooses to exploit the club for personal gain.
