West Ham United fans want David Sullivan to take charge of the club.

The Sun says the former Birmingham owner has demanded a 50 per cent stake in the Hammers for FREE - in return for saving the club.

Sullivan has promised to plough in £40million if he is allowed to run the club his way and Icelandic owners Straumur continue to honour their £120m debt.

Straumur are considering the take-it-or-leave-it offer. But Gordon Thrower, who runs Hammers fans' website Knees Up Mother Brown, believes it is a good idea.

He said: "We need someone in charge other than Straumur. At the moment we are simply an asset waiting to be flogged. I have more money in my pocket than Straumur are willing to invest in the club right now.

"Like most fans, I'd have no problem with Sullivan taking over - if we didn't end up stagnating like Birmingham. We'd also want assurances that his money would only be used to invest in the club and not help pay off the debts.

"We need someone who can take us to the next level where we are challenging regularly for a European spot. Sullivan could help us do that. It seems like the perfect solution for fans but I'm not sure the banks would see it that way.

"We have a lot of debt and I am not sure the banks would let someone come in and spend money on other things. Also, would Straumur's creditors be so understanding about writing off half of their only meaningful asset?"