Former West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has taken aim at their owners David Gold and David Sullivan.

Allardyce says he had to "stay strong" when he was in charge of the Hammers - but said they only feel so strongly about who comes in because of their passion for the club.

Describing Sullivan, Allardyce told talkSPORT: "He's a strong man when it comes to signing the players he wants, I know that for a fact.

"Sometimes [the owners] will try to bully you into a player they fancy. But you have to stay strong and try to get on with it."

From first-hand experience of working under Gold and Sullivan, he said the pair "love" football, and the Hammers in particular.

"Sometimes I think his love for football is so great, David Sullivan, he spends the vast majority of his time researching footballers across the world through other sources," said Allardyce.

"Sometimes those sources are good, sometimes they're not so good.

"But at the end of the day it can be a conflict between you and the owner because he wants to make sure when he spends his money he's getting value for money.

"I think their passion for West Ham, Gold and Sullivan... they get a lot of stick, but they love West Ham."