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Swansea City's modest owners have embarrassed the millionaires and billionaires who run rival clubs by presiding over a bigger rise in league places than any of them.

Even though the Swans' rise from rags to riches has been well documented, as they close in on their highest ever Premier League finish, data compiled by our team of statisticians shows how the remarkable performance of the owners compares to their Premier League and Championship rivals.

The club that is part-owned by the Supporters Trust and a group of local businessmen have been expertly guided from the brink of extinction to a multi-million pound outfit that is the envy of most of football since 2001.

In fact, since Tony Petty was ousted 14 years ago, the Swans have flown 75 places from 16th in League Two to 8th in the Premier League, leading the top flight's chief executive Richard Scudamore to describe theirs as the “Ideal model.”

As our data shows, the Swans' rise under the current ownership has been head and shoulders above any other club in the English football pyramid.

Pictures: The great and the good of Swansea City at the Jack to a King premiere

Who are the men and women who got them there?

Travel agents turned hoteliers Martin and Louisa Morgan, own 23.7% of the club while Brian Katzen owns 21.1% as does the supporters trust. Chairman Huw Jenkins owns 13.2% and Robert Davies, who is not a director, owns 10.5%.

They were all involved in a consortium which bought out Australian businessman Tony Petty, who was in charge of the heavily indebted club in January 2002, and promised to run the Swans as a sustainable business with minimal debt.

How have they kept the club going from strength to strength?

By creating a football philosophy that involves an entertaining playing style, backing the managers they appoint and selling the best players for a profit to balance the books.

In January, star striker Wilfried Bony was sold to Premier League champions Manchester City for around £28m, making a profit of £16m in 18 months.

Prior to that, academy product Ben Davies was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for effectively £10m, while a year earlier another club graduate, Joe Allen, was sold to Liverpool for £15m.

They have maintained humility by being modest in spending and keeping a strict wage structure in place.

Do any other owners rival them?

Only Wigan, who have risen from 85 out of 92 in the Football League to 43 under the ownership of Dave Whelan.

The sports shop owner took charge of the Latics when they were 85th out of 92 in the Football League. Today they sit 43rd, a rise of 42 places.

Despite their struggle in the Championship this season, The Latics enjoyed an eight year spell in the Premier League under Whelan between 2005 and 2013.

But now they look set for League One, as a dreadful run under former Cardiff boss Malky Mackay has left them marooned in the Championship relegation zone with only four games remaining.

Club + in league places since current owners took charge Swansea 75 Wigan 42 Bournemouth 39 Southampton 36 Brentford 26

The owners of Bournemouth, Southampton, Stoke and Hull have also guided dramatic improvements in fortune but nothing compared to the Swans.

The repeated success has brought inevitable rumours of foreign investment but to this day, the Swans board still largely comprises of the Morgan family, Brian Katzen, Huw Jenkins, Robert Davies and the supporters trust.

In April 2013, the owners shared their first ever £2m dividend while the trust invested the money to bid to keep their share should external investment ever come.

What about Cardiff City?

Down the M4 at Cardiff, Malaysian owner Vincent Tan hasn't fared so well as the Bluebirds have gone backwards.

Even though the Bluebirds played in the Premier League last season, they were third in the Championship when the billionaire took the reins in May 2010 and are currently 12th.

That drop of nine places is only better than the owners of Fulham, Bolton and Reading in the current top two divisions.