Credit crunch 'not deterring football punters'

Football punters not put off by credit crunch in Premier League

The financial difficulties currently facing some top-flight football clubs are not having an impact on betting patterns, an expert has claimed.

Ladbrokes spokesperson Nick Weinberg said that financial problems at Premier League outfits can even stimulate betting activity, with some punters backing a struggling team to be relegated.

Mr Weinberg named West Ham United as an example, with the 'Carlos Tevez affair' and lack of transfer funds causing some fans to predict relegation for the east London club.

Commenting on the credit crunch in football, he stated: "It hasn't had much impact on the betting.

"In terms of the premiership the proof is in the pudding: on the pitch."

Directors at West Ham were recently forced to admit that manager Gianfranco Zola is unlikely to have any money for new singings in January after Landsbanki, the Icelandic bank of which West Ham owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson was chairman and principal shareholder, collapsed earlier this month.