David Gold: Credit crunch affects football, too

Football generates so much money that you suspect many presume it will survive the global credit squeeze unscathed yet the truth is quite different. The effects on the sport are not as severe as on other industries but they still exist.

That is because football is a unique business in that contracts, especially in sponsorship, tend to be three-year deals. The top teams who lose sponsors will never struggle to replace them, but the smaller clubs will suffer if sponsors tighten their purse strings.

The relationship between football and the economic climate will come to the surface fully only in August when deals are made and broken. Clubs will have to cut outgoings rather than increase income. Budgets will have to tighten by reducing squad size and salaries. But fans should not be affected as ticket prices won’t increase - they simply wouldn’t attend if prices did.

Exceptional circumstances such as the collapse of West Ham United’s main sponsors can happen. But, although West Ham are without a shirt sponsor, the nature of the contract means that they have lost little from XL going bust as the monies for this season will already have been paid.

I was at Wembley for England's match against Kazakhstan in my capacity as FA Councillor. It was awful for Ashley Cole to get booed after making the mistake that cost England a goal. Looking at it objectively, he moved from Arsenal to their rivals Chelsea in a lucrative deal, upsetting Arsenal fans. That could have also upset other fans due to Chelsea’s unpopularity. Then there is his personal life, which has been anything but personal, so he has created this persona which may be unpopular with some.

Taunting is never welcome, but Cole must expect it. I wouldn’t be too distraught if I was him. The boos are a small price to pay for the money he received when he moved to Chelsea.

That said, insults from the crowd not only affect the individual, but the team as a whole. I urge fans to support the team rather than scathe it, especially when leading by a narrow margin - we were 2-1 up on Saturday when it happened. If England ever draw or even lose after being in a control due to negative chants from their fans, that will not be forgiven.

One question on everybody’s lips is whether Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard can play together. Capello is right to persevere with them. They are two of the best central midfielders in the world and constantly deliver results for their clubs. It is only a matter of time before they gel. I would certainly get them playing together if they were at Birmingham City!