PHIL Gartside voiced his support today for a revolutionary overhaul of English football's league system, provided the lower division clubs are not cast adrift.

"We know where we've come from," the Wanderers' chairman explained. "We've been in the First, the Second and the Third divisions and it's tough down there.

"Something needs doing but only if it looks after the smaller clubs as well."

Rumours have been rife since Friday's settlement of the dispute between the leagues and the PFA over television revenue that a major shake-up of the game is imminent. It is alleged that 16 Premiership clubs - Wanderers among them - have endorsed the formation of a two-tier Premier League which could see two 18-club divisions in operation as early as next season.

Sources at Manchester City claim they have been involved in informal talks about breaking away from the Nationwide League but the Reebok chief says he knows nothing of the proposals, does not expect to see any changes and insists no shake-up of the current structure would be possible until the current television deal expires in 2004.

He is in favour, however, of a change that would unify the Premier League, the Football League and the FA.

"There has been nothing on the agenda at any Premier League meeting we've been to, no discussion, no paper work," he said. "I don't know where all this has come from. It has not been discussed at our level, unless we are not party to it.

"Personally I would be in favour of it, whether you call it Premier League Two or Nationwide One. But I think there should be one body. It's a load of rubbish that there should be three bodies. There should be one body and they should re-jig football in terms of its financing.

"The financing doesn't work. Take a struggling Third Division club; 1,500 times £10 ... it just doesn't work and people have got to be sensible about it.

"We've tried to redress that here (at Bolton) with wages against turnover and all those sort of ratios.

"There's enough money being put into the game by sponsors and TV but it needs re-allocating. It's like turkeys voting for Christmas if you look at some of these issues. The lower clubs are not going to vote for the bigger clubs getting more money. And rightly so.

"I don't know whether it will be on the agenda or not but nothing can happen until the end of the current TV deal. It's all structured so you're not going to get a change now."

The Wanderers' chief, who suggests - tongue in cheek - that relegation from the Premiership should be scrapped THIS season, says his support for change would also embrace the thorny issue of Scotland's big two - Rangers and Celtic - joining the English top flight.

Arguing against his manager, Sam Allardyce, who is opposed to the proposal, the chairman says: "It's a great idea because something needs to be done about competition before the next TV deal. I've no problem with that but then FIFA will argue that we should have only one entry for the World Cup from England, Scotland and Wales so you've got to be careful.

"But what would be better than seeing Celtic and Rangers play here? The atmosphere would be fantastic. Anybody who's ever been to Celtic for a football match would want to go there every week."