THE Clarets proudly lead the way in the first division today but there are fears that money, not merit will soon decide which division teams will play in.

The spectre of a second tier Premier League rose again over the weekend and Clarets chief executive Andrew Watson admitted: "There is to be a meeting of first division chairmen on Thursday morning.

"Myself and the chairman (Barry Kilby) will be attending and I presume the situation will be discussed in full then.

"At the moment all we are hearing are rumours and hearsay and we will wait to see what people say to us later in the week."

The driving forces thought to be behind a move to a Premier Two are Coventry, Manchester City, Bradford, Wolves, Birmingham and Sheffield Wednesday, all of course currently behind the Clarets in the table.

The chairmen from those clubs, three of which were relegated from the top flight last season, will surely be quizzed by their peers at the meeting at Notts County's Meadow Lane ground.

All have denied that they are ready to resign from the Football League in the immediate future but in a football world where money talks, such clubs are desperate to try and secure as the largest possible slice of the pie.

The suggestion is being put forward has been for a "Phoenix League" with two divisions of 18. That would comprise the current 20 in the top flight, 14 from Division One and Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers.

In terms of merit Burnley would be there as of right. They finished seventh in the first division last season and are top of the table at the moment, a clear indication of the progress made under manager Stan Ternent.

But in terms of crowds Burnley are on the borderline for a top 14 place, although Friday's full house in the home stands showed that the support is out there.

It is unlikely that anything will happen immediately as this weekend no clubs were willing to confirm any immediate plans to shake up the game.

But already there is talk that when the current television deals run out in 2004 with both the Premier and Football Leagues there will be a call for change.

Where that would leave Burnley remains to be seen. It is only a few years ago that they were languishing in the bottom division and struggling for survival because the club was not playing well enough.

Through hard work and sound management both on and off the pitch the long suffering fans can at least dream of a return to the top flight for the first time in 25 years.

But if the game is changed to again increase the ever-growing gap between the haves and have-nots, those dreams for fans across the country may die.