BOLTON chairman Phil Gartside is hoping the new Premiership fixture list will deal the club a more lucrative hand in terms of Sky TV coverage.

Gartside today (Saturday) refused to blame Sky bosses for the fact that, despite their high finish last season, Bolton were down the table when it came to making lucrative live appearances.

Wanderers, who face Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal in a row early in the season, want to take an early telly cash bonus by being selected for one of those games when Sky announce their initial raft of live games next week.

Clubs are certain to earn more next season with an increase in the number of live TV matches, especially on pay per view, which will cause major changes in the fixture list throughout the season.

Every Premiership club received a flat '10,178,000 out of the TV pot last season with subsequent payments for live games on Sky and Pay Per View.

Wanderers finished eighth in the Premiership but were 17th equal with Middlesbrough in the TV money table.

They received '2,950,000 each from four Sky games and two PPV appearances. Only Everton, with '2,650,000 and relegated Wolves, '2,300,000 received less, while Arsenal headed the list with '10,625,000 from 20 live games.

Sam Allardyce, meanwhile will have a priority job of trying to complete the signing of Birmingham's Senegalese midfielder, Aliou Cisse, when he returns to his desk on Monday after his holiday.

Bolton agreed a fee understood to be around '300,000 with Birmingham City earlier this month but they have yet to finalise personal terms with the 28-year-old.

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