NIALL QUINN believes 90 per cent of English League players would back their union and support strike action in response to the dispute over Sky TV cash.

The Professional Footballers' Association (PEA) is demanding a guaranteed share of the league's £25 million deal with the satellite broadcasters, but talks broke down last week and strike ballot papers are due to go out next week.

The PFA want 10 per cent of the money, and if action goes ahead, players will refuse to turn out for televised games.

Speaking on Radio 5 Live's Inside Edge programme, Quinn, whose Manchester City side are due to feature in the first televised game of the season against Ipswich, denied the union was being greedy and said it was only asking for the same percentage it had received for the past 20 years.

"I have played as an international and earned good money over the last few years, but you should go and find out what the PFA does for guys further down the ladder," he said.

"I don't see why we should concede when the money is getting bigger and why we should lose our pitch and the strength we have got all because people seem to think we have a lot of money in the bank."

Asked what kind of backing the union could expect, the Irish international striker said: "The PFA have done too much for footballers over the years and my guess is that 90 per cent if not more will back Gordon Taylor."

Earlier, Taylor said he was not confident of a settlement and said strike action now "seems inevitable".

And despite Taylor saying that the meeting last week "resolved nothing" and that no future discussions were planned, the league's assistant secretary, Andy Williamson, expressed hopes that there is still room for negotiation.

"Our understanding is that we meet the PFA again on August 23rd," he said, "and that, in the meantime, there is a stay in any projected action.

"Consequently we are disappointed and surprised to read Mr Taylor's comments that he intends proceeding with the balloting for strike action.

"I think that will also surprise professor Sir John Wood, the chairman of football's independent negotiating committee, who chaired our meeting with the PEA last Wednesday"

Williamson admitted that the league's agreement with the PFA has been to pay 10 per cent of television money to the union - but only for specific purposes, which the league feels now needs re-evaluating.

"The agreement states that the money the PFA receive from TV fees must go towards their funds for benevolent grants, education grants and insurance purposes - subjects which mostly concern the welfare of former players who hit hard times or are put out of the game through injury," he said.

"As at 1995 we know the PFA had £8.2 million in the bank and it must be a lot more than that by now. They are a very rich body, but we are not exactly flush and certainly can't afford to be gratuitous with the money we give them from TV without being sure it is well used.

"It would be a shame to see this kind of money being subject to the taxman and just slipping out of the game. And we are now talking about considerably more money than before. Under the old ITV agreement, we received £9 million a year, but with Sky the figure is nearer £25 million.

"I don't know how long it would take Gordon to go through the balloting process with his members, but I cannot see anything happening this side of August 23rd when we will be into the season.

But with Taylor warning: "Given our members' support and legal requirements, a strike could he called early in September," that deadline for discussion could prove too late.

The league are understood to be ready to pay an annual sum "at their discretion", rather than the £2.5 million demanded by the PFA.

But Taylor is concerned that the alternative "discretionary payment" by the League "could amount to nothing".

"We used the money for a whole host of subjects, including education and training, accident insurance, community programmes and youth training schemes," he added.

"I find it ironic that when the game has never been more fashionable, the position of the players and their association has been eroded by the league - particularly as over the last 10 years since the tragedies and disasters of the 1980s, attendances have increased every year. The game has never had more money - that may be the reason why the Football League are looking to make a stand