SATURDAY - SAM Allardyce launched a fresh appeal for football's power brokers to give club managers a say in the big decisions which shape the game's future.

The Wanderers' boss says football is the loser because League Managers' Association boss John Barnwell is not involved when the movers and shakers meet to draw up the rules that dictate the way his members go about their business.

TUESDAY

WANDERERS, fresh from their warm weather training in Dubai, are preparing to pile the pressure on their Old Trafford rivals in Saturday's big Reebok derby. They believe they can exploit the weaknesses that have suddenly opened up in the United camp to celebrate a rare Premiership double over their arch-rivals.

WEDNESDAY

WANDERERS may be derby underdogs but believe Sir Alex Ferguson's Reds - so often the victims of their own success - could be vulnerable, feeling the strain of five high pressure games in 16 days. Allardyce, a great admirer of the men from Old Trafford, is aiming to take full advantage of United's heavy schedule which sees the Wanderers' fixture sandwiched between Champions League showdowns with Italian giants Juventus.

THURSDAY

ALLARDYCE'S new boys will have to watch from the sidelines again. Strikers Salva Ballesta and Pierre-Yves Andre - late substitutes in the 1-1 draw at West Brom - are expected to be handed places on the bench for the Reebok derby with Allardyce giving a vote of confidence to the players who have picked up four points from the last two legs of their survival mission. Defender Florent Laville may again have to content himself with a seat in the stands.

FRIDAY

MANCHESTER United skipper Roy Keanesaid the Reebok clash will be just as tough for his side as the recent games with Arsenal and Juventus. Keane insisted Allardyce's Whites pose a real threat to United's chances of keeping up with Arsene Wenger's league leaders. Ivan Campo is either supremely confident or deliberately obtuse but, while Allardyce singles out Ruud van Nistelrooy as Manchester United's "main man", the Real Madrid defender is calmly dismissive of the free-scoring Dutchman. "It's not through any lack of respect but I don't lose sleep over any future opponents," the Spaniard explains. "I've always been like that. I prefer to wait until the day of the game when we sit down and have a talk about who we are marking. I'm not having nightmares!"