Former Manchester United and Nottingham Forest defender Viv Anderson rates the late Brian Clough ahead of Sir Alex Ferguson.

"People often ask me who is the greatest," Anderson told the Manchester Evening News. "And because I was born and bred in Nottingham, I'd have to say it is Brian Clough - just.

"Having been there and seen Forest as a kid and what he turned them into, I'd have to say that.

"When he came we were getting average crowds of 19,000 and going nowhere. What he achieved was incredible, but Sir Alex Ferguson's achievements are phenomenal as well.

"Cloughie would bring the best out of people. At Forest we didn't have superstars, we were all hard-working players.

"He instilled something in us to make us better players.

"Sir Alex can pick and choose the best and that's the difference. I'm sure if Brian Clough had had the same money, he would have done the same.

"I don't think what he managed at Forest will ever be done again because the game has changed so much.

"Back then the title was far more open. Nowadays, because of the money, you know United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal will always be the team challenging for the title.

"But Clough would be a success even now. He was a great man manager. It wouldn't have mattered he'd managed 20 years in the future or 60 years in the past, he'd still have done the same."