HE'S English football's longest serving manager and United's most successful.

But how does Sir Alex Ferguson measure up against arch-rival Arsene Wenger?

Is the Frenchman a better boss or Fergie the best master of mind games?

This latest clash of Govan grit against Strasbourg sophistication will be a fascinating sideshow to United's bid to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Getting the better of Wenger will give Ferguson as much satisfaction as the Reds returning to winning ways after their derby disappointment.

Both sets of supporters wouldn't swap their respective figureheads for a Premier League game in Timbuktu.

However, purely on current form, Wenger is the best manager among the 92 clubs.

Who says so? The League Managers' Association.

Former chief executive John Barnwell devised a scheme to allow bosses from every level of league football to test themselves against one another.

And so the Newfound Resorts Managers' Performance table came into play.

Every competitive game counts towards a manager's individual score. Points are awarded for victories and draws, with results away from home scoring higher.

Points for clean sheets and goals-scored accumulate throughout the season, while a team's winning margin also counts towards the total.

It's similar to cricket's Duckworth/Lewis method for deciding results of washed out games.

Ferguson won the outright prize in 2006/2007 while he and Wenger have secured quarterly awards this season.

However, the Emirates chief is just ahead overall this term with 130 points against 124. Chelsea's Avram Grant is closing in on 122. But how do the two men measure up in human terms?

Both are fascinating characters - not frightened to make the toughest of decisions and regularly putting the team before individuals.

Ferguson's call to release Jaap Stam, David Beckham and Ruud Van Nistelrooy raised eyebrows at the time.

Talent

Many Arsenal fans were up in arms when Thierry Henry was allowed to leave last season as they were when Patrick Vieira and Robert Pires quit Highbury.

Both aren't scared to give youth a chance though Wenger's use of overseas talent at the expense of English quality has often been used against him.

Both managers have been accused of seeing the football world through red-tinted spectacles.

Certainly it's to Wenger's discredit he often adopts 'the world is against us' approach.

It surfaced after the 2006 Champions League final defeat by Barcelona when his verbal attack on the referee was widely condemned.

And even after his team had lost 5-1 to Spurs in the Carling Cup semi-final last month he insisted: "The score is very brutal, but doesn't reflect what I've seen on the pitch."

Ferguson's critics often claim the Old Trafford boss lives in a different time zone to his rivals.

And he copped a touchline ban this season after an interval blast against Mark Clattenburg at Bolton. However, for any faults the duo are born winners and masters of their trade.

Richard Bevan, Barnwell's successor as LMA chief executive, told MEN Sport the two managers were "great role models" for their profession.

Wenger, 58, has three years remaining on his contract at Arsenal and refuses to consider retirement while he continues to relish competition against adversaries such as Fergie.

And the Frenchman believes it is that same motivation that drives the United boss.

"I was asked yesterday when I want to retire and I said `I don't know'. It could be tomorrow, it could be 10 years," he said.

"You continue because of a mixture of things, but you must have that physical drive to want to win and be able to last the distance under pressure."

SIR Alex Ferguson has helped City win the LMA Performance of the week award after their derby win. He is a member of the five-strong panel, that also includes ex City boss Joe Royle, Barry Fry, Dave Bassett and Howard Wilkinson. Tweet