Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock believes Chelsea’s Jose Mourinho is as close as you will find to Brian Clough in the modern game.

The Eagles take on the unbeaten title favourites this weekend at Selhurst Park looking to pull off a repeat of last year’s shock 1-0 win over the west London billionaires.

That result put a huge dent in Mourinho’s bid to win the title but Warnock has been impressed by Chelsea’s summer deals – and reckons the Special One’s style bears more than a passing resemblance to a certain former Nottingham Forest manager.

“I think he is the best there is, I always have done,” the Palace chief explained.

“He is great for you guys (press) because he always has a quote on something.

“When he came on the scene I was at Sheffield and he is such a good looking so and so.

“That started it off without being a good manager.

“I just think he has signed well.  It is alright having money but he knew he hadn’t got a striker last year.

“In the January window if he had signed a striker he probably would have won the league last year.

“But this year they have signed at least two quality players and I think they are a little notch above everybody else. 

“He is a good manager, he is a players’ manager.

“We all say things probably that we may regret. I’m sure Jose has said a few things over the last 12 months that he might have regretted after but that’s how it is.

“We thrust microphones in straight away, it is an emotional game. We have to talk to you within 20 minutes, you can’t have it all ways.

“I think he is the nearest thing to Cloughie really.

“Cloughie was around when I was younger and I think he (Mourinho) is that type. He is a players’ manager and yet they are not in his pockets.

“He says it how it is, his team always want to play well and tactically when it comes to the tough games I think tactically he is spot on in the tough games as well.”

It was John Terry’s own goal which settled the game in Palace’s favour the last time the two sides met, although Warnock denied that will give his side a psychological advantage going into this weekend’s encounter.

“Not really,” he said.

“Some of the players were different - definitely their players are different.

“You’ve got to concentrate little bit more on yourselves than the opposition.

“Everybody knows what Hazard and Oscar can do on a good day and Costa - I think you’ve got to hope they have an off day.

“You can help that by being well organised yourselves and I think we’ve got ammunition that can hurt  them as well, so it is not just going to be a one-way battle.

“We’ve got to try and get our major players into the game as well.

“That isn’t an easy thing against teams like Chelsea but it is something we will be trying to do.”

Follow @NewsShopperSprt on Twitter for live updates from Crystal Palace v Chelsea on Saturday