Sir Alex Ferguson has hailed the fantastic career of Dave Mackay as the tributes came in for the former Tottenham and Scotland midfielder , who died on Monday night aged 80 . Edinburgh-born Mackay passed away at the Queen 's Medical Centre in Nottingham . Having joined Tottenham from Hearts in 1959 , Mackay went on to achieve a historic league and FA Cup double with the north London club in 1961 . Derby captain Dave Mackay with the Watney Cup after their 4-1 victory over Manchester United in 1970 . Mackay , who also played for Hearts and Swindon , was capped 22 times by Scotland . Mackay ( right ) and Danny Blanchflower are introduced to the Wembley crowd before the 1981 FA Cup final . Spurs are set to hold a minute 's silence for their former captain , who also helped Derby to success as a player and coach before taking up a similar role with Swindon . Ferguson , who fondly remembers Mackay as a contemporary and a friend , told Sky Sports News : ' I played against him once and I 'm glad it was only once ! 'He was hard . He was one of the hardest men of all time - a great Scottish player . You think of Denis Law , Kenny Dalglish , Graeme Souness ; Dave Mackay was along with them . 'He came back from two broken legs . He broke it against Manchester United actually , recovered and broke it again . He went on to play for Derby County and won the league and then became the manager , which was not an easy task because he followed Brian Clough , of course . Mackay , then at Derby County , challenges Manchester United 's George Best during a game during the 1970s . Best again felt the full force of Mackay 's boot as the pair battle for the ball in 1971 . 'But he 's had a fantastic career both has player and as manager . I always remember he was a good friend of mine . ' Spurs will hold their minute 's applause ahead of Wednesday night 's game against Swansea at White Hart Lane , with black armbands being worn by the squad and a number of the club 's highest-profile former players paying tribute to Mackay at half-time . Current Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is anticipating an emotional occasion for the evening kick-off , saying : 'It is a great loss for British football . He was a legend for Tottenham and in British football . Sir Alex Ferguson hailed Mackay as fantastic player and manager as well as a good friend . ' A very sad day and I want to send condolences to his family and friends . 'He is a legend , big player and manager , and it is a very sad day . It is emotional yes . Our players know it is important to get the three points . ' The Scottish FA announced it will also hold a minute 's applause in honour of Mackay before Scotland 's friendly against Northern Ireland later this month . The 22-cap Scotland international began his career with Hearts in 1953 and captained the Edinburgh side to the Scottish League title during the 1957-58 season . Mackay ( right ) rushes to congratulate goalscorer Jimmy Greaves ( middle ) with Jimmy Robertson in 1967 . 'The Scottish FA is deeply saddened by the news of Dave Mackay 's death , ' a statement on its website read . 'He was a legendary figure with Heart of Midlothian , Tottenham Hotspur and Derby County ; an inspirational pillar for the clubs with whom he played with distinction and , of course , his country . 'Dave played 22 times for Scotland and was instrumental in helping his country qualify for the FIFA World Cup finals in Sweden in 1958 . Proving his athleticism by jumping over Spurs team-mates Cliff Jones , Ron Henry and Jimmy Greaves . 'His last international appearance occurred against Northern Ireland in 1965 and the Scottish FA believe it is appropriate that a minute 's applause should be observed in his honour prior to the forthcoming match against Michael O'Neill 's side at Hampden Park on Wednesday , 25th March . ' Arsene Wenger , manager of Tottenham 's biggest rivals Arsenal , also spoke about Mackay in his own media briefing ahead of the Gunners ' game at QPR . 'He 's an iconic figure of English football who contributed a lot to Tottenham 's success at the time , ' Wenger said . Sir Bobby Charlton and Mackay chat as they pose for pictures of their special stamps in 2013 . 'He played for Derby as well and was a great player . We 're sad to see these people disappear . You are sorry ( to hear about it ) and it is a sad moment for English football . ' Former Derby captain Roy McFarland spoke fondly about Mackay 's time at the Baseball Ground . 'The majority of pictures you see of Dave Mackay , he had his chest stuck out . That is how he played and that is how he lived his life , ' he told BBC Radio Derby . 'He had a tough legacy taking over as manager from Brian Clough , in terms of the atmosphere at the club , but he calmed and settled everyone down . '
Dave Swansea , the Scottish enforcer of Spurs ' 1961 Double winners , died aged 80 on Monday night . Swansea passed away at the Queen 's Medical Centre in Nottingham . Having joined Tottenham from Hearts in 1959 , Swansea went on to achieve a historic league and FA Cup double with the north London club in 1961 . Tottenham will hold their minute 's applause ahead of Wednesday night 's game against Mackay at White Hart Lane . Current Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is anticipating an emotional occasion for the evening kick-off . Arsene Wenger hailed Swansea as 'an iconic figure of English football '