Fan culture is the beating heart of football and every group of supporters believes their club has the best backing.

But there has to be a true greatest fan base out there, right? Well, talkSPORT's Max Scott thinks he has the definitive list.

A photo of the iconic Mount Rushmore carving
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If you were to carve British football's best group of fans into a version of Mount Rushmore, then talkSPORT presenter Max Scott thinks he has the most unbeatableCredit: Getty

In fact, if there was a Mount Rushmore of ultimate fan bases then this is them. Well, it's a Mount Rushmore-or-Less because picking four is simply too hard as he explained in a previous edition where he picked the best football rivalries in the UK.

Everyone will have an opinion and this is who Max has experienced in his time as a match going football fan.

Celtic fans 'unrivalled'

Kicking us off, Scott picked Celtic supporters and it wasn't a hard decision for him at all.

The 56-time Scottish champions are backed by 60,000 fans every time they play at home and they always have a huge following on the road and in Europe, with passion pouring from the stands.

"It's difficult to deny, Celtic have one of the best fanbases in the UK," he explained. "They are undeniably one of the loudest, most passionate fanbases I've ever seen.

"All you need to do is look at the numbers - the Scottish Premiership has 18.5 attendees per 1,000 members of the public that go to football games. This is 70 per cent higher than anywhere else in Europe.

"So, in terms of a nation, Scotland love their football and Celtic without a doubt lead the way.

"Parkhead is an unbelievable stadium, it sets an unbelievable atmosphere and it's the Celtic fans that make it come alive.

"So whilst they might be playing in a league that isn't as competitive as we would like it to be, their fans are unrivalled."

The faces of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln are carved into the stone in South Dakota, chosen for their representation of the most important events in the United States' history.

As a result, fans use the idea to create their own version to list the most influential or iconic games and people that define their selected categories.

Here, though, talkSPORT argues five is not enough, so more or less this is Mount Rushmore.

Celtic fans celebrate goal
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Celtic fans are hugely passionate and create an incredible atmosphere as one of half of the Glasgow rivalryCredit: Getty

Fans fought to create 'unbelievable story'

Wimbledon were once a successful Premier League side before relegation in 2000 and then, in 2003, their owners moved the club 60 miles north to Milton Keynes and rebranded as MK Dons.

But the fans weren't having it, creating their own club instead, starting from the bottom again and remarkably working their way up the English Football League to the third tier in just 13 years.

"One of the greatest stories in recent English football history of fan power - it's that of AFC Wimbledon," Scott started.

"These fans had their football club ripped out the heart of their community by Pete Winkelman and Charles Koppel, who conspired to move the club to Milton Keynes. In many ways, they did it successfully, but it was the fans that rebuilt the club.

"4,000 fans turned up to the try-outs of the newly-formed, fan-owned AFC Wimbledon and today, they're in League One and doing pretty well."

AFC Wimbledon lift play-off trophy
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AFC Wimbledon were born from the old Wimbledon and formed by fans in 2002 and have risen from the ashes where the fans have remained among the best in the gameCredit: Getty

Scott continued: "What those fans achieved should never be underestimated. Millionaires can decide what they do with their football club, but it was Wimbledon fans who stood up and said: 'That's not happening, we're having our football club'.

"Their entire story is because of the fans. An unbelievable story."

Through the good times and the bad

"Far have we travelled, much have we seen. That's what Forest fans sing at the world-famous City Ground on the banks of the River Trent," passionate Forest fan Scott said.

"That Mull of Kintyre song is one of the best songs from British fanbases. Forest fans are one of the greatest in the country."

Nottingham Forest were two-time European Cup/Champions League winners and League champions in the late 1970s, sitting as one of the best clubs in Europe at the time - and fans remain proud.

"In the City ground you've got to different generations," Scott said. "You've got one that witnessed Brian Clough's back-to-back European Cups, the greatest story football has ever experienced and seen.

Nottingham Forest fans celebrate victory over Porto
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Forest fans saw huge success in the past and a new generation are now witnessing top-flight footballCredit: Getty

"And then you've got a set of fans that grew up with their dads and grandads telling us those stories, but all we saw was dross in League One."

The once-successful Forest were relegated to League One in 2005 and wouldn't return to the Championship until 2009 - and the club would remain there until 2022, when a 23-year wait for fans was rewarded with promotion back to the Premier League.

"Now we're back where we belong in the Premier League," he added. "There's this sense of shared pride in our history and what we've been through as a fanbase - and as a result, on it's day the City Ground is one of the most intimidating atmospheres.

"It's because of the fans, it means more to them as they have been outside the Premier League for so long, they've watched the struggles in League One and with dreadful ownership. We appreciate it and that comes out with the fanbase."

Predicting a riot

"You cannot talk about the greatest fanbases in the UK without talking about Leeds United.

"I Predict A Riot, Marching on Together, Don Revie, Dirty Leeds United," he said of the songs at Elland Road.

"The reality is we sing 'We All Hate Leeds Scum' because the fans are incredible.

Leeds fans chanting
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You won't find a tougher atmosphere to play in than away at Elland RoadCredit: Getty

"Whether you're going to Elland Road on an away day or they're coming to your ground, you know you are in the presence of Leeds fans. Whether they're winning 4-0 or losing 4-0, the fans are unbelievable. They travel in great number and I admire it.

"I've been to Elland Road many times and it's unpleasant, it's ugly, it's a nasty place to be and that's because that is Don Revie, that's Leeds' culture.

"I love Leeds fans, Elland Road is an amazing stadium and you can't have this conversation without saying Leeds, they're absolutely unbelievable."

Who is the extra pick?

Four isn't enough, so Manchester United fans are the arguable fifth selection on the Mount Rusmore-or-less for football's greatest fans.

"I know that the team and the club and arguably the stadium are a shadow of their former glory, but United fans to this day are some of the most loyal, passionate, well-travelled lot.

"You think about the United fans living in Surrey who have never set foot in Old Trafford, but the reality is, when you go to Manchester itself, it's Man United.

Manchester United fans cheering
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Man United fans have always stayed loyal - and loud - despite the club's recent strugglesCredit: Getty

"Elliot Anderson may have said Man City are the kings of Manchester...he's a wonderful player, but he hasn't got a clue.

"If you know football and football in Manchester, United are the biggest club there. The fans are a testament to the long-standing history of that football club.

"And what I like about United fans, more than any other big club, is that they don't half stay loyal or patient to some of the dross that they've had since Fergie left.

"They've hardly won anything...and despite all of that, United fans know that it takes time to build an empire."

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