Liverpool FC Forum

[The Bench]

From 365:


As part of his job on the backroom staff at Liverpool, Ronnie Moran gave new players a guided tour of Anfield. When the tour reached the dressing-room, Moran would point out Alan Hansen. 'Don't watch big Al play,' Moran said. 'Don't try to do what he does because he's a one-off.'


The message, driven home all the more forcefully if the new signing happened to be a defender, was always the same: Liverpool are a passing side. Give and go. The team, not the individual. But they made an exception for Hansen, their tall, stylish centre-back. 'Liverpool gave me the licence to be myself,' the Scot said, recalling his special status at Anfield.


As a boy, Hansen modelled himself on Bobby Moore; like Moore, his game was all about anticipation, reading the play, and skill on the ball. 'My number-one attribute was my ability to involve myself in the attacking play. For me, it was all about getting the ball and 'playing' - making constructive passes and pushing forward to get the ball back, or taking the ball past opponents.' Which was exactly what Moran didn't want anyone else to do.


Signed by Bob Paisley from Partick Thistle in 1977 for a fee of £100,000, a paltry sum even then, Hansen played 621 games for Liverpool. By the time he retired, in 1991, he had amassed eight League championship medals, two FA Cup and three League Cup gongs and three European Cup medals. In those 14 years there was only one season when Liverpool finished lower than second in the table, and only two seasons when they failed to land a trophy.


'More than any other individual he underpinned Liverpool's continued success during the 1980s,' Howard Kendall said. 'In many ways Alan was Liverpool's best attacker. As Everton manager, the message I always gave my players was: Stop Hansen. Our strikers were told to mark him and forget about chasing after the ball. The last thing I wanted was for Hansen to be in possession and in space.'


Tall and thin, with a long, loping stride, Hansen was, nevertheless, deceptively quick. 'Some players could beat me over 20 yards, but I am hard pressed to recall a team-mate who could do so over 50 or 60 yards.'


Tactically, Liverpool's flat back-four pushed up in order to compress the play. They didn't deliberately play for offside, however. 'We pushed up with the intention of making it difficult for opponents to give their strikers the service they wanted to give them, and to keep the ball a safe distance from goal.' Here again, his ability to read the play - when to let the striker go, knowing that he'd be ruled offside - was crucial.


Hansen would jockey opponents and then nick the ball away. 'Attacking the ball just wasn't my game,' said Hansen, a sufferer of panic attacks whenever faced with the prospect of marking burly, robust centre-forwards. 'They had one quality that I lacked: fearlessness.'


And for all his height, he wasn't much good in the air, either. Yet for all that, Liverpool, time and again, boasted the best defensive record in the division.


His stature put an added strain on his knees. Eventually, the deterioration in the joint forced Hansen to undergo small 'clean up' operations at the end of each season. 'Until 1985-86 season, when I tore my right knee muscle midway through the campaign, I probably involved myself in attacking play as much as any central defender in the history of the game,' he recalled. 'Yet after the injury, which meant that my right knee was never the same again, I concentrated much more on the defensive side.'


Meantime, workplace pressure was mounting inexorably. Fearful of failure, Hansen had always suffered nerves before a game (they disappeared as soon as he ran out on to the pitch); now, the strain of keeping Liverpool on top was getting to him more and more. He'd never taken criticism well, either, which didn't help. 'Hypersensitive,' as he put it. So, when, as a way of coping, he got into a habit of downing a few pints at lunchtime, he realized it was time to pack it in. Physically and mentally, he'd had enough.


His retirement, in 1991, prompted Kendall to predict: 'The loss of Hansen is potentially more damaging to Liverpool than the loss of Kevin Keegan or Kenny Dalglish. His partnership with Mark Lawrenson is the envy of every club in the League.'


Liverpool, as everyone knows, haven't won a title since.


'Alan is the most skilful centre-half I have ever seen in British football,' Bob Paisley once said. 'He has such beautiful balance. When he carries the ball he never loses control and always looks so graceful. He is a joy to watch.'


Robert Galvin


Robert is the author of the excellent Football's Greatest Heroes, and also works in association with The National Football Museum.

[The Bench]

Sorry to those who've seen it already in the players lounge section. Thought it deserved wider exposure.

[bigmick]

He was unquestionably the best centre-half I've ever seen, and I'm including Baresi, Cannevaro and other player around in the recent to modern era. Those Liverpool fans who never got to see him play missed a treat. Despite the fact that he is unquestionably a bit of a d1ckhead, Mark Lawrenson waas a superb centre-half, but such was Hansens ability he was comfortably the better of the two. It remains one of the most bizarre facts of the post-war era that during Hansens best period Scotland preferred Alex Mcleish and Willie Miller as their central defensive pairing. This was apparently due to some high jinx on an overseas U21 trip, but nonetheless would be the modern equivalent of picking Alan Stubbs as he is today ahead of Jamie Carragher. Absolutely incredible when you think about it. I remember when Liverpool played the all conquering Aberdeen team of the early eightees, with the aforementioned central defensive partnership "the battle of Britain" and all that. Spanked their erse 5-0 over two legs as I remember, with Terry Mac scoring with an exquisite little chip froma tight angle up there.

Anyway I digress. Take it from me if you never saw him, Hansen was an absolutely wonderful footballer.

[account deleted by request]

When he first came into the team, I confidently told everyone that he would have to change the way he played or he "would never make it". My view was further reinforced by his tempory move to full back which I presumed was due to his lack of discipline at the back. He never changed his style but I soon changed my view! He was without doubt the best central defender I have seen and I watched Moore, Hughes,Smith and Lawrenson etc at their peak.

[Kash_Mountain]

He was absolutely fantastic. Class.

[god_bless_john_houlding]

Liverpool's greatest centre half, EVER.

[ken_job]

What a great piece of writing...I am immediately in awe of a man I have never seen play, and jealous of those that have.

I have heard many great things said of him but have still only seen short clips...such a shame for the younger liverpool fc audience. Maybe the new LFC tv station will dedicate hours to legends like Hansen. I look forward to an education

[RedBlood]

i never got to see him play it was b4 my time

but if he is regarded as a better defender then carra sami agger babb(lol) he must have been one hell of a player

[puroresu]

Wasnt the Hansen scotland thing all to do with conflict between the scottish based players and the players based in England.

[Paul C]

Hansen was at his prime when I was growing up in the 80's, he totally deserved the label of LFC Legend!!!!

For younger fans I would comapre Sami Hyypia to Hansen, also in regards to how much he cost

[god_bless_john_houlding]

Hansen was at his prime when I was growing up in the 80's, he totally deserved the label of LFC Legend!!!!

For younger fans I would comapre Sami Hyypia to Hansen, also in regards to how much he cost

Dan Agger reminds me a lot of Hansen, but I doubt Agger will ever be in Jocky's class. I put Hansen ahead of Tommy Smith, Emlyn Hughes, Phil Thompson, Carra, even Babb. Best ever centre half I've seen in world football, not only the ones who have graced the Anfield turf.

[Paul C]

Hansen was at his prime when I was growing up in the 80's, he totally deserved the label of LFC Legend!!!!

For younger fans I would comapre Sami Hyypia to Hansen, also in regards to how much he cost

Dan Agger reminds me a lot of Hansen, but I doubt Agger will ever be in Jocky's class. I put Hansen ahead of Tommy Smith, Emlyn Hughes, Phil Thompson, Carra, even Babb. Best ever centre half I've seen in world football, not only the ones who have graced the Anfield turf.

lmao, Phil Babb 

[god_bless_john_houlding]

Hansen was at his prime when I was growing up in the 80's, he totally deserved the label of LFC Legend!!!!

For younger fans I would comapre Sami Hyypia to Hansen, also in regards to how much he cost

Dan Agger reminds me a lot of Hansen, but I doubt Agger will ever be in Jocky's class. I put Hansen ahead of Tommy Smith, Emlyn Hughes, Phil Thompson, Carra, even Babb. Best ever centre half I've seen in world football, not only the ones who have graced the Anfield turf.

lmao, Phil Babb 

Babb doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Jocky Hansen. Hansen was on another level to most centre halves in world football. Best ever for me.

[The Bench]

When me old man first took me the game, early 80's btw, I was just intersted in seein kenny and then rush, and maybe grobelaar as he stood still enough for me to see what he was doin as we we're always on the attack back then! But me old man was alway0s telling me to watch Hansen. Cool as a cucumber was the phrase he always used. "If you wanna be a footballer son, then just watch hansen, he has more time than anyone all the time, cool as a cucumber".

As I got older and started goin the match more often, Hansen was a fixture and maybe we all took for granted that the composure of our number 6 was normal for a centre half. Alan Hansen is a true legend and the those who say he's the best centre half they've ever seen they're right in that sense, but I think he was also one of the best "footballers" in the true sense of the word, we'll ever see.

As a comparison for the fans who never seen him, imagine a player like xabi alonso (intelligence and passing ability),  playing centre half as well as carra(reading the game, commitment) at the same time.

[god_bless_john_houlding]

Alan Hansen will never take the credit for his own success, he always places that upon the shoulders of the great man himself Bob Paisley. Jocky Hansen has always creditted Paisley with his own personal success because of a bit of advice Paisley once gave him, "the first 2 yards are in your head". Like most people Hansen, didn't understand this at the time but as time went on he understood it more clearly. If you can read the game then you'll know where to be standing to intercept the ball and it was that little bit of intelligence that Paisley was on about. If you're in the correct position to begin with then you have a 2 yard advantage on the opponent. So I'm all for praising Hansen because he was top quality but a little mention to Bob Paisley to. 2 reasons really, 1) for that bit of advice and 2) for signing an unknown centre half from a small scottish side, Partick Thistle, and bringing him into a side that had just won the European Cup. Great management by Bob, RIP.