Alan HANSEN

 A tall central defender, Alan Hansen was signed from Scottish club Partick Thistle for £100, 000 in May 1977 and made his first-team debut in a 1-0 League win against Derby County at Anfield on September 24th 1977. A skilful, elegant player, he would be a linchpin of Liverpool's defence for over a decade, forming superb partnerships with Phil Thompson and, later, Mark Lawrenson. With good vision and excellent passing skills, he was adept at starting attacks from the back and would sometimes even surge out of defence to link up with the strikers. He was also quick, good in the air and had fine positional sense. In short, he possessed all the attributes of a top class defender. In his first season at the club, 1977-78, Alan was in and out of the side, usually replacing the injury-plagued Phil Thompson, and played only 18 League games in total. He did, however, end the campaign as a regular in the team, an injury to Tommy Smith in April 1978 having freed up a place in defence.

He came into the side at left back and appeared in the European Cup final, helping to keep a clean sheet as a goal from Kenny Dalglish proved enough to defeat the Belgian side FC Bruges 1-0 at Wembley on May 10th. Winning his first major medal was a fine end to a season in which Alan made 26 appearances in all competitions and scored his first goal (a header) as the Reds brushed aside Dynamo Dresden, the East German champions, 5-1 in a European Cup 2nd round 1st leg tie at Anfield on October 19 1977. With Liverpool having signed a specialist left back, Alan Kennedy, in the summer of 1978, Hansen faced competition from club captain Emlyn Hughes for a place alongside Phil Thompson in central defence. Hughes began the season in pole position but Hansen replaced him in October and never looked back, establishing himself as a first-team regular and starting all but two of the Reds' last 35 League games.

In all, he made 34 League appearances that term, scoring one goal, in a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in April. More importantly, he was a key figure in a defence that set a new Football League record by conceding only 16 goals in their League 42 games, racking up a remarkable 28 clean sheets in the process. With such a solid defence, and a potent attack that hit 84 goals, Liverpool eased to a record 11th League title, ending the season with a run of four wins and four clean sheets. Alan made eight appearances in other competitions but the nearest he came to winning another medal was in the FA Cup, where Liverpool lost a semi-final replay to Manchester United (0-1 at Goodison Park in April). (Martin Greensill)

 Alan Hansen missed four of the first six League matches of the 1979-80 season due to injury but played in the last 36 for a total of 38. He also chipped in with a useful four goals, including the opener in a 2-0 home win against Manchester United in December and the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win against Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield in March. He again helped the side to the division's best defensive record, the Reds conceding only 30 goals and keeping 19 clean sheets as they retained their Division One title, winning the championship for a record 12th time. His partnership with Thompson (for once, an ever present in the League) continued to flourish, providing the team with great defensive solidity. Alan also made 15 appearances in knockout competitions (without scoring), helping Liverpool reach the semi-finals of both the FA Cup and the League Cup, where they lost, respectively, to Arsenal (0-1 in a third replay) and Nottingham Forest (1-2 on aggregate).

He played 36 of the 42 league games in the following campaign, scoring his only goal in a 4-1 drubbing of Norwich City at Anfield in September. However, recurring injuries to Thompson and left back Alan Kennedy did nothing for defensive consistency as Liverpool leaked 42 goals, the most they had conceded in eight seasons. Added to a shortage of goals (only 62), it was not surprising that the Reds failed to mount a challenge for the League championship, finishing in 5th place (their lowest position since also finishing 5th a decade earlier), nine points behind champions Aston Villa. Nevertheless, they ended the campaign in fine style by collecting two pieces of silverware, Hansen playing an important role in each triumph.

First, he appeared in eight of the club's nine League Cup ties and scored the winner in a 2-1 victory over West Ham United (see photo above, Alan soaring above Alvin Martin to head home as Ray Kennedy looks on) in the replayed final at Villa Park on April 1st, a result that brought this trophy to Anfield for the first time. Next, he played in all nine European Cup ties and helped keep a clean sheet as Liverpool beat Real Madrid 1-0 in the final in Paris on May 27th, Alan Kennedy scoring the only goal of the game. After a busy campaign in which he made a total of 54 appearances in all competitions, Hansen had now won five major honours in only four seasons at the club. (Martin Greensill)

Alan made 35 League appearances in the 1981-82 season (without scoring), being confined to two short spells on the sidelines due to injury. Liverpool made a slow start to the campaign, winning only three of their first 11 League games and struggling to find their usual form. They started 1982 in mid-table but 20 wins and three draws in their last 25 League games saw them wrap up a record 13th title, Hansen helping the side keep six clean sheets in their last ten matches. This made it two trophies for the season as the Reds had earlier retained the League Cup with a 3-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on March 13th. Alan, however, missed that game through injury, and so was able to add 'only' one medal to his growing collection. He made a total of 17 appearances in other competitions, scoring twice: the winner in a 3-2 home victory over Dutch side AZ 67 Alkmaar in a European Cup 2nd round 2nd leg tie in November; and the opener in a 4-0 win at Swansea City in an FA Cup 3rd round tie in January.

Injury ruled Hansen out of the first seven League games of the following season but he returned to the side in October and missed only one of the last 35 matches. At first he was paired, as usual, with Phil Thompson in central defence but 'Thommo' was injured during a 3-1 home win against Watford on December 11th, and was replaced by Mark Lawrenson, a club record £900, 000 purchase from Brighton in August 1981. This new partnership proved very solid, Liverpool conceding only 11 goals in their next 18 League games as they went on to retain their title with minimum fuss, finishing 11 points ahead of surprise runners-up Watford. Hansen thus collected his second medal of the season, the Reds having also won the League Cup (newly renamed the Milk Cup) for the third season in a row, beating Manchester United 2-1 at Wembley on March 26th. That was one of 17 appearances in knockout competitions that Alan made (without scoring) that season. (Martin Greensill)