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).
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.
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.
Bob Paisley retired in May 1983 after nine glorious seasons as manager, and was succeeded by another 'boot room boy', Joe Fagan. Fagan ensured a seamless transition and the 1983-84 campaign was to be even more successful, with Hansen and Lawrenson forming a rock-solid defensive barrier. Like 'Lawro', Alan was ever present in the League, scoring his only goal of the campaign in a 5-0 thumping of Coventry City at Anfield in May. In their 42 games, Liverpool conceded only 32 goals (easily the best in the top division) and wrapped up a third title in a row, and a record 15th in total, with a 0-0 draw at Notts County on May 12th. Hansen also played in all 25 of the Reds' matches in other competitions, making a career-high 67 in total. In doing so he helped Liverpool retain the Milk Cup/League Cup, remarkably enough for the fourth year in a row, a Graeme Souness goal giving them a 1-0 victory over Everton in the replayed final at Maine Road (home of Manchester City) on March 28th. A magnificent season was completed when Liverpool defeated AS Roma 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw on the Italians' own ground, the Olympic Stadium in Rome. With his outstanding performances, Hansen had made a telling contribution to a historic treble and, remarkably, claimed his 11th major honour in only seven seasons. Alan missed only one League match in the 1984-85, a season in which Liverpool made their worst start in many years, dropping to an unheard of 18th place in the table after winning only two of their first 11 League games. His partnership with Lawrenson was affected by recurring injuries to the former Brighton man, who played only 33 League games, but the Reds still conceded only 35 goals in 42 League games, comfortably the best in the top division. However, they could not recover fully from their poor start to the campaign and had to settle for third in the table, 15 points adrift of champions Everton. Alan made 21 appearances in other competitions but Liverpool found no consolation in any of these. After an early exit from the League Cup, they were knocked out of the FA Cup at the semi-final stage (2-1 in a replay by Manchester United), before being beaten 1-0 to Juventus in the final of the European Cup, a match that lost virtually all meaning after the tragic deaths of 39 Juventus fans in the Heysel Stadium disaster.
Alan Hansen was appointed club captain in the summer of 1985 by new manager Kenny Dalglish, the replacement for Joe Fagan, who had resigned in the wake of Heysel. Dalglish also made some changes to the side as the season progressed but both Hansen and Lawrenson continued as the favoured partnership in central defence, Alan making 41 League appearances (without scoring) as Liverpool conceded only 37 goals on their way to regaining the championship. Crucial to achieving a record 16th title was a run of 11 wins and a draw in their last 12 games, the Reds conceding only one goal in their last nine matches. Hansen made 21 appearances in other competitions as Liverpool completed their first ever League-FA Cup double, defeating Everton 3-1 in the first all-Merseyside Cup final at Wembley on May 10th 1986. Having lifted the league championship trophy a week earlier (following a 1-0 win at Chelsea), Alan now had the famous Cup to hold aloft, rounding off a memorable first season as captain. After winning the Double, the 1986-87 season was one of anti-climax for the club and change for Alan. He made 39 League appearances (no goals) as Liverpool conceded 44 goals, their highest total for two decades (they had let in 47 in season 1966-67). Aside from injuries, the main reason for this unusual frailty was the bedding-in of a new central defensive partnership. Gary Gillespie, a young Scot signed from Coventry City in 1983, had finally broken into the side to play alongside Alan, with Mark Lawrenson moving to full back. With this new formation taking time to gel, the climax of the campaign saw the Reds finish runners-up to Everton (who only conceded 29 League goals) after holding a five-point lead over their neighbours with nine games remaining. Alan made 14 appearances in other competitions but, again, these ended in disappointment as Liverpool went out in the 3rd round of the FA Cup (3-0 to Luton Town in a second replay) and lost in the Littlewoods Cup final (beaten 2-1 by Arsenal despite taking the lead). Hansen continued as captain as Liverpool began the following campaign very brightly, dropping just one point and conceding only six goals in their first 11 League games. He continued his new partnership with Gillespie as the Reds remained unbeaten in the League for a record-equalling run of 29 games from the start of the season, finally losing 1-0 at Everton on March 20th, 1988. That proved to be just a blip as they went on to win the League title easily, racking up 90 points with 87 goals scored and only 24 conceded, their lowest total in almost a decade (the record-breaking 1978-79 side having let in only 16). This defensive solidity included an impressive run of seven consecutive clean sheets between December 1987 and February 1988. However, hopes of another double were dashed when unfashionable Wimbledon beat them 1-0 in the FA Cup Final at Wembley, one of the biggest shocks in the history of the competition. Nevertheless, it had been an excellent season overall for both Hansen and the club. Liverpool had lit up the domestic scene with their vibrant attacking play, backed up with an excellent defence in which Alan, by now pushing 33 years of age, was still the key figure. He made a total of 49 competitive appearances that term (including 39 in the League) and, as a bonus, scored his first goal in four seasons in a 3-2 League win over Charlton Athletic at Anfield in September 1987.
The 1988/89 campaign did not go nearly as well for Alan Hansen as the previous season. Injury prevented him from starting a game until May 1989 (a 0-0 draw away to local rivals Everton in the League) and he made only six appearances that season. One of these, however, was in the FA Cup final, Alan helping Liverpool defeat Everton 3-2 at Wembley (after extra-time) on May 20th. His and Liverpool's last game of that momentous season (the Hillsborough disaster had occurred on April 16th 1989, the tragic events meaning a delayed end to the season) came in a 2-0 home defeat by Arsenal, the Gunners snatching a last-gasp second goal to agonisingly deny Liverpool the League title on goals scored (both sides finishing on 76 points from 38 games). Due to his long absence, Hansen had been replaced as captain that season by Ronnie Whelan, the Irish midfielder, but the armband was returned to him in readiness for the 1989-90 campaign as Liverpool sought to regain the championship. Now partnered by Glenn Hysen, the captain of Sweden, who had joined the club that summer, Alan soon returned to his customary fine form. Although injuries restricted him to 31 League appearances, he helped the Reds concede only 37 goals in their 38 games (the best in the top division) as they won a record 18th title. He also made 11 appearances in other competitions, Liverpool coming closest to more silverware in the FA Cup, where they suffered a shock 4-3 semi-final defeat to Crystal Palace at Villa Park, the Londoners gaining revenge on the Reds who had annihilated them 9-0 at Anfield earlier in the season. Now nearly 35, and increasingly troubled with injuries, Alan had to be substituted in a 2-1 League win against Queen's Park Rangers at Anfield on April 28th 1990, and this proved to be his last game for the club. Later attempts at a comeback were thwarted by a knee problem and he retired in 1991, bringing the curtain down on an outstanding Liverpool career. In 13 glorious seasons at the club, Hansen had made 620 appearances in all competitions (scoring 14 goals) and collected 16 major honours, including eight League championships and three European Cups. A key figure in a magical era for the club, he is probably the best defender in Liverpool's history.
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