Comments made by Graeme Souness in defense of his former Liverpool teammate Alan Hansen have resurfaced following news of Hansen’s recent illness.
During his 14-year stint at Anfield, Hansen amassed an impressive array of accolades, including every major honor available. He made over 600 appearances for one of English football’s most celebrated teams.
Alongside Mark Lawrenson, Hansen formed a formidable defensive partnership that lasted for six-and-a-half seasons and is regarded by many as the greatest in Liverpool’s history.
However, in a 2021 interview with talkSPORT, former Arsenal defender Martin Keown criticized the pair for exploiting the absence of a law prohibiting backpasses. He claimed they frequently passed the ball back to the goalkeeper to stifle opposing attacks.
Footage has emerged of Graeme Souness (left) passionately defending his former Liverpool colleague (Alan Hansen) on the radio.
Former Arsenal star Martin Keown accused Hansen and his defensive partner, Mark Lawrenson, of taking advantage of the absence of a back-pass rule in the 1980s.
Keown stated, ‘The back-pass rule significantly altered the game. Consider Liverpool’s Hansen and Lawrenson, who would simply roll the ball back to the keeper. [Bruce] Grobbelaar, the goalkeeper, would retrieve it every time it came close.’
Souness, who was listening to the broadcast while driving, immediately called in to defend his former teammates. He exclaimed to Keown, ‘Martin, your remarks nearly caused me to crash my car!’
Souness continued, ‘I understand that the game has evolved, but I completely disagree with your assessment of Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson. You could have criticized any other defensive partnership from that era for opting to pass back to the goalkeeper when pressured.’
‘Instead, you singled out the best two footballing center-halves this country has ever seen! Alan Hansen was the greatest footballing center-half I’ve ever played with, and Lawro wasn’t far behind,’ Souness added.
Keown acknowledged Souness’ perspective but stood by his initial comment about Liverpool’s defense frequently opting to pass back to the goalkeeper rather than progressing the ball forward.
Souness, however, insisted that Keown could not have chosen a worse example.
Souness (left) emphasized that there has ‘never been a better footballing center-half’ than Hansen (right)
Souness further added, ‘Martin, I played with them for about 300 games, so I know how talented they were. They were like midfielders in disguise; they were that good technically. You couldn’t take the ball away from them. Their training was entirely focused on moving forward.’
‘Your remarks made it sound like they couldn’t play, which is simply not true for someone who hasn’t seen them in action. You couldn’t have chosen a worse example,’ Souness concluded.
On Sunday, Liverpool released a statement regarding their former captain’s health, revealing that Hansen is ‘seriously ill’ and currently hospitalized.
The club expressed, ‘The thoughts and support of everyone at Liverpool FC are with our legendary former captain Alan Hansen, who is currently seriously ill in hospital. An exceptionally graceful defender, Hansen’s remarkable list of honors during his 14-year tenure at Liverpool includes eight league titles, three European Cups, two FA Cups, and three League Cups.’
‘Hansen, affectionately known as ‘Jockey’ by his teammates, ranks among the top 10 for all-time appearances for the club, having played 620 matches. The Scottish center-back also served as Liverpool’s skipper for four seasons.’
During their time together at Anfield, Souness and Hansen celebrated three European Cup triumphs.
‘The club is currently in contact with Alan’s family to offer our support during this challenging time. Our thoughts, wishes, and hopes are with Alan and the entire Hansen family. We will provide further updates as we receive them and request that the Hansen family’s privacy be respected,’ the statement concluded.