Alan Hansen’s ‘Jock pictures’ and why he is one of Liverpool’s all-time greats

That was down to Hansen’s exceptional reading of the game and he had a talent which would have suited any age. He knew where the ball was going to be and would nip in to clear it or make an interception.

When he dribbled out with the ball, it was like everyone else was in slow motion. He would slalom past challenges with ease, like Franz Klammer on a downhill run, before releasing Ian Rush or Dalglish.

He never wasted a pass and in terms of football IQ, this guy was an Einstein.

Hansen, or ‘Big Al’ as Dalglish used to call him, was close friends with his compatriot and they used to share lifts to training at Melwood. Dalglish made Hansen Liverpool captain when he took over as player-manager in 1985 and regrets his friend did not get the credit he deserved when the Reds won the Double the following season.

Writing in his autobiography, Dalglish said: “One big disappointment about the whole Double achievement was that Big Al never received the credit due to a Double-winning captain.

“Because I was player-manager, the praise seemed to be focused on me. That was wrong. Big Al led by example on and off the pitch.

“Al earned the players’ respect because, despite being good friends with me, they knew he could be trusted. The players knew that if they told Al a story, it would not get back to me. He was a great captain.”

Signed for £100,000 from Patrick Thistle in May 1977, Hansen initially had to be patient before replacing Emlyn Hughes at the heart of Liverpool’s defence in 1979. He made 620 appearances for Liverpool between 1977 and 1990, scoring 14 goals.

He was imperious as ever in his final campaign in 1989-1990, guiding Liverpool to their 18th title at 34 before a bad knee injury ended his career the following season.

Hansen won just 26 caps for Scotland, including appearing at the 1982 World Cup, and he was scandalously underused by his country. This was apparent when Alex Ferguson ignored him for his squad for the 1986 World Cup, even though he had just captained Liverpool to the Double.

He decided management wasn’t for him and a new generation of fans know him as one of the BBC’s most-astute pundits, especially on Match of the Day.

He quit a decade ago to enjoy retirement away from the limelight. Now the football world is praying he wins his biggest battle yet.

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