Liverpool legend Alan Hansen believes that Spurs are in with a great chance of winning the league this season, but argued that their title credentials are about to severely tested.Speaking to the BBC, Hansen seemed very enthusiastic about Spurs' chances of winning their first Premier League title.

Anfield legend Alan Hansen is usually quite diplomatic when it comes to assessing Liverpool, but he didn't hold back when analysing the team's 'performance' against Bolton. Speaking on Match of the Day last night, Hansen shared Kenny Dalglish's disappointment:"When he [Dalglish] played at Liverpool, and when he was the manager the first time round, he would always encourage us to start quickly,

Anfield legend Alan Hansen believes Jordan Henderson should be exempt from the criticism that is increasingly being levelled against Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish's summer signings. Speaking to the BBC earlier today, Hansen expressed concern about the performances of Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll, but he was upbeat about the former Sunderland midfielder.

"Manchester United do not look absolutely irresistible," said Wenger. "But they know how to deal with the money time. That means the last 15 minutes when it is 0-0. They have won so many titles because they are not nervous."

This season, our squad has been ravaged with injuries. Our captain and most important defender, Nemanja Vidic, has been ruled out since December.

It's been a problem of Chelsea's ever since Jose Mourinho decided to drop Paulo Ferreira from that position back in the day. Think of the names we have had playing there: Geremi, Diarra, Del Horno, Bosingwa and Ivanovic and still no one has put down a marker and made the position their own.
Branislav Ivanovic did to a certain extent but was never truly happy playing there.

Any hopes we had of tiptoeing under the radar were swiftly punted into the Thames on Wednesday evening after every man and his lame dog in the days following declared Tottenham of Hotspur as genuine title contenders™. Alan Hansen, David Platt, S'ralex- even our own Heemskerk Howitzer, Rafael Van der Vaart, has pitched his tent in the side of ‘why the heck not'.

Any hopes we had of tiptoeing under the radar were swiftly punted into the Thames on Wednesday evening after every man and his lame dog in the days following declared Tottenham of Hotspur as genuine title contenders™. Alan Hansen, David Platt, S'ralex- even our own Heemskerk Howitzer, Rafael Van der Vaart, has pitched his tent in the side of ‘why the heck not'.

1. Caught Offside

Be a sheep. Whilst it is always good to locate the 'next big thing' and follow the trend of a cheap player hitting a strong patch of form, do not attempt to adhere to the theory that buying the most obvious players is pointless as everyone has them.

Whether you are a Manchester United supporter or not, it's hard to argue with their ability to grind out results.
Sir Alex Ferguson and his 19 titles would be tough to refute in a debate, but when you look closely, you can see that at the core of the club's long run of success is the mental toughness needed to fight through rigid fixtures and tough opposition.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the Premier League, a series of awards will be handed out the recognise the best players, goals, matches, celebrations etc. of the past twenty years.

As you would expect, having won more Premier League titles than every other club combined, we dominate the awards.

"You don't win anything with kids" was Alan Hansen's infamous assertion about Man United's class of '95. He was talking about the likes of David Beckham, Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. Winning the FA Youth Cup in 1992, ...
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1-0 up, 2-1 down and a (seemingly) improbable fight back... Arsenal's victory at the Hawthorns may not have had quite the drama of Manchester City's stunning fight back at the Etihad, but its importance for the Gunners cannot be overestimated.

Suicidal defending, an inability to keep possession, plenty of pretty passing and an unlikely 3-2 victory.

Alan Hansen 'devastated' by Gary Ablett death

BBC football pundit Alan Hansen says the death of his former Liverpool team mate Gary Ablett has come as a shock. Ablett, who is the only the player to win the FA Cup with both Liverpool and Everton, died at the age of 46 following a battle against non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Liverpool play Manchester City three times over the next month, and the given the club's great recent record against the top teams in the league, fans will be confident that Kenny Dalglish's team can get results in all three games. Anfield legend Alan Hansen isn't so sure though, and he's predicted that City will knock Liverpool out of the Carling Cup.

Hansen's tribute to Ablett

Alan Hansen has spoken of his sadness following the death of former Liverpool defender Gary Ablett.

View the full story here: Liverpool FC

A news article on 2012-01-03 09:37:16 from: Liverpool FC

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

Following the un-timely death of former Liverpool title winning defender Gary Ablett (46), we've decided to track down the where abouts of the Merseyside clubs last title winning squad in 1989-90.

Bruce Grobbelaar (54): Liverpool's most famous keeper currently resides in Canada and sometimes appears as a pundit on Norwegian TV channel TV-2.

Alan Hansen's criticism of Chelsea has incurred the wrath of Andre Villas-Boas on more than one occasion this season, and the Liverpool legend has risked more bad blood by launching a stinging attack on Chelsea defenders David Luiz and Jose Bosingwa. Earlier in the season, Hansen accused AVB of being 'naive' in his tactical approach, and dedicated an entire column in 'The Telegraph' to

FA officials studying the video of Manchester City's 3-0 win over Liverpool have retrospectively awarded Martin krtel an imaginary three game ban following Roberto Mancini's persuasive waving of an imaginary card.

The Imaginary Appeal panel is set to meet on Thursday to imagine what punishment they imagine would be appropriate.

By Alan Duffy

Lionel Richie? I was going for Craig Johnston meets Bruce Grobbelaar...

This hasn't been the best of periods for Liverpool FC, certainly in terms of PR. With the club tying itself in all kinds of knots over the Luis Suarez affair, and then Anfield legend Alan Hansen getting lambasted for his out-dated use of the word "coloured", it's been a heck a few weeks for the club.

By Alan Duffy

Erm, I guess bad things come in fours, not threes then. Coming swiftly on the heels of Robbie Fowler's innocent yet badly timed Lionel Richie 'black-up', Alan Hansen's 'coloured' remarks and the Luis Suarez case, comes news that Oldham youngster Tom Adeyemi was allegedly racially abused by Liverpool fans during last night's FA Cup game at Anfield (which the Reds won 5-1).

For transitional fossil Kenny Dalglish, it is surely time to evolve.
Last nights racist abuse of Tom Adeyemi is purely the fault of the Liverpool Football Club.
Dalglish and his players are heroes to some very very stupid people.
These neuronically moronic pick up mass hysterias that allow them to shroud their inate fear and weaknesses with the misplaced sense of hyper-power that is racism.

The Cold...

Is pissing off to the last degree. A few well-chosen hours of sunlight aside, the entire day in this remote corner of Rajasthan is as bone-chilling as watching Overmars running towards you at full-pelt. No central heating and no adipose have collectively ensured that that I indulge in glum sighs and sad smileys galore at the turn of the New Year.

Mail: Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish must end war, says Alan Hansen

Alan Hansen has called for Sir Alex Ferguson and Kenny Dalglish to release a joint statement to ease tensions ahead of two potentially explosive meetings between Manchester United and Liverpool.

LFC: Hansen: 'Let's take City advantage'

Alan Hansen believes Liverpool can take full advantage of a Manchester City side that will be without several key players for the first leg of the Carling Cup tie at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night.

View the full story here: Liverpool FC

A news article on 2012-01-10 14:53:30 from: Liverpool FC

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

By Greg Evans

Over the course of the past few weeks, the footballing headlines have read a little something like this: 'Henry comes of the bench to seal win for the Gunners'; 'Star striker Robbie Keane signs for Aston Villa'; 'Scholes goal spurns United on to victory', 'Carlton Palmer makes himself available for England Euro 2012 duty', etc , etc.

Former team-mates and current professionals were among the mourners who attended the funeral of former Liverpool and Everton defender Gary Ablett.
The 46-year-old died on New Year's Day after a 16-month battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish and Everton boss David Moyes were present at the city's Anglican Cathedral along with many of Ablett's team-mates – including John Barnes, Alan Hansen, Mark Lawrenson, Duncan Ferguson, Matt Jackson and David Unsworth – and other contemporaries from the 1980s and early 1990s.

Sir Alex Ferguson, January 31st 2012

"I noticed Alan Hansen was at it again, saying we had not played well for one and a half years. I reckon that comment goes alongside his claim a few years ago that you don't win anything with youngsters, and you know how he finished up with egg on his face after dismissing the Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, David Beckham, Gary Neville crop of kids so foolishly.

A few days ago, Mark Lawrenson argued that Arsene Wenger would probably 'fall on his sword' at the end of the season, especially if he failed to guide Arsenal into next season's Champions League. Liverpool legend Alan Hansen agrees with his former defensive partner, and believes the next 8-10 weeks could be the defining period of Wenger's reign.

Over the weekend, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish publicly praised returning striker Luis Suarez, gushing that he is 'loved and revered' at Anfield. Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher aside, the last non-Liverpudlian player to receive such acclaim and adulation was (arguably) Fernando Torres, but legend Alan Hansen believes that Suarez has now eclipsed the Spaniard's popularity.

After failing to capture the League Cup against Nottingham Forest when they made it to the finals for the first time in 1978, Liverpool would get their second chance three years later against a West Ham United side who at the time were plying their trade in Division Two. Despite the Hammers representing lower league opposition, they were hardly pushovers in a season that saw them finish first to return to the top flight and make it to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup as winners of the previous season's FA Cup.

After failing to capture the League Cup against Nottingham Forest when they made it to the finals for the first time in 1978, Liverpool would get their second chance three years later against a West Ham United side who at the time were plying their trade in Division Two. Despite the Hammers representing lower league opposition, they were hardly pushovers in a season that saw them finish first to return to the top flight and make it to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup as winners of the previous season's FA Cup.

The above headline is a thought that's been brought up on several occasions, most notably by Alan Hansen every time he asked about City on Match of the Day. It's an opinion that's been thought and voiced so much in the last few months that it's turned into a rhetorical question. Mario Balotelli is affecting City's title pursuit in a negative manner.

By Chris Wright

The BBC crew begin to kit out the studio ahead of 'Arry's arrival

Saints be praised! After failing to reach Euro 2012 through the official channels earlier in the week, it was been announced today that Harry Redknapp shall go to the ball after all after accepting a position on the BBC's punditry panel for the tournament.