Graeme Souness and Martin Keown clash in heated debate over Liverpool legends

Martin Keown and Graeme Souness have engaged an entertaining debate over former Liverpool defenders Mark Hansen and Mark Lawrenson.

Former Arsenal centre-back Keown was a guest on talkSPORT on Friday afternoon, and talk turned to how the game has changed since his playing days.

He referenced the implementation of the back-rule pass, and suggested both Hansen and Lawrenson relied too much upon giving it back to the goalkeeper to pick up in his day.

However Souness, who played in the same Liverpool team, was not having any of it, and decided to phone up the station to have it out with Keown.

"I nearly crashed my car, Martin, after what you said," Souness started.

“I understand there have been improvements to the game, without a shadow of a doubt, but I totally disagree with you in terms of Alan Hansen and Mark Lawrenson.

“You could’ve picked any other partnership that was playing football at that time and called them out on what they would do by going back to the goalkeeper at every opportunity when put under pressure.

“But you’ve named the best two footballing centre-halves that arguably this country has ever seen!"

Keown went on to defend himself, replying: "I wasn’t saying it in a demeaning way about those two, they were the best ball-playing defenders of our time.

"It was being said in the context of rule changes, it was a throwaway comment."

Souness would not be placated, however, and continued: "Well, you should’ve said that. You picked the wrong ones!

"You made it sound, for somebody who’s not seen them play, like they couldn’t play. That’s how it sounded. You could not have picked a worse two to give an example of."

In the end Souness appeared to calm down, and Keown admitted: "If they were playing today, they’d find a way not to go back to the goalkeeper and be successful.

"If you look at today, it’s only Virgil van Dijk who can question them as the all-time best centre-backs for Liverpool."

It was certainly not an argument for the faint-hearted, however, with both men giving it back to each other to try to make their points.

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