The Online Campaign to Vote Lovren as Player of the Month

Mohamed Salah is probably going to win October’s player of the month. He won in August and September as well, already making him a leading candidate for player of the season.

However, some Liverpool fans are attempting to sway the online voting for someone whose play definitely does not warrant it: Dejan Lovren.

The Croatian defender was pulled after just thirty minutes into the 4-1 humiliating loss at Wembley to Tottenham Hotspur, and hasn’t featured since because of injury. The abuse the defender received following that loss was so bad he had to restrict access to his social media accounts. The abuse even included death threats toward himself and his family.

This is simply unacceptable, or as Lovren himself correctly says, “Disgusting.” Yes, playing football is his job. And yes, Lovren is prone to making some very costly mistakes. But that is too far, and by quite the distance.

In a backlash to the backlash, some Liverpool supporters have taken to Reddit and Twitter to create a groundswell of votes for Player of the Month for the out-of-favor defender. Of course, the award is intended for the best Liverpool player, but it’s a nice gesture to make up for the horrible elements of our fanbase.

I have no idea how Lovren is as a person off the pitch, but he is a human being and wholly undeserving of this kind of abuse. He has routinely come under scrutiny since his £20 million move from Southampton, often as the most glaring example of a defense that can’t defend. He is still a Liverpool player though, and he needs our support both on and off the pitch.

As of this writing Salah is leading with 43% of the vote. However, Lovren has moved up to a distant second with 15% of the vote. If you choose to support this cause (or, you know, vote for Salah), the poll can be found here.