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It hasn't even been 48 hours since the #HendoShuffle, yet here's Laurie -- true to form -- ridiculing a player as "a little bit of fun" before he leaves the club, and inviting some of the most negative and toxic LFC accounts to join in.
Here's a different kind of thread: https://twitter.com/LFCLaurie/status/1286669359562334212
Here's a different kind of thread: https://twitter.com/LFCLaurie/status/1286669359562334212
Two years and two weeks ago, Dejan Lovren famously said that the 2018 World Cup showed he was "one of the best defenders in the world." It's safe to say many -- probably most -- Liverpool supporters didn't agree with Lovren.
Perhaps the fairest verdict on his ability and shortcomings was given by a man capable of remarkable insight and empathy: "If you just think about yourself like I think about you, you will be one of the best players in the world," Klopp said to Lovren after a torrid 4-1 loss ...
... to Spurs, months before that World Cup. Lovren acknowledged that his mentality -- his lack of confidence -- informs his performances. It's a hurdle he was never able to overcome. That, and frequent injuries, ensured that despite forming effective partnerships with both ...
... Matip and van Dijk (0.79 goals conceded per start in 2016-17 and 2018-19, respectively, if I remember correctly), he would never shake his propensity for an error, and eventually found himself fourth in Klopp's pecking order.
Lovren wants to leave now, which is probably for the best. He wants to play first team football, and Liverpool is not the place for that. There's no shame in knowing your limits, and no one can say that Degsy didn't give everything he had.
I want to take a quick detour here. Bill Shankly once famously quipped that football was much more important than life and death. It's not, of course. At a very basic level, football is sport as entertainment. It is elevated into something greater when we -- as supporters -- ...
... give it greater meaning: community ties, solidarity efforts, civic pride.
My work IS a matter of life and death. I don't say this as a bragging point. When people come to join us, we understand the commitment they're making. We're also cognizant of the challenges they'll ...
My work IS a matter of life and death. I don't say this as a bragging point. When people come to join us, we understand the commitment they're making. We're also cognizant of the challenges they'll ...
... face before they're allowed to enter our team. We see no point in publicly ridiculing them, or in pointing out their every error for amusement. We recognize that this will only hinder the person we need to emerge.
And that's why I detest Laurie (and every other Laurie ...
And that's why I detest Laurie (and every other Laurie ...
... out there) that thinks that mocking a player as he prepares to leave is "just a bit of fun." Lovren's work isn't a matter of life or death, but when you ridicule him or any other player for not being good enough you lost the right to call yourself a *supporter.*
Laurie might read this and start adding up all the things he's done that he thinks justify him inviting people to retweet his "bit of fun", but that's not how it works. His is a mindset wherein it's okay to ignore the human element Klopp continually champions, because mocking ...
... someone struggling on a stage beyond your wildest dreams gets you likes and clout on social media. It's antithetical to Liverpool's values. It's a perfect example of the "criticism" fans like Laurie whine about being suppressed. It's cherrypicking moments, keeping score, ...
... and finding pleasure in someone who we should supporting failing -- because then they get to say "I told you so."
The time to objectively analyze and criticize Lovren's performances -- or those of Lallana, or Origi, or anyone else that leaves -- was after the match itself.
The time to objectively analyze and criticize Lovren's performances -- or those of Lallana, or Origi, or anyone else that leaves -- was after the match itself.
Now is the time to say goodbye. How we do so should depend on the effort the player gave, the way he carried himself, and the way he represented the club.
This is how I choose to remember Lovren: a flawed, gregarious player, and a big personality, who gave his best.
That's it.
This is how I choose to remember Lovren: a flawed, gregarious player, and a big personality, who gave his best.
That's it.
