Emi Martinez

[chrisw1]

So we're paying players big wages to be missing for large chunks of the Season without bringing in a no.2 Goalkeeper this is absolutely infuriating

How about we just buy players from league 2 or the conference and get relegated every season. Then you'll never have to worry about our players missing large chunks of the season for being top level internationals because they will be shit. And instead they can work part time packing fish down the market or delivering mail while turning out for the Villa.

How about people are allowed to have a view on it when backed by the PL other clubs havent released players?  How about people be allowed to comment on the fact that we seem to have tried to do the right thing with a compromise and appear to have been shat on?

[Sexual Ealing]

How about people are also allowed to have a view on other people's negative views? How about people being allowed to comment that the world keeps turning and we might not get relegated?

[Monty]

How about people are also allowed to have a view on other people's negative views? How about people being allowed to comment that the world keeps turning and we might not get relegated?

I am OUTRAGED that your freedom of speech insufficiently respects my freedom of speech.

[Sexual Ealing]

Bluenose!

[chrisw1]

How about people are also allowed to have a view on other people's negative views? How about people being allowed to comment that the world keeps turning and we might not get relegated?

I didn't think Toronto's comment was reasonable.  I don't agree with Flin at all, but it was a pretty ridiculous reaction to what is arguably a valid point.  Other clubs who haven't released players won't be buying players form the conference league or part time fish packers.

[SoccerHQ]

Steer has never let us down in the past. Of course it's always been at lower level than prem (no idea when he last played a prem match given that one at Wolves the other year he did his ACL after 90 seconds). I'm sure he'll do his best at Chelsea given how well he played when he came back into the team at very short notice during 18/19.

Hopefully he won't get injured, guess we could get special permission from prem to sign someone out of favour at another club, is Sergio Romero still at Man. United or did he finally get released?

[Monty]

Bluenose!

And so ends a long and proud record. I shall be issuing a statement soon and hope the media will respect the privacy of my family at this time.

[Smithy]

I really hope this doesn't become a big club vs country issue, because I don't see us coming out of that very well.  Martinez, certainly, has made it very clear how big a deal it is to him to play for his country and become the national number 1.

We seem pretty clear we had agreed for them to play two games but be released before Bolivia, but I wonder if the club believes that agreement was with the Argentine FA, or the players themselves?  If the club and country don't agree, then I can't see any situation other than the players staying with Argentina.

It is interesting that FIFA's punishment for clubs refusing to release players, even if they successfully get to apply it, is far less than the 10 days quarantine for the players that travel.  It reeks of clubs thinking, "Sod it, we'll do what we like and take the punishment as it's better than letting them go".

I like that we appear to have done the honourable thing by our players, one hoping for his first cap, the other having just established himself in their side, but it does make us look like mugs if they stay for the full 3 games having announced a "deal" to get them back early.

[SoccerHQ]

Well we put it out on the club statement on Saturday evening so very disappointing if Argentina have gone back on their word.

No chance we'll be releasing either for the October or November matches now unless quarantine rules are scrapped but that seems unlikely given it will be near winter then.

If they're unhappy about it so be it although guess Martinez won't be signing a new contract in a hurry and with two years left next summer that will start to become a bit of a headache for us.

[Risso]

Well we put it out on the club statement on Saturday evening so very disappointing if Argentina have gone back on their word.

No chance we'll be releasing either for the October or November matches now unless quarantine rules are scrapped but that seems unlikely given it will be near winter then.

If they're unhappy about it so be it although guess Martinez won't be signing a new contract in a hurry and with two years left next summer that will start to become a bit of a headache for us.

It doesn’t look like that there’s been any discussion between the club and Argentina at all, otherwise we wouldn’t be in this position. Also, how do we “not release” them later in the year, given we’ve already asked them not to go this time but they have anyway?

[Drummond]

The 'clubs', i.e. the 6 everyone fawns over, probably decided they didn't want to send their players. We decided not to be arseholes and let ours go. The players probably thought they'd get away with playing in 2 games and the Argentinian FA have decided to play them in 3.

It's shit but I also notice various other FAs are now suggesting imposing bans on players that don't go.

[Risso]

Those bans are for 5 days after the game they missed. Our players will have nearly two weeks of isolation.

[PaulWinch again]

It’s especially annoying with Buendia because he’s unlikely to play much is he?

[Smithy]

Those bans are for 5 days after the game they missed. Our players will have nearly two weeks of isolation.

It would be hilarious if they tweaked that rule this week to make it a fortnight.

[Sexual Ealing]

Well we put it out on the club statement on Saturday evening so very disappointing if Argentina have gone back on their word.

No chance we'll be releasing either for the October or November matches now unless quarantine rules are scrapped but that seems unlikely given it will be near winter then.

If they're unhappy about it so be it although guess Martinez won't be signing a new contract in a hurry and with two years left next summer that will start to become a bit of a headache for us.

It doesn’t look like that there’s been any discussion between the club and Argentina at all, otherwise we wouldn’t be in this position. Also, how do we “not release” them later in the year, given we’ve already asked them not to go this time but they have anyway?

That's the nub of it. Clubs have to 'release' players if they're fit and willing to go. The PL (as the PL would) seems to have gone rogue in its decision to try to prevent players from going, albeit in difficult circumstances.