Emi Martinez

[Rory]

Is it beyond the realms of possibility that Emi knew about that slightly ridiculous rule that yellow cards don't carry over into penalty shootouts?

I'd love that to be the case!

You would hope so because not one of the people praising his antics now would have been happy to see Olsen coming on for the rest of that shoot out. Or to have to start him in the SF.

I asked in jest really. I don't believe for a second that Emi knew the rule as you could see how panicked he was when the ref went over to him with the card.

I Love Emi and the edge he can give you in situations like that, but to be honest I think referees put up with far too much from him at times.

Literally every week forwards score goals and shhhh the crowd. A goalie does it when he makes an important save and it’s somehow becomes bookable.
Stats have shown he is only half way up the league of time wasting goalies, but top of the league of goalies booked for time wasting.
He gets booked on reputation but actually his ‘behaviour’ is no worse than loads of other players.

Fully agreed.

Can I just ask our French posters why he is so hated? He's hardly Toni Schumacher; he's just  a bit of a wind-up merchant, as far as I can tell.

I honestly think I'd like him even if he didn't play for us. Like Ali or Nas, there is room for twattery in sport, if the individual has charisma and can back it up with ability.

[TaxDodger]

I think he might be the best player we’ve had since I’ve been watching Villa (1996), never mind the best keeper.

[Bad English]

He stopped Muani from winning the WC for France at the death and took it to penalties, where he acted like what the French call 'un électron libre' and we call 'shithousing', causing France to not get a third star (Engerland only have one remember), then he did 'obscene' cock thrusting gestures, which the French thought were for them, while going up for his medal, then he 'bummed' a dwarf-like effigy of Mbappe while on the open-top team bus tour in Buenos Aires while laughing (he doesn't drink, so wasn't pissed), and before the tournament he said the French (or Mbappe, can't remember) don't understand South American football and hurtful stuff ike that

So he's done fuck all really apart from get right up the French people's noses by beating them AND by rubbing their noses in it. It makes me laugh. My best mate in France (Auxerre fan) absolutely loves the Villa but he said he had to support Lille because he can't stand Emi. One of our town hall administrative team was the same, nearly in tears on WhatsApp at the end when I sent him pics of Em shushing the crowd at Lille.

[Rory]

He stopped Muani from winning the WC for France at the death and took it to penalties, where he acted like what the French call 'un électron libre' and we call 'shithousing', causing France to not get a third star (Engerland only have one remember), then he did 'obscene' cock thrusting gestures, which the French thought were for them, while going up for his medal, then he 'bummed' a dwarf-like effigy of Mbappe while on the open-top team bus tour in Buenos Aires while laughing (he doesn't drink, so wasn't pissed), and before the tournament he said the French (or Mbappe, can't remember) don't understand South American football and hurtful stuff ike that

So he's done fuck all really apart from get right up the French people's noses by beating them AND by rubbing their noses in it. It makes me laugh. My best mate in France (Auxerre fan) absolutely loves the Villa but he said he had to support Lille because he can't stand Emi. One of our town hall administrative team was the same, nearly in tears on WhatsApp at the end when I sent him pics of Em shushing the crowd at Lille.

Thanks BE.

[itmustbe_it is!]

In the cold light of day, I genuinely can't see how Emi ended up in such trouble with the ref based on what he did. The ref was just reacting to the crowd and what he'd seen before.

The first half booking was ridiculous. Timewasting twenty odd minutes in , when we aren't even winning at that point? No other keeper would have been booked for that goal kick, he was just a marked man. I think because he spends time slowing the play down with the ball at his feet when we are trying to draw the press, that is held against him when he's waiting for a goal kick, especially last night by a ref who had already reffed the game in his head before we kicked off.

Then in the shoot out - what did he really do that other players don't? Shushing the crowd after a save - how is that different to the goalscorer geeing up the crowd after the very next pen. And players do the "shush" after scoring all the time. Then what did he do ? Asked for the  ball? Responded to the missiles being thrown at him? The ref was just being a dick. But Emi got in Lille's head and thats all that counts .

As an aside - why did no-one mention the way the ref genuinely seemed to be trying to put Dougie off for his pen - he was literally right in his face for no reason. And kudos to Ollie for scoring after the disruption in the lead up to his pen. I don't think it was us doing most of the sh*thousing at all !

[Demitri_C]

I gotta say the 2nd yellow i dint see what the hell he did wrong? But he should have been booked for the first incident in PS so he cant really complain

The bans annoying a slooks like its gonna be olsen but if he gonna be banned its better for 1st leg as we may need him more 2nd leg.

[Villafirst]

Can we appeal that second yellow? Emi was only asking for the ball, which the crowd kept after their player booted into the crowd after he missed his pen. I think when Ollie was lining up his pen the ball was thrown back onto the pitch resulting in 2 in the penalty area. Their fans were surely complicit in that moment?

[Smithy]

Suspended for first leg of the semi apparently cos of 3 yellows across the 2 legs

https://twitter.com/villareport/status/1781063558005940246?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

At least he'll be there for shootout in second leg

I thought they were wiped out for the semifinals?

Not if he picks up the ban from the Quarters, although I will wait until UEFA say something first.

On completion of the quarter final cards are wiped.

I’m guessing it depends on whether the “completion of the quarter finals” is considered the end of extra time, or the end of the penalties? The fact he didn’t get a red means pens are treated differently, it now depends on HOW differently?

[Dogtanian]

In the finest Villa tradition, the club shop is out of Emi’s green shirt in sizes less than 3XL, just as he becomes an even bigger fan favourite.

Sort it out, Heck!

[Rudy Can't Fail]

So he's done fuck all really apart from get right up the French people's noses by beating them AND by rubbing their noses in it. It makes me laugh. My best mate in France (Auxerre fan) absolutely loves the Villa but he said he had to support Lille because he can't stand Emi. One of our town hall administrative team was the same, nearly in tears on WhatsApp at the end when I sent him pics of Em shushing the crowd at Lille.

Ha! Anybody can piss off a teams' supporters, it takes genius to piss off a whole nation.

[Bad English]

In the same vein, Mbappe is doing his best to piss off the mighty Catalan nation ahead of his transfer to Real Madrid.  Apparently some of the Barça lads had to held back, and told to 'leave it' because he was winding them up outside the dressing room after their loss to PSG.

[jwarry]

Seems he will be out of first leg of SF, but the good news is we are at home as we will definitely need him at their place!

[purpletrousers]

I gotta say the 2nd yellow i dint see what the hell he did wrong? But he should have been booked for the first incident in PS so he cant really complain

The bans annoying a slooks like its gonna be olsen but if he gonna be banned its better for 1st leg as we may need him more 2nd leg.

I think that’s an interesting point. It was primetime Emi, the moments he’s made for:

Having a playground race to grab the ball with their first pen taker.
He puts him in a difficult situation, you don’t react, you’ve let him own the dynamic, take the ball, delay/control things.

You do react as he did just to stand his ground, you’ve got drawn in to a petty rush of the head battle you don’t look for, it’s unsettled your preparation.

Result 1-0 Emi. (And should have been the booking).

That’s the giant of the psychological battle, no doubt all spontaneous/instictive successful interference.

It was interesting to bear him name it post match, the more thrown at him the stronger he gets. In any other workplace/scenario that very marked constant booing start to finish would be seen as bullying/and maybe to a lesser mortal would affect someone negatively. Just as a fan in the crowd it was so unusually persistent and universal it made me
think about its impact during the game.

In the end it was like plugging him in to charge him up, the Emi live wire was ready to eat them alive when it got to Pens.

[purpletrousers]

Seems he will be out of first leg of SF, but the good news is we are at home as we will definitely need him at their place!

And should it go/beyond extra time…

[Risso]

Why will he be out of the next game? The rules seem quite clear in that all yellow cards expire at the end of the quarter finals.