Joe Green Sports

“England picked a rookie coach to coach a team at the World Cup.” Eddie Jones’ rather harsh verdict on his predecessor Stuart Lancaster may have seem justified in the aftermath of England’s disastrous 2015 World Cup campaign, but as Japan 2019 draws ever closer, Jones is discovering that you don’t have to be a rookie to make rookie errors. After a scintillating start that included 2 Six Nations titles and a series whitewash in Australia, England suffered a dramatic fall from grace, embarking on their longest losing streak since 1906 and dropping down the world rankings. However, World Cup hopes are still alive after a promising autumn salvaged an otherwise abysmal 2018. Wales and Ireland will also be looking to build on successful November periods, while Scotland and France will be hoping to translate their fleeting brilliance into consistent results following a mixed tournament last year. Italy seem once again confined to the wooden spoon before a ball is even kicked, as even...

January Transfer Talk: Higuain to Chelsea, Arnautovic to China? Maurizio Sarri’s quest for a striker that can score more than 6 goals in a season seems to have come to an end, with the Chelsea manager finally settling on a man who has scored 6 goals this season. A popular stat doing the rounds on social media is that imminent Chelsea signing Gonzalo Higuain has somehow scored less than flop Alvaro Morata in 2018-19, who hasn’t exactly had the most stellar of seasons in front of goal. While the Argentinian would undoubtedly be a big-name signing, to sign a 31-year-old who hasn’t performed at the top level since 2016 seems bizarre. Evidently Morata and Giroud have not been good enough for a Champions League-chasing club, and a replacement is clearly needed, but I find it hard to believe that Higuain is the answer considering no-one else seems to want him. Following the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus looked to get shot of the striker they had spent £75m on only 2 years ...