Articles by Rex Mitchell

About Rex Mitchell

Rex Mitchell is a Brentford supporter from childhood. This has not prevented him having a distinguished Fleet Street career as a sports reporter and later deputy football editor. A widower, Rex is a bit of a bandit golfer off his official handicap of 20 and in currently chairman of his local bowls club. More Posts

The World Cup so far

It’s too early to make any predictions as winning World Cup teams tend to grow in stature rather than hit the ground running but it’s nonetheless valuable for the Rust to present its customary contrarian view. Pre-tourney there were many fears in the popular press of hooliganism provoking a [...]

June 20, 2018 // 0 Comments

Bobby Robson/More Than a Manager: the documentary

A strong case can be made for Bobby Robson being the most successful post-War British manager. He brought a decade of success to Ipswich, he oversaw England’s most successful World Cup campaign in 1990 since 1966 and he managed abroad achieving trophies at Porto, Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven. Sir [...]

June 15, 2018 // 0 Comments

The facts of sporting life

On the subject of female sport and the general (absurd) drive to ‘increase diversity/equality’ by pretending that all women’s sport is at least as important as men’s and should therefore be given equal billing, radio/television coverage and indeed money … Here’s [...]

May 21, 2018 // 0 Comments

Visiting the past misty eyed

I often have a very early morning swim in the local gym. Invariably in the pool are 3 old jossers one of whom Michael I’m on chatty terms normally conversing about football. The other two, John and Ian are also football fans supporting Burnley and Arsenal respectively. Yesterday for the first [...]

April 30, 2018 // 0 Comments

The Champions League

Given that Roma recovered from a 3 goal deficit to beat Barcelona last round and Juventus very nearly did, it’s certainly not ‘job done’. Bayern have come in for flak for their somewhat sterile performance against Real Madrid but few have commented that they went into the game without [...]

April 27, 2018 // 0 Comments

Chatting about Mourinho

I always enjoy our Rust football get-togethers with the various perspectives and indeed learn more than reading the soccer press who seem more obsessed with sensationalism than forensic consideration of the issue of football. Before a Fulham game we all gathered in a trattoria – Stefano [...]

February 27, 2018 // 0 Comments

Juventus 2 Spurs 2

There is nothing quite like an encounter between major European clubs and last night’s tie lived up to its billing. Pargie called to say The Racing Post predicted a draw. Juventus might have a formidable home record but they have a long injury list and their renowned defence is growing old. [...]

February 14, 2018 // 0 Comments

World Cup early review

I have not had the chance as yet for a proper conflab with Pargie but I know he is big on France for value as in his view they combine top league experience with the likes of Koscielny, Lloris, Giroud, Schmeidelin, Cabaye, Pogba and Payet, Veraine of Real Madrid and Griezmann of Atletico allied to [...]

December 6, 2017 // 0 Comments

A seminar at the Argentine Embassy

Last night I attended a seminar at the Argentinian Embassy on ‘Football Diplomacy’. The theme was bridge-building through football and on the panel was Ossie Ardiles, one of the first overseas imports who made Britain his home notwithstanding the Falklands conflict. Many years before [...]

October 25, 2017 // 0 Comments

Champions League- a new English dawn?

The front page of the Telegraph sport section exulted over the results and performances of English clubs in the Champions League last Tuesday night. From the comfort of my sofa I watched most of the televised marches on BT Sport and I cannot share that optimism. One must remember we are in the [...]

October 19, 2017 // 0 Comments

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Greeks Bearing Gifts /Philip Kerr

June 22, 2018 // 0 Comments

I had occasion to seek the advice of a friend who is a loss adjuster to be informed that he was on a remote Greek island investigating a claim. Coincidentally Bernie Gunther, [...]
Glorious Arundel

June 21, 2018 // 0 Comments

One of the many reasons I dislike the Hundred concept is its assumption that cricket is a metropolitan game. As far as back as Hambledon, the first ever cricket club, to [...]
It’s only fair

June 21, 2018 // 0 Comments

One of the Rust’s recurring themes is our head-shaking disbelief at the 21st Century’s female-dominance of the now-global political correctness orthodoxy. Cecil Rhodes [...]
The World Cup so far

June 20, 2018 // 0 Comments

It’s too early to make any predictions as winning World Cup teams tend to grow in stature rather than hit the ground running but it’s nonetheless valuable for the Rust to [...]
“Never in the field of …” (or Sandy The Duck, Part Three)

June 20, 2018 // 0 Comments

This morning I have tried and failed to summon my best but inadequate Churchillian powers of composition in an effort to do justice to my third instalment of the stirring [...]