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 is currently chairman of his local bowls club. More Posts

The young German coaches

In one important respect the Bundesliga outperforms the Premier – the production line of highly competent young national coaches. In the Premier all we have is Eddie Howe and Sean Dyche. In the Bundesliga, Julian Negelsmann aged 30 has performed wonders at Hoffenheim, a small club, where he [...]

September 14, 2018 // 0 Comments

Swimming against the tide

The wonderful world of supposed female political-correctness continues to dominate the British media agenda because, of course, that is where some of its most articulate proponents live and work. From this world-weary and cynical observer’s perception – and I do acknowledge the qualification [...]

August 2, 2018 // 1 Comment

Croatia 2 England 1

In the end the expectations caught up with the team. Gareth Southgate managed the nation’s expectations superbly but social media and the endless renditions of ‘football’s coming home’ placed too much of a burden on those young shoulders. The fears that the Rust’s correspondents [...]

July 12, 2018 // 0 Comments

World Cup reflections

England had little difficulty in disposing of Sweden. As usual The Racing Post was the best informed of the morning articles. They were the first to point out that Sweden were no mugs having qualified for the World Cup by overcoming Holland and Italy and beating France. Yesterday they informed [...]

July 8, 2018 // 0 Comments

Reflections on a great night

Gareth Southgate has earned the nations’s undying gratitude for the way he has managed and prepared the team. Sometime between supported by loathsome fighting far right yobs and a more peaceful fan the England team lost its connection with their support. Gareth Southgate referred to being [...]

July 4, 2018 // 0 Comments

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

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A new number one and an old one refinds form

October 22, 2018 // 0 Comments

I doubt if many outside golf and a few inside it would recognise Brooks Koepka if he passed them in the street but they should do as the thrice Major champion is now golf [...]
Quelle horreur! I’ve just realised I’d like to be young again …

October 22, 2018 // 0 Comments

It’s very important for Rusters that – with our famous mission statement being to observe and comment upon the modern world from our viewpoint as ‘people beyond a [...]
Reflections of a couch potato

October 21, 2018 // 0 Comments

Yesterday I spent most of the day watching golf and soccer on the tv. I started in the early hours with the CT Cup in Nine Bridges, Jeju Island, South Korea – a USPGA [...]
A Saturday march – and a few thoughts

October 21, 2018 // 0 Comments

As an avowed cynic on the subject of the Western World’s hypocritical political and Establishment elites [query – are they not the same thing?] steeped in their [...]
An Aggers /Johnston moment

October 20, 2018 // 0 Comments

For many the funniest-ever broadcast was when Jonathan Agnew and Brian Johnston lost it in a fit of giggles after Aggers said Ian Botham could not quite his leg over. I later [...]