The Kick Inside

Needless to say a semblance of national footballing pride has been restored with Lyon's 3-0 victory at Rangers.

L'Equipe was lyrical on Thursday morning and slapped a picture of Karim Benzema (Lyon's teenage two goal hero) over its front page under the headline: Un pur bonheur.

Well, we all know the similarities between football and sex. And I'm not about to descend into that realm.

The kickabout with Simon on Wednesday night was just what the doctor ordered. In fact just as we left I said it was akin to being really young again. An impromptu game of football with a couple of mates over the common.

As Simon is coming back from six months out with a knee injury, it was a light workout passing the ball with another bloke called Patrick.

To cite one from the array of self-affirming cliches ... restoring confidence ahead of sterner tests ahead.

Simon's wife had an article published in the New York Times today and it seemed linked with the ethos of getting back on the bike.

It's good to know that the state is keen for this kind of re-training. But with the teachers getting ugly and willing to strike over the sizes of classes and working conditions, there's clearly a need to concentrate on what happens before we get round to perpetuating the species.