Graham Cummins: Mid-season break is an excuse for all sorts of warped logic

The week off can work one of two ways for teams. Players are trusted to look after themselves and return in a game-ready condition, but that’s not always the case. I’ve heard players say they would have one meal a day during the break, to balance out the number of calories they consume from alcohol

Leaders Sligo Rovers just don’t have the squad to compete with Shamrock Rovers, says Graham Cummins. Picture: INPHO/Tommy Dickson

As a player, coming back from the mid-season break, I always felt that was when the league really started to shift into gear. You start to count down the remaining games and feel the end of the season is somewhere in sight. Of course, the fixture list is much different now to when I played in the league. There is still over half the season to be played.

The week off can work one of two ways for teams. Players are trusted to look after themselves and return in a game-ready condition, but that’s not always the case. When I was younger, I used the week to go abroad to drink and eat whatever I wanted. I wasn’t worried about what kind of physical condition I was going to be in returning to training. My main concern? What I’d to switch to drinking after two days on pints because I’d always get bloated from them.