THE tattoo on Jason Cummings’s left arm was in need of an explanation which indeed the man himself requires at times.
“It’s Sandy from Greece, eh,” explained the now Nottingham Forest man whose thick Edinburgh accent apparently is still unfathomable to his new team-mates down in the Midlands.
Anyway, that’s how I took it.
I surely could not have been the only scribbler sitting around the table at the plush Dalmahoy Hotel on the outskirts of the Capital, Scotland’s HQ for the week, who thought this was Cummings’s tribute to a young girl he successfully romanced on a holiday in Faliraki called Sandy.
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How wrong could we be. But then nobody should ever try to work out this genuinely eccentric, loveable, and ever so slightly bonkers character.
Cummings explained: “There is nothing really significant behind all of my tattoos. Except for Sandy from Grease. That’s who this (pointing) is meant to be. I asked for Sandy from Grease as she was in the movie; not as she is now!
“I’m a big Grease fan. A massive fan. Honestly. It’s my favourite film. A wee bit of inside info there. Seriously, I can do the movie word for word.
“I just watched it when I was growing up, I don’t know why. There is a space left on my arm for Danny Zuko and the Pink Ladies.”
Now who would have thought this particular footballer was word and perhaps even pitch perfect about every girl’s favourite musical.
And we should all be glad Cummings is what he is. The world, certainly Scottish football, is in desperate need of some laughs. Society needs more folk like this genjuine personality who takes his life far less seriously than he does his football.
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This wasn’t his only tattoo story yesterday. He also, on his right hand, has the sinister smile of The Joker which he intends to cover his mouth with when he next finds the net.
As he again explained: “I was actually sober when I got it! It’s a goal celebration. I’ll need to start scoring goals to do it. If I score this week, that will be the one.
“I got it in Edinburgh. When I come up I go to this bird in Edinburgh – Scoobs is her name, she’s good. Give her a wee shout out, eh.
“Why do I like The Joker? It’s just his character. I think he’s a bit like me.
“A striker needs a celebration. I scored that many goals up here that I was running out of celebrations. I needed a new one. Nah, I’m only joking. I don’t know why I got it. I’ll regret in 20 years, but live for the moment.”
Live for the moment indeed, Jason.
And right now, the former Hibernian favourite is delighted to be given this first chance to represent Scotland at senior level, albeit he will probably start on the bench against The Netherlands at Pittodrie on Thursday.
The 22-year-old is just a tad excited about the first of what he hopes are many caps.
Cumming said: “Honestly, I am so over the moon. If I could go back and tell the 12-year-old Cummings that his dream of being called up had come true, he would be so happy.
“My family are proud as anything as well. For me, it would be great to get a cap and get on. But just getting called up is a massive achievement. I went to a few games. I wasn’t a mad Tartan Army guy, but I would watch them all.
“Who was my Scotland hero? When James McFadden scored that goal, he was everyone’s hero at that time. I mind watching that one.
“I want to stay in the squad. I’ve got a wee taste of it now, so I want to keep myself in the squad and get the full thing.
“A target for me would be to try and get myself into the team and staying around the squad. Obviously, to do that you need to be playing well for your club.”
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Cummings has done okay at Forrest so far. It has taken time, as it was always going to, for a striker to get used to the English Championship after three years in the Scottish Championship.
He said: “The manager (Mark Warburton) and the boys have been top drawer with me. It’s a nice city too. I’m getting on well.
“It’s a different standard. The opponents are a bit fitter with more stamina. It’s a bit more professional. I feel like I’m getting used to it now. It did take me a while to get into it.
“But the gaffer’s philosophy is how I want to play, so there is no problem there. He loves to play football, he is all about getting the strikers in behind and scoring goals.
“Nothing has really changed on that front – the goals are the same size. I have done okay, I’m still adapting. It’s taken me a while to get used to it - but I have four goals. I’ve played a few games out of position – wide on the right and in the hole – but as long as I am on the pitch I am happy.”
It is rather difficult to imagine Jason Cummings without a smile on his face. Or hand. Let’s hope he never changes.
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