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Billy Grant chats to David Marples (@davidmarples) from In The Top One Nottingham Forest blog bout Freedman, Akpom and the Forest post-Pearce revival

Dougie Freedman has given you a new lease of life. Do you think Forest may have shown a tad too much loyalty to Pearce?

Very possibly so. Loyalty is a big word, frequently bandied around willy-nilly these days within the paradigm of football – we all want to see loyalty exhibited and rewarded. In the case of Pearce, if a club can’t show loyalty to a bonafide legend for more than six months, then football is taking the elevator marked ‘down’ to hell.

However, loyalty for its own sake can be incredibly damaging in the long term. It’s a bit like receiving a BigTrak toy as a kid: it looked good, you felt proud as heck to have it and it did a lot of really cool stuff when you played with it on your own. However, if it failed to perform that trick off the advert in which it delivered an apple to your dad when your friends came round to see it then maybe it wasn’t so good after all.

Nonetheless, the whole Pearce thing happened and we had some good times but sadly, it wasn’t working out. It should also be stated though that Stuart Pearce the man is still loved, revered and worshipped by all.

Your mini revival was quite worrying it has to be said. You had some great results against Bournemouth and Boro recently – beating them both. Do you think the wind has gone out of your sails?

After being soundly beaten at Norwich and narrowly so by Wolves, yes. That’s probably it for us now as far as the season goes. Freedman has generally impressed with his desire to be at the club and by getting the best out of some players who were previously chronically under-performing.

The long term injury to Britt Assombalonga was as far away from helpful as could possibly be but this was just typical of our season in terms of injuries (insert repetitive whinge about injuries to spine of the team in the shape of Chris Cohen, Andy Reid, Jack Hobbs and obviously, Britt here).

As stated above, the play-offs, although they were briefly on the far side of the table for a moment, are now firmly off the table and laying on the floor, covered in germs. This is no bad thing since our play-off record is dreadful anyway.

Chuba Akpom returns to Griffin Park after an aborted loan spell there. He’ll be dying to score against Brentford for sure. Word on the street – he didn’t really go out of his way to make himself part of the team (possible big team ‘Arsenal’ syndrome maybe) and had a few run-ins with his temporary team-mates. Mark Warburton was very diplomatic when he left but Steve ‘Elvis’ Pressley was far more cutting when he sent him home from Coventry. Hopefully, he’s now learned his lesson and someone has explained to him that there is footballing life outside of Arsenal.

Akpom looks like an exciting prospect: lightning fast and with lots of nice words printed about him. But his debut performance against Wolves spelled out RAW in big letters. We also made another loan signing in the shape of Modou Barrow from Swansea but his performance against Norwich pulled up about as many trees as something that is not renowned for pulling up any trees…maybe a candle perhaps. All of this set against us being on the FFP naughty step too.

However, it’s little Benny Osborn who is perhaps our most exciting player and he looks destined for big things. Of course, Michail Antonio is capable of slaloming through an entire team like Pele in ‘Escape to Victory’ – so I’d keep an eye out for him too. Beyond that, we may see a little more of young Tyler Walker – yes, son of Des. He’s a nippy young thing with an eye for goal.

Bees fans had a right good away day and evening at Forest (as you can see from the video below). Your take good numbers away. Do you have any idea what to expect from your trip to Griffin Park?

We’ve sold out our allocation of 1,632 so it should be a good day out. However, this is tempered somewhat since at the start of the season, this picture on Easter Monday looked a fantastic one: away terracing with the hope that we’d be right in the mix for one of the promotion or play-off places. But our current position, allied to what looks to be a grey and dull day, has taken the shine off it a little. Nonetheless, our away support has been excellent this season and we can maybe spoil someone else’s day with the pressure off a little.

Bees need a result big time on Monday. Forest need to win to keep up their faintest of playoff hopes. Whaddu reckon?

Difficult one. There is a sense that we owe you one for turning us over at our place and had this fixture come a few weeks ago, I would have been a little more confident of achieving a result. But it looks like Brentford had recovered from a little wobble now and we come to you on the back of two successive defeats against play-off contenders. Hmmm. Yet, the pressure is off us a little now and more so on you. It’s going to be a tough one for us, that’s for sure.

BillytheBee
@billythebee99

Pubs in Brentford 

For Forest fans coming down, you are probably aware there plenty of pub options pre-match and all are most welcoming – very much like the pubs in Nottingham we frequented pre-match. Colours are fine and there is no ‘bouncer culture’ on the doors of our boozers – not yet anyway. All fans are welcome and most fans usually cite Brentford as their favourite away-day which we’re quite proud of.

 

As is etched in common folklore , there were four pubs around the ground until a few weeks ago – unfortunately one closed down to leave only three now. The Griffin is closest to the away end (like 30 secs walk) and is very popular with away fans – but also very very busy. The New Inn is on the other side is also popular with away fans. The Princess Royal is the other option (The Royal Oak was the one that closed down).

 

Other pubs slightly further afield for the more creative amongst you include (and this is by no means a definitive list) the  â€¦ The Globe (Windmill Rd) is the Beesotted fanzine main pub – a very friendly pub indeed. The other boozer is The Lord Nelson (Enfield Rd)  – both incredibly friendly and cozy away-frienly pubs and 30 seconds walk from each other .. frequented by ‘away fans in the know’. Boro fans and Bees fans had one hell of a party before and after the match in both these boozers (despite us losing)- and The Plough (Northfields Ave – 1 minute walk from the tube) in Northfields is a decent stop-off if you are coming by tube to Northfields before making your way down to the ground (normally stopping off at The Globe and Lord Nelson en route on the Northfields pub crawl).

 

Easily the best way to Brentford is to get the Piccadilly line tube from Kings Cross/St Pancras to either Northfields or South Ealing (35 mins). Northfields is preferred by fans in the know as it has a decent pub crawl run on the way to the ground (Plough, Lord Nelson, Globe). South Ealing has one posh pub en route that doesn’t really like football fans so we won’t even give it a mention here. It’s 20 mins walk from either South Ealing OR Northfields to the ground or you can get the E2 bus from Northfields or 65 bus from South Ealing for the short 5 minute journey.

 

Some fans prefer to take the tube to Vauxhall then get the overground to Brentford mainline station. Depending on your connection time, this could be a slightly longer route as you could be waiting for up to 15 mins for a train and the train takes 26 mins to Brentford. Including you connection from Kings Cross this journey could take you the best part of an hour as opposed to under 40 minutes (plus the journey to the ground).

 

If you do take this route, there is also a pub right by Brentford station always referred to as … er …  the Pub by Brentford station.

 

For ale head to the Magpie and Crown pub on Brentford High Street. The Royal Horseguardsman can probably hold 15 of you at a push. The Brewery Tap is a cosy boozer by the river. And if you are super adventurous, get off at Kew Bridge and visit the brand new boozer One Over the Ait right on the river – beside the bridge. Great views over The Thames.

 

There are loads more too. A quick google search and you’ll find them all. There are many many more too if you have a look around.

 

Parking is pretty easy away from the ground going up towards and over the A4 Great West Rd (ie. North) via Ealing Rd or Windmill Rd.