The Ariel Helwani Show - Brennan Johnson

Episode Date: February 16, 2023

Last week, Ariel shocked the sporting world when he released the list of his current top-five favorite athletes on the planet. One of those five was today's guest, Brennan Johnson, the 21-year-old phenom forward for Ariel's favorite football club: Nottingham Forest. And on today's episode, Johnson joins a giddy Ariel for a wide-ranging conversation about the following: Johnson's first season in the English Premier League (5:55) Representing Wales at the 2022 World Cup (8:20) Growing up with a famous father, David Johnson, who also played for Forest (9:07) The moment Johnson knew he was good to enough to make it to the EPL (9:55) How the team dynamic has changed since Forest was promoted to the EPL (15:15) Johnson's relationship with English football legend David Beckham (20:10) What it's like competing against players he grew up admiring (22:18) Plus, a cameo from a British boxing star!Brennan Johnson is currently this season's leading point-scorer for Nottingham Forest. Born in Nottingham, he is the son of David Johnson, who formerly played for Liverpool, Ipswich Town, Forest, and other clubs. He is considered one of the bright young stars in the English Premier League.Missed the podcast? Let us know by leaving "The Ariel Helwani Show" a review on Apple Podcasts!

Hey everyone, welcome back to a brand new edition of the Helwani Show. It is Thursday, February 16, 2023. It is so good to be back. Yes, I know it has been a while. I know we've been away for the last few months, but there's a good reason for that. We've been very busy doing a whole host of things, but I was never not coming back, have no fear. And so we are back, and I am very excited about today's episode. Today's episode is a really special one for me because you may have noticed that all of a sudden, dating back

to around August or so, I have become a diehard fan of Nottingham Forest. Oh, it's great. I watch it with my kids. We're really into it. We're watching every single game. We've got the jersey up in the studio. We've got the gear. We've got the paraphernalia. We've got the banner. We've got the flag. We've got the sticker. We've got everything. I have loved becoming a fan of this team, learning about them, the history. I'm really all in. I know some people like to make fun of me that I'm like half in, I jump from here. No, I am all in. This is one of my squads. Bills, Knicks, Blue Jays, Nottingham Forest, Canadians as well. Anyway, my favorite player on Nottingham

Forest, and not just mine, but my son Walter's as well, is a young man named Brennan Johnson. Oh, this guy is amazing. He's a Ford. He's just 21 years young, and he's got a fascinating story. His father, David Johnson, is from Jamaica, but played for Nottingham Forest about 20 or so years ago, among other clubs. His mother is from Wales, but he was born in Nottingham while his dad was playing for the team. He recently represented Wales at the World Cup, which was a really big deal, and he's had a fantastic season. He really didn't expect to be in the Premier League this early in his career, but he has really stepped up, especially after the World Cup. He's one of the hottest young prospects in the game today. And I mean, the sky's the limit for him because again, he's just 21.

He's really gelled with a player named Morgan Gibbs-White. And so we talk about all of this, about his upbringing, about being the son of a famous footballer, about the World Cup, about the ups and downs of his first season in the Premier League, about imposter syndrome, about being on the same pitch as some of the greats in the game. Really, really enjoyed it. You may recall that I've talked about him on the MMA Hour, and we talk about this at the very top of the show as well. And so this was a very exciting one for me and a great way to start things back up on this feed. And so without further ado, here is my conversation with number 20, the forward for Nottingham Forest, the up-and-comer, the prospect, the legend, Brennan Johnson. Enjoy.

This is a very exciting one for me. You may recall last week on my show, I was counting down my top five favorite athletes in the world right now. It was a very illustrious list, a very important list. Number one, Josh Allen, quarterback, Buffalo Bills. Number two, Jalen Brunson, point guard, New York Knicks. Number three, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., first baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays. Number four four Katie Taylor best female boxer of all time and number five surprise some but it came from the heart it was

this man Brendan Johnson forward just 21 years young Nottingham Forest star one of the brightest young stars in the Premier League killing it right now Welsh international I can't say enough good things number 20 here he is right here on the program. Brendan Johnson is here. Thank you so much for doing this, my friend. I'm very, very excited about this. No problem. Thank you very much for having me. Now, I have to clarify one thing off the top, if I may, Brendan. We're in America here, so our vernacular is a little bit different than perhaps yours. In that clip, which I believe you have seen, I did say that I had a crush on you. Now, what I meant by crush wasn't in the lovey-dovey type of way. It was that I was enamored with your playing style, how you represent yourself, how you conduct yourself. I didn't want things

to get weird off the bat between us. You know what I'm saying, right? I get that. I get that. No problem. Okay. Very good. You know, I'm a married man, three children, you know, the whole bit. So, I just wanted to let you know. But I am a huge fan of yours. And I don't often say that to my interview subjects because, you know, I'm supposed to be Mr. Journalist. But everyone knows I'm pretty much the biggest Nottingham Forest fan on the planet right now. I did become a fan only back in August. But I have gone in with two feet into the deep end, because I love everything about the club. I love everything that you're doing, everything that has been happening over

the past year. And I've learned a lot about the history of the team as well. So I really appreciate you coming on, on a very busy week for you guys, because, you know, you have the big game on Saturday against Man City. And I actually want to start there, if I may. I was at the Man City game at the beginning of the year. I was in the away section. It was quite the experience that Eddie had. And unfortunately, it wasn't, you know, the best of nights for you guys. But could you explain for yourself the difference between how you feel about your place on the team, your place in the Premier League, everything going on in your life right now today, mid-February 2023 to that game back in August of 2022? Because you seem from the outside looking in as a completely different person. But could you explain the differences right now? Yeah, I think, as you said, the differences differences are massive I think back then we were all kind of just getting getting used to

playing in the Premier League then when you come up against a team as good as Man City when you're not really feeling like you're fully settled in in this league they'll they'll make it known to obviously we lost that that game quite heavily but I think since then we've slowly but surely got our feet since going and yeah recently the results have been really good obviously at the weekend wasn't too good but yeah now we feel settled especially me i feel really confident and yeah i feel like this time around hopefully it's a it's a different result was there any part of you back then when the season first started uh maybe for lack of a better term you had some kind of like imposter syndrome like maybe like do i belong here should

i be on the pitch with these guys am i I good enough to, did you ever doubt yourself now? Clearly you have proven that you belong, but I'm wondering in the early days, if you were doubting yourself at all. Yeah, I think so. I think that's just more of a confidence thing for me personally. I think when things aren't going too well, or you're not scoring or you're not feeling like you're having the impact in the game that you want to, you start to doubt yourself and you start to think if you are ready for this league or ready for this level but I think it just comes with with confidence and since then obviously the results have been get going better and I feel like my performances as well have been coming on leaps and bounds so yeah definitely back then I might

have felt like I'm not sure if I belonged but yeah since then it's uh it's changed a lot and forget about August to now we could talk about December to now. Since coming back from the World Cup, you seem to be a completely different player. The way you've been playing, I mean, you're one of the hottest players in the league right now. Could you describe what the difference is?

Is it just like being in that environment that that inspired? Like, why have you looked so good since coming back from the World Cup? Yeah, I'm not sure what the exact answer is. I think since the World Cup, I think it was a break that not just me, but I think quite a lot of the team needed, even though I was still at the World Cup? Yeah, I'm not sure what the exact answer is. I think since the World Cup, I think it was a break that not just me, but I think quite a lot of the team needed,

even though I was still at the World Cup. So it wasn't too much of a physical break. I think more the mental break in terms of a lot of pressure gained where we're down at the bottom of the league and people might be thinking that we're definitely going to go down. So I think having that little break

in November, December time just kind of gave me that chance to reset. And then I came back almost feeling a lot fresher and ready to kick on and carry on that form that I had in last season to this season. you know, in the mix with some of those big games. The US game was massive. England, of course. Could you describe what that experience was like for you as such a young kid growing up? Here you are on the biggest stage with some of the greatest players in the world. What was that like? Yeah, of course, as you said, that we wanted to stick around for a bit longer. But I think looking back at it now, just like the fact that we played at a World Cup and Wales played for their first World cup in that in almost 65 years it's a crazy accomplishment and I think we'll look back at it with a lot of

pride and obviously next time we want to qualify qualify and do a lot better but yeah looking back at it I look with a lot of pride and I'm really happy to have been able to play at a world cup at this age. Can you explain something to me your father the great David Johnson from Jamaica your mother is from Wales. You're born in England, correct? You're born in Nottingham, right? Ultimately, why did you decide to play for Wales? I think, obviously, I played for England and Youth Age and Wales as well.

I think in terms of family-wise, my grandma and granddad, my mom's parents are really involved in my football and love coming to watch me play. And they're both Welsh. And I think as soon as I started playing for Wales, like the impact it had on them, how proud they were of me and my mum as well. And all my family were really happy that I was playing for Wales. And I think as well as obviously I love playing for them

and I felt really comfortable there. I think just having them guys so proud at every game just really gave me that extra buzz just to play for them. And I'm really happy I made that decision. Could you describe what your childhood was like you know you have a famous football father you're growing up in Nottingham it's such a big deal there he's playing for them among other clubs did you realize that you know your family was a little different that you had a famous father at what point does that kind of sink in for you? I think it probably sunk in when we used to go to games and people would take pictures of him.

That's when I kind of realized that a lot of people knew who he was and really liked the way he played and liked him as a player. So I think coming to Forest Games when I was younger and walking around and him getting stuck for a lot of pictures and things like that. And then obviously the older you get, the more you see yourself. And I used to watch videos and things like that and then obviously the older you get the more you see it yourself and i used to watch videos and things like that so yeah it was a bit different obviously um maybe some other people who live around here but i really enjoyed it and especially it didn't it didn't hinder me at any point when did you start to believe that you can actually make a career out of this that you were good enough to actually be a pro football player um i'd say properly like thought I could play when I was about 17 18 I thought I was doing really well for the under 21 which is the next the next step up is

the senior team so when I was playing for like the reserve team and scoring a lot of goals and then obviously the next step up is playing for the first team and I remember the end of one season when I scored a lot of goals and I started to train with the first team more then the next season i was slowly integrated into the into the senior team and then from there it's just about showing what you can do and showing to the manager that you deserve to play and slowly but surely i kind of worked my way into the team and probably around 17 is when i thought i'd be able to get into the first team now that wasn't that long ago we're talking you know three four years ago honestly now at 21 in 2023 2022 um did you believe that nottingham can make it to the premier league like or is this is this all a little bit now it's probably sunken in but like a little surreal for you probably a little sooner than you expected yeah i think that's it i think

it was a little sooner than we expected obviously it's a massive club with a lot of history and it should always be playing in the Premier League. But back when I was 17, 18, the club was probably finishing 15th in the championship and not really getting anywhere near to the playoffs. I think that was a big surprise for everyone to get up. But I thought at some point, obviously in my life or my career, I'd think Forrest would get back into Premier League, but maybe not this soon. I love the way the fans, they honour and respect and admire and adore Steve Cooper, your manager. The chants, Stevie Cooper. I mean, I can't get it out of my head. I can't get enough of it.

Pardon the pun. It's tremendous. Can you describe what makes this man so special why he was able to turn your season around last year to lead you guys to the premier league what is it about him um first and foremost i think he's a he's a really good coach and he can definitely get the best out of players he's a really he's really good with with young players as well and i feel like we had a lot of them last season and maybe mismanaged before. But I think when he came in, he kind of took care of us

and showed us why we deserve to be playing a lot higher up in the league. So I think first of all, he got the confidence into the team and started us making us play a lot better. But yeah, as a guy as well, he's a really nice guy and he gets on with everyone in the team.

And the fans can see that, the relationship he has with us players on the pitch and he knows that he only wants the best for us so yeah i think that's why the fans get behind him so much and absolutely love him and yeah it's really good because it's good for the atmosphere and the morale of the club is really good at the minute it seems as though he admires you greatly and perhaps has an affinity for you because you know you were on the team last year you were part of that that select few that is still around now in the premier league but i i did read an interview with him recently where he said that sometimes perhaps uh he is not your favorite person that he's a little hard on you and that uh you know you you

may feel like he is being too hard on you but he's doing it out of love and respect are are there moments like that where you feel like he is being too tough on you? I think maybe in the time where he's coming on to me, I think he might be being too tough. But yeah, looking back at it now and every time he's ever said something to me, looking back at it, it's always been for the good of the team and been for the good of me, especially when we played against Leicester at halftime, he wasn't happy with me at all. And obviously I came out in the second half and scored two goals.

And it's kind of what he said that I did to get them goals so looking back now it's always for the for the best of the team and for the best of me which is why I really appreciate when even when he's not uh being too kind to me but it's always for the best of me could you share what he said to you to get you fired up there in the in the locker room he was just he was just saying I need to run more like be more aggressive and and show what i can do really obviously he didn't say in them is that words uh yeah he just he just kind of said to me i need to be more aggressive i need to run more use what i have used my pace and and things like that and i'm not showing everyone what i can do so

i think it kind of made me angry at the time, but yeah, definitely made me more aggressive and wanted to show even to him what I can do and what everyone else I can do. And that performance was incredible. That second half was incredible. And your connection as of late with Morgan Gibbs White has been amazing. Like you two are an amazing one-two punch and it seems like your friends off the pitch as well. Can you explain what the the chemistry is like between you guys and how did this all develop because i know you haven't been playing together for so long but it seems as though you've been playing for years now

yeah it does seem like we've been playing for years and obviously he was at sheffield united last season and obviously they were a close rival of forest and i always was in admire of how well he was doing there last season and especially when we played against them and he had a really good game. So as soon as I found out that he was coming to Flores, I was really excited because he's a player that I knew I'd be able to clip with. And he always looks forward and looks for passes. And I think recently we showed that when he's always looking to play me in on goal and he's had a few assists for some of my goals now.

And yeah, even off the pitch, he's obviously a similar age to me and he's a nice guy as well so we get on really well and i think that's most of the partnership that is how well we get off the pitch and i feel like it comes onto the pitch as well can i ask you know i've read a lot about what the fans have been you know i follow a lot of them on twitter and i see everything that they say and it seemed like at the beginning there was like sort of this of this romantic view about last season's club because they're the ones that got back into the Premier League. And then a lot of those players left and there were all these signings. I think it's at 29 now since the beginning of the year, an incredible number. For you, one of the few guys who stuck

around, was there ever a part of you at the beginning thinking like, you know, what about the chemistry? Like who are all these people? You know, they weren't a part of you at the beginning thinking like you know what about the chemistry what do we like who are all these people you know they weren't a part of the the magic of last year is this actually going to work did you ever question whether or not everything would be able to gel yeah i think so i think especially at the start of the season when the results weren't weren't too great you kind of feel as if um the chemistry is gone and it's going to take too long to build up this chemistry and it might be too late in the season and that might result in us going down. But I think once you just start getting wins, the chemistry comes on loads and there's a group in the changing room that everyone is really good with each other and there's so many good personalities

even this season. Because obviously last season was incredible and felt like it was going to be hard to top. but this season like there's different personalities but I feel like the connection off the pitch is just as strong this season and it took a bit of time obviously because when you sign 29 players isn't going to click in in a heartbeat but yeah I'm really happy with how the the dressing room is now and I feel like everyone gets on really well um we don't have the relegation system here in America right it's not a part of where we have playoffs and things like that, but you always stay up.

The NBA teams aren't going down. The NFL teams aren't going down. That, to me, seems like an incredible amount of pressure. But as a fan, I love it because even if you're at the bottom, there's still something to play for. There's something to root for as a fan as well. And it seems like for you guys, correct me if I'm wrong, is the number one goal just staying up this year?

Or did you dream Europa League? I don't know, Champions League? What for you was the number one goal just staying up this year or you know are you did you dream like Europa League I don't know Champions League what for you was the the number one goal for this season I think in in the back of everyone's mind the main goal was to stay in the Premier League because you can sign as many players as you want but you never know what's going to happen and I feel like your first and foremost goal has to be to stay up obviously if you build a base from there then you can go on and try and get into some sort of europe competition but yeah i think the first uh target for us was to stay up but then hopefully kick on from there uh a lot you know once i said that i'm i'm i'm forced through and through a lot of people were trying to come at me saying like oh you know next year they're going to get relegated you're going to be off the bandwagon which for the record i'm

here for life i just want to let you know in case you were're going to get relegated. You're going to be off the bandwagon, which for the record, I'm here for life. I just want to let you know, in case you were wondering, here for life for as long as you're on the team. So let's see what happens. But here for life, at least for now. And they were giving me a lot of crap for this. They were saying, oh, it's going to be one and done for you guys. At what point can we exhale?

What point, like, what is the number? What is the time in the season where you feel like, okay, we got this? Because it's a little early now, right? Yeah, it's still early. And I think looking in the past seasons the amount of points that teams need to stay out it's probably between 35 and 40 and i think we're on 24 at the minute we still got i don't know maybe 15 games to go so we still got a long time and a lot um we want

to get as many points as early as possible so we can kind of start really looking forward but for now obviously it's not the job's not done and we still got some some big games to come up and hopefully we can get points against them teams are you the type of person that laments the past in other words like for me i'm a big uh glasses half empty kind of guy i'm very pessimistic i always look at the negative which is a bad thing i wish i would be different and so i think wow you know that bournemouth game back in september we had that one right there were a couple other ones the full the fulham game and we had do you think about those like man if we would have gone a couple of those we'd be in a different spot or do you are you the type of guy that that's in the past

and we don't think about that anymore yeah i'm more of a that's in the past obviously at the time i was i was really hurt when we lost them games and it felt really bad because obviously them teams had just come up and it was really tough to lose against them. But when you beat teams like Liverpool at home, it kind of weighs itself out because you wouldn't expect to win that game and you wouldn't expect to lose the Bournemouth game. So it kind of evens itself out. And just in this league, I feel like anyone could beat anyone. And I feel like that's the reason why you can't get two down.

If a team lower beats you because at the end of the day like there's shock results most weeks in the premier league so you've just got to kind of focus on the next game by the way over the summer you signed a four-year deal correct and and the fans were very excited about that was were you talking like were you close to leaving at any point was it ever in doubt um not really no i think I think obviously there's interest and there's kind of talks going on. But for me, it was just, as soon as I got back off my holiday,

I was keen to sign here and I wanted to extend my stay because I worked all my life to get Forest promoted into the Premier League and to leave as soon as they get up, for me, it wouldn't be right. And I wanted to experience the Premier League with Northern Forest

and hopefully not just stay up, but then build on year by year and get this club really back to where it should be. I read recently, I know your dad played with David Beckham in the Manchester United system. I apologize. You know, the fans, they get very mad at me that I don't say the right terminology and whatnot. We call it soccer here.

So you can't really get mad at me. I mean, starting off, we're calling it the wrong name. So you can't really get too mad, but he played in the, in the academy, right? Is the academy the correct term? Yep. With the great David Beckham. And now you have a relationship with him. He texts you some things. How often do you act? I mean, I can't even imagine what that's like for, for a young boy who grew up in England. How often do you speak to him and what are the kinds of things that he says to you? Not too often. I mean, I think after some good results that we have or say if I score or something like that, he might message me. It's not too often. It's not every week or every day,

but yeah, he just messaged me saying congratulations, keep it up, little bits of advice, things like that. Nothing too close. I wouldn't say we're close friends but yeah he's a really nice guy and just the fact that he reaches out to me is shows a lot about him and i really appreciate it are you saying the british press kind of uh made a little too much of this like they overblew it a little bit i think some people kind of think we're best friends now on the street yeah i think they might put my words and run with it a bit but i don't i wouldn't say we're close friends but he definitely checks up on me he knows who you are he has your phone number so that's a start that's a big deal um speaking of a legend uh gareth bale recently retired and you got to play with him at the world cup were you surprised when he retired or did you know

that he was going to do that afterwards um i was a little bit surprised i thought he might carry on for a little bit longer but i definitely respect his decision and where he was going to do that afterwards? I was a little bit surprised. I thought he might carry on for a little bit longer, but I definitely respect his decision and where he was at and what he feels like he's done because with Wales, I'd say he's definitely done it all. I'm sure we didn't get any trophies or anything like that, but the fact that he got Wales to a Euros and especially this season when he scored the goal

in both playoff games to get us to the World Cup, you can definitely say that he got us to the World Cup. So I think scoring at a World Cup as well, he kind of completed it all with Wales and he's definitely passed it on to now that some of the younger players and definitely set a good example because he's been a legend there. Has there been any point this season for you where you thought like, wow, like there's that guy? I grew up watching that guy. Like, have you had any fan moments where you wanted to go up to someone you know you're still so young so much more for you to accomplish um and do so many more seasons in the premier league but have you had any of those moments where you're like pinching yourself like i can't believe i'm on the pitch

with this guy playing against this guy yeah i'd say definitely at the start of the season when i think we played tottenham quite early and obviously they've got players like Harry Kane, Son, players like that. And then obviously against Man City, Kevin De Bruyne. Players that you just grow up watching and you grow up seeing how great they are. And yeah, just to play against them was surreal at the time. But I think it kind of comes with the question earlier about the imposter syndrome kind of thing. Like now, if you play against big teams, it doesn't feel like that. It feels like we're on the same level now and we just got to compete because there's not enough time to kind of watch and see

who they are and what they're doing i think we just gotta get on with it uh as of right now there's still many more to come but what would you say is the number one highlight for you of the season so far um i'd say yeah probably the the game against leicester i think because it's quite a local game and the fans it means a lot to them and being able to win two nil, score two goals. Yeah, it was a really good day. How did you find out that the team had signed Navas? Everyone was shocked that he was coming over from PSG. Where were you when you found out and what was your reaction? action um i'd heard some things about it but i wasn't too sure because no one had really said anything at the training ground or from the club so then i think it was quite quite late on i was just at home but then when i seen that he'd signed it was crazy i really i couldn't really believe it i didn't think that we'd sign him and yeah the fact that he came was really cool and uh what is

he i mean that first game against leeds tremendous, even got like kicked in the face, the poor guy. He was unbelievable. What has it been like being around him? Yeah, it's been crazy. I mean, obviously knowing that he's won all these Champions Leagues and got all these medals and how well he's done for himself. And the fact that he still wants to come here and test himself is crazy. And yeah, I'm really happy that he's came. And especially in that Leeds game, he was unbelievable.

He's an absolute legend i i am a little biased towards uh dino henderson because uh is that is that uh navas there oh what's happening my man wow the legend lee wood how are you sir big crushing yeah yeah this is great i was just about to ask brendan about you and your big fight this weekend yeah well big well, big game first, though, yeah. Oh, it's going to be a great Saturday. First, we, I say we, we're going to beat Man City on Saturday at the city ground, and then we hop on over to... You've got something wholesome, haven't you? What's that? You've got something wholesome, like a forest badge or something, haven't you?

Yeah, yeah, I've got a ton of stuff. My whole room back here is filled with... Yeah? I can't even understand your accent. Are you a proper fan far is fine yeah i am well we've been talking about i became a hardcore fan as of august brandon johnson my favorite player i watch all the games the fans are getting annoyed some of the nottingham fans are being a little rough on me they're saying i'm a bandwagoner but how could

you be a bandwagoner for a team that you know was in the premier league for 23 years do you guys think i'm legit can i be can you give me the vote of confidence that I'm in? You've got to come to the games. I've got some seats for you. If you fancy it, come over. Legend. Well, when you fight Warrington in the summer, I'm going to be there. We'll go to the city ground and we'll hang out.

Deal. Let's do it. Are you going to the fight, Brennan, on Saturday? Yeah, I'll be at the fight on Saturday. Wow. Amazing. Well, best of luck to you, Lee. Thanks a lot. See you later. So winning on Saturday, so you got the job done, yeah? Yeah, I knew it. Legend. Wow, how about that? Lee Wood fighting this weekend. I'll just keep you for a couple more minutes and then we'll let you go on with your day. That was very cool. Are you a fight fan or a casual fan? How would you describe your interest in fighting? I'd say like in between.

I think I definitely like going to boxing matches. I've been to a few of these fights. And whenever there's a fight on TV, I'll kind of watch it and I get really into it. But I wouldn't say I'm too hardcore fan, but I do like boxing. Okay. I have seen you are a fan of fashion. Fair to say. You've been doing the outfit of the day on your TikTok.

Very fun stuff. It's a fun series i i hope that you continue it who would you say right now is the most stylish player on the team other than yourself because you may put yourself as number one other than yourself who's at the top of the heap um i'd probably go with Morgan, Morgan Gibbs White. Really? Yeah, he comes in in some nice stuff. He definitely enjoys his clothes as well, and he definitely puts it well together, and he comes in looking well most days. Now, the tougher question is, who needs a little work? Who would you say is at the risk of being relegated?

I mean, you know. One of them is with Joe Orrell. He can come in looking well some days, but I think on the day that I caught him in the pink and the Reebok shoes, it wasn't the best. So I wouldn't say he's the worst dress, but I think on that day, it definitely was one of the worst I've seen.

It is a nice mix of characters on the club right now. But I saw, speaking of your TikTok, you guys celebrating, I think it was after the Leeds game. And it's amazing to see all these people from all different corners of the world together like any doubt that and i know that's just a one minute clip but any doubt that you guys aren't gelling or meshing or anything like that i think has gone away right like is there any part of you that's actually a little bit surprised at how quickly this has all happened yeah a little bit i think i definitely didn't think we'd click this this soon and as you said there people from all types of places and all over the world so i think that's

what makes it even cooler this season that people are from everywhere it's not just lads from england it's lads from all different corners of the world and the fact that everyone gets on so well and everyone bonds together and there's little groups of people that you wouldn't think would be friends it's yeah it's really nice to see i love it uh you enjoy the tiktok yeah i've only been on it a couple of weeks now but yeah enjoy it it's cool okay and and by the way are you fan of any other american sports um leagues teams players or are you just a uk sports fan um i'd say i do like basketball i used to like it a lot more I'd say that's probably my favorite um sport in America but I'm also into tennis so like the the opens that they do and and things

like that and I've watched a few different series on kind of tennis programs and I'm really into it and especially the the tournaments in America oh yes the the new Netflix series have you seen that yeah I've watched that yeah I watched that when it came out it was really nice tremendous tremendous stuff all right so as we wrap this up uh it's it's mid-february um you know we still have a few months left in the season is it could i what's your prediction in terms of points what do you think we're going to finish out what are you thinking oh over under i set the line at 38 are we gonna go we're gonna go over 38 you think that's the plan yeah i'm confident i'm confident in the team i'm hoping the players and i feel like we can definitely we can definitely do that and i'd like to i'd like to definitely think we can do that

i love and then so maybe next year europa league then two years champions league and then we're i mean champions of europe twice let's not forget right like yeah let's do it again uh you were negative uh 21 when they last won uh in the it wasn't even called the champions league um your brother not your brother your father may remember actually your father was probably only four years old when they uh and he was in jamaica yeah he would have been young as well i think he would remember that one Yes, even too old for me. But I have to say, I love everything about you. I love the way you represent yourself. I love the way you speak. I love the way you conduct yourself as a pro. It's amazing to me that you're just 21. It's very, very impressive. My son and I love watching you play. You play with a joie de vivre.

Do you know what that means? No, you don't know what that means. It's a French term. It's like, you're free out there. You're fast, you're hungry're hungry you're free it's a pleasure to watch you play it's a pleasure to watch the whole club play really and we are rooting for you over here and i would love to come to a game at one point at the city ground do you think they would welcome me or do you think i would be viewed as an imposter they'd welcome you 100 i think all the online fans aren't the real fans and the people here would here would be in love with you. They could be a little bit too negative online, right? Definitely, yeah.

Do you ignore all that stuff? You read that stuff? No, no. I'm better at ignoring it now. I used to be a bit worse, but now I'm all the same. Can't do it. Don't let it. Don't let it affect you.

I can't thank you enough for this. Appreciate it very much. Good luck to you the rest of the way. Hopefully, we can catch up down the line as well and go out there do your thing we're rooting for you and and best of luck to the entire squad as well can't thank you enough thank you i really appreciate you having me on today and hopefully yeah you can come back to nottingham one day pleasure see you later mate cheers thanks so much bren. All the best. You too. All right. How great was that? That was lovely stuff. Young guy. He's got his entire career ahead of him. He's doing big things at 21, but I'm a fan. You should check him out as well.

Very, very fun player to watch. And thank you to Lee Wood for popping in as well. He's fighting this weekend against Mauricio Lara in Nottingham. That's on DAZN. That should be a lot of fun. Appreciate Nottingham Forest for setting this up. Thank you very much to Will in particular over at Nottingham Forest for setting this up. I appreciate him very much. They've been very, very kind to me, and it's been very fun to be a fan of the team, and I'm going to continue to be a fan for the rest of my days. Thank you to Brendan Johnson as well. Thank you to the production team. And by the way, this is up on the YouTube channel, youtube.com slash Ariahawani. A lot of new things are coming to the YouTube channel. So make sure you subscribe. Also subscribe where

you get the podcasts. We're revving the engine back up, all right? We're revving it back up. We haven't gone anywhere. We just had to figure some things out. But here we are, back like we never left. And I am very excited about that. Thanks to all of you. Appreciate you guys very much. Thanks for listening. Thanks for supporting. And I will see you and talk to you very, very soon. Take care. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh