NOTTINGHAM FOREST BLOG: Arsenal starlet Chuba Akpom will bring ‘pace, power and an eye for goal’ to Reds’ front line

London is a fantastic city and their transport system really does put every other UK city in its shadow. It does baffle me however that despite West Ham being the name of a club, the West Ham tube station is not where you would descend should you be going to cheer on the Hammers. Very confusing, and for the record the station you would need would be either Upton Park – slightly comprehendible - or East Ham – don’t get me started!

Anyway, I am still here to talk football, so swiftly moving on and let’s get back to discussing the weird and wonderful world of Nottingham Forest.

The Reds suffered their second defeat under the management of Dougie Freedman at the weekend and being totally honest I never really expected a great deal from Norwich City as we visited Carrow Road.

The 3-1 defeat probably flattered us a little bit in truth and offered a indication of how much better we have to be in preparation for next season.

I actually think Alex Neil might lead the Canaries to the promised land of the Premier League without the need for the lottery of the play-offs. The side they still have at their disposal is not too dissimilar from the one that suffered the heartache of relegation last season and their starting eleven is as good as any.

The play-offs were always going to be a long shot for Forest when Freedman walked through the door and although it now looks increasingly unlikely that we will make them, it sure is nice to be winning some football matches once again.

Our last hope is the Easter period when we face Wolves at the City Ground on Good Friday before making the trip to Brentford two days later and should we get six points from those two games our chances will increase once again.

It looks as though we have won the race to sign Arsenal forward Chuba Akpom and his arrival will offer a timely boost.

We are extremely short on strikers at present and Forest is certainly the place for him to come if he is looking to play first-team football.

I also think that as our chances of making the top six extinguish, we will begin to see more of youngster Tyler Walker.

For a few weeks now fans have been begging for the striker to be given a chance in the first-team but people do need to realise that the difference between Championship football and reserve team football is fairly significant.

If we get to a point where we are in the middle of the table with say six games left then why not throw him in and give him a chance, but for now let’s stick with the tried and tested senior players whilst the top six is still a possibility.

Akpom, although not in the ‘tried and tested’ category will offer the experience of working within a fantastic youth setup at Arsenal and has learnt his trade from one of the best in Arsene Wenger.

He will bring pace, power and an eye for goal to the team and it would be great to see him grasp the chance at Forest with both hands.