Presser points | Spurs vs Eintracht Frankfurt | Brennan Johnson

Brennan Johnson spoke to the media at Hotspur Way on Wednesday ahead of our UEFA Europa League quarter-final, first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night (8pm UK).

Brennan on being proud of his 16 goals this season...

"It is something that I am definitely proud of. It was a target for me at the start of the season to score more goals than I did last season. There’s a lot of work that goes into it, positionally, and the types of finishes that I want to improve at. Sixteen goals is something I’m very happy with."

Brennan on Forest's success this season...

"Of course I’m happy for Forest and the season that they’re having, but I’m delighted to be here. I’ve loved every second. I think the size of the club, the people within the club and the fans, it’s something that I could only have wished for when I was younger, so yes, really happy to be here.

Brennan on if he feels under appreciated...

"Not really, no. Within the team and the staff we have here, it’s definitely made clear to me to feel appreciated and that’s all that matters to me, to be honest. My colleagues, the staff and the manager make me feel appreciated. I think the style of play really suits me. All the people in the club are super supportive of what I’ve achieved this season. Within these walls, I feel really good about it."

Brennan on his style and the system...

"It suits me just because the players we have, the profiles, a lot of fast players, so when the ball gets crossed, there tends to be a lot of space for the ball to go all the way across the pitch and it’s just about me gambling on what position to be in. More times than not this season I’ve been in the right position. Work does go on on the training ground, there’s a lot of coaches who do a lot of work with me which I’m really appreciative of. There is work that goes into it. It’s quite instinctive as well, something I’ve always wanted to do."

Brennan on coming back after his injury in January...

"It was disappointing to pick up an injury that maybe went a bit longer than I wanted it to. After the injury it’s always tough to hit the ground running. I did score against Ipswich but after that the games came really thick and fast. It was just about trying the best I can to build up my sharpness. I feel like when I’m at my best it is when I’m feeling really sharp, energetic and fit, so it was possibly a little bit of that. Then it was more the performance maybe wasn’t as high as it was before that."

Brennan on Mathys Tel taking the late penalty against Southampton on Sunday...

"All of us attacking players, if there’s a chance to score from 12 yards without it being contested, all of us would want to take it. Once the decision had been made it’s not really my nature to argue or have a fight about who takes a penalty. I’ve been in that situation before, where people are really reluctant to let someone else have a penalty and it can put you off. So, once the ball was with Mathys, I just wanted to get on the edge of the box and support him. He put it away and he’s a quality player as well so it’s not like I’m doubting his quality. As soon as the ball was put in his hands I backed him to score."

Brennan on the Europa League being 'light at the end of the tunnel' as injuries stacked up in December...

"Massively. That period was really tough. There was a crazy amount of injuries. Even in the European games where we had the injuries the lads did really well. Everyone gave literally everything. I think there was one point where we had 10 or 11 fit first team players, so I was really proud watching the lads, especially in Europe, the way they fought in games until the end and got some really good results, away from home as well - watching it made me proud. It just gave us a great elevation to push on in this competition."

Brennan on wanting to win the competition for Ange...

"We want to win it for everyone in the club. Us players and the manager and the backroom staff have been through some tough times this season. It’s been down to our own mistakes, there have been a lot of games where we haven’t performed good enough. It would be an unbelievable feeling to win this competition, but I think we don’t want to look too far past this game on Thursday, but to be able to win it for everyone at the club would be massive."

Brennan on social media...

"I don’t really use social media that much to be honest. I have some accounts on it, I don’t check it too much or go on it too much. For me, personally, I don’t think it’s to do with football or wanting to perform better, that comes down to work on the training pitch, it’s more what I’m spending my time on when I’m not training. I want to make the most of the time that I get to spend the time with people close to me and I took a decision, but the run that I went on after coming off it was a bit of a coincidence. A few people thought that was the key to scoring goals but it was just coincidence the way it happened."

Brennan on Wales boss Craig Bellamy and watching videos of Raheem Sterling...

"I've really enjoyed playing with Wales. I feel like we're in a really good place at the minute, we have some players who are playing really well in the Premier League and at the highest level. The staff and the manager have been amazing. They give you little bits to watch. A few of the members of staff had worked with Raheem Sterling, so they kind of just wanted to pass on a message that they'd worked with him, which I was all ears for, to be honest. I feel like he's an unbelievable player who's had an amazing career, but doesn't get the respect that he deserves. He scored so many goals in the Premier League and that's something that I want to do as well."

Brennan on scoring a number of one-touch goals this season...

"I think it's more just the position that the lads had got me in that I don't really need to take many touches to score. I'm very thankful for the great assists and the goals that I've been able to score.”

Brennan on specific examples of what he's been working on with the coaching staff...

"One would be, for example, the first goal on the weekend, noticing that Dom made the run to the front post, and being in position when the ball gets cut back on my left foot. I think something like that - I had been told not to try and hit the ball too hard because it's coming at quite a pace. So, when it's on my left foot, not thinking about it too much, just trying to get a good contact on it. Also, there's a lot of work that goes into trying to hit the ball into the ground, trying to make it hard for the goalkeepers. That's another tip that I've got this season. So, just little things like this to keep in mind. I know, in a game, it's kind of hard to think about all the things that you've been told, but little things like this, if you keep practising, it kind of sticks."

Brennan on shutting up the critics...

"Personally, I just want to win it for the group of players and the staff. I don't really care about what other people sing and the critics, to be honest. I feel like I switched off from that a long time ago. For me, I love the lads, all the players in the squad, all the staff, the management team. I feel like we've created a real tight-knit group and I feel like we've all been under a lot of criticism, maybe different people at different points, so it's something that we can all kind of relate to, so we all have that understanding with each other. So, when it comes to tournaments like this and the chance to progress, it's something we all want to do for each other, because we've had some tough times and there would be no bigger joy than to celebrate with the people who have had to go through that, like I have, as well."