Luis Melville: Andy another frustrating Saturday with the getting called off. Did you actually go to the ground in the morning for the first inspection?
Andy Scott: I was there at 11am and I had spoken to the match referee at 8.30am. He was on the pitch and we were aware obviously that we had the 'BLOTTER' (water removal machine) on it on the Thursday and the Friday but it only takes three inches or so of water off and it's a bit like putting a piece of kitchen paper on water and it soaks the water up and then it drags the rest of the water up with it. We did as much as we could to get the pitch in a playable state and it was still very wet on the Saturday morning but we left it because we agreed with the referee and with Les Parry (Tranmere Rovers Manager) that we would wait till about 12pm. But if there was going to be any more rain it would probably tip it over the edge and unfortunately I think the Brentford and Twickenham area was the only area in London that got the downpour that came. The pitch just couldn't handle it. There was just so much water on the pitch and we had the BLOTTER there but it needs a good two hours to get some of it off and there was more rain forecast for 3pm as well and physically it would have wiped the lines out. It would have just been impossible and we couldn't guarantee it would do the job anyway so it was a difficult one when you saw the pitch and the amount of water on there the pitch could not take it.

LM: Well if it is any consolation, I was there at 3pm and it was still saturated at the goal mouths. I think you made the right decision there. There was absolutely no chance at all. But in terms of your fixture pile up now, you've still got some home reserve games left to play. Are you still going to play those at Griffin Park if possible?
AS: No. We're going to try and move the reserve games. Chelsea reserves are playing at Cobham. They've decided to go there which helps but were going to have to move our reserves games because of the amount of games we've got coming up. The pitch won't be able to sustain it. Some areas are being relaid at the moment but clearly you can't relay the whole pitch. So it's going to take a bit of a battering and hopefully the weather continues as it has the last couple of days and be a bit windier and a bit sunnier so it dries out and keeps it in good condition. It's been one of those winters where it's been such a long one with the frost, the snow and the rain. It's been really difficult. People would rather see matches played on decent surfaces rather than just a mud bath where no football can be played and it's just going to be a lottery.

LM: Looking at your fixture list, from MK Dons onwards, I think in 43 days you've got 13 games. So are you going to have to review your training schedule and how you treat the players over that period of time?
AS: We've already been doing that over the last 10 days. We've recognised that we're going to have a sustained period of midweek games. We've got 6 weeks on the trot of games, mostly Tuesday games but there's a bank holiday Monday fixture as well. So it's going to be a tough spell. Earlier in the season we probably did better when we had more games in the month than when we had it easy with the fixtures so we're hoping that trend continues. Clearly we need to keep the squad fit and the ones that haven't been playing need to be ready to come in at any time to play. We're not going to be able to risk many of them in the reserves because we can't afford any injuries but certainly the training schedule for the ones that are playing regularly has been looked at and we've got a way of doing things and the ones that haven't been playing that need to be ready will be working so that they're capable of going in and being match fit.

LM: Was it tempting to put in a slightly stronger squad that you had in yesterday's reserve team game just to give them a run out or did you just think I better just hold off on that?
AS: No. We played Karleigh Osborne, Lewis Ferrell, Fraser Franks, Ryan Blake and Simon Moore but we can't afford any injuries at the start of the run of that many games and have injuries. The lads have been working really hard in training and we feel we can get enough out of them in training in the way that we work and what they do with our fitness coach Alisdair Lane that we can work them hard enough without the contact and without the opportunity of getting injured. At this stage of the season a lot of teams are putting out young reserve sides and if you play experienced pro's against them and they are a bit sharper the young kids tend to kick them a little bit and we can't afford that. We may have one or two play in the reserves over the next few weeks just to give them a bit of match time if they haven't played for a while but the likelihood is that we'll be working hard in training to make sure they're ready.

LM: John Akinde went back to Bristol City, he was a bit of a victim of the weather I suppose, but does that leave open a slot for you to bring in another loan player maybe?
AS: As you say he was a victim of the weather and the pitches more than anything. I just felt that what he showed us in training and the couple of matches he played he wasn't exactly what we needed at this time so if we got the opportunity to bring someone else in it opens up that space for us so we'll be looking at that before the deadline shuts on the 25th March.

LM: And is a striker a priority?
AS: We've got 3 strikers who are more than capable but clearly if one of those gets injured then we're down to the bare bones again and we don't want to keep changing the side around and moving people like Myles Weston up front so we need to have good options and players capable of coming in and playing well and performing for the team and scoring goals. We are actively looking for that and we have been since the season started. It's an ongoing process and we're looking to next year as well. It's a gradual process. It's what you've got to do as a manager of a football team. We've got a few things that we're looking at and hopefully we can get one in before the deadline closes.

LM: And with Alan Bennett out on loan at Wycombe, have you had any reports on how he is doing?
AS: The first two games he kept clean sheets and did very well against Southampton and then they had a poor result against Stockport letting in 4 goals. That wasn't great but the pitch was horrific so that may have something to with it. For getting Alan out when we did was ideal and its turned out to be ideal with the amount of games we've got and its more likely than not that we'll be calling him back and he would have played games in league 1 so he'll probably be a lot sharper than anyone else who hasn't been playing games for us. It worked out nicely for us and we're glad that he is doing well and playing league 1 football which is what he wants to do and it gives us the opportunity of bringing him back. I think his loan is up on the 16th March so another week or so and then we can get him back. He'll more than likely be needed.

LM: Talking of players and starting to look ahead now to Saturday, Tommy Smith played the full game for New Zealand last night. Any ideas as to his whereabouts and whether he is in the air yet?
AS: We've got an itinerary for Tom and he's flying into Heathrow. He lands at twenty to eleven tomorrow (Friday) morning and we're getting a car to drive him up to Leeds so he can rest in the car and get to the hotel and then we can assess him and see how he is. Hopefully he's got no injuries. Whether the jet lag kicks in remains to be seen. We're doing the best we can to get him in the best shape possible. We'll have to assess him there. It's not an ideal situation for a game like Leeds but we're delighted that he played a whole game and hopefully he did well. I spoke to him before he went and we want to see him in the World Cup squad because that's why he has come to us. He's made the decision to come out and get some games in because he wants to get into the World Cup Squad. So hopefully he will be successful.

LM: I know they had quite a brutal trip out there. A 12 hour trip in economy class from New Zealand to L.A. so hopefully you've moved him up to business class on the return to London?
AS: It amazes me that they're playing for New Zealand and they're flying Air New Zealand and can't get in the first or business class. It absolutely amazes me. But you've got all the England players moaning about flying 3 hours to Spain in economy and getting out of it and they've had to fly like 12 hours to Los Angeles. Like I say, we don't know, we're hoping he's got bumped up but we don't know.

LM: 'You've got a few air miles to lend him?'
AS: (LAUGHS) Exactly. We're going to have to pull some strings to see if he can get in there but again that'll determine how well he is because clearly playing 90 minutes and then jumping straight on a plane is not ideal whether he's playing or sitting on the bench. We'll have to see.
LM: Ryan Dickson. How's he shaping up for Saturday?
AS: It's gone on a little bit longer than we hoped. It's just a bruising but he was struggling with that and he had to come off during the Wycombe game. He wouldn't have been available for the last 2 games that were called off. It's still going to be touch and go. I think it's going to be Saturday morning and clearly it's not ideal because if Tommy does come back and is not in a good condition then we've got major problems. But that's unusual for a Brentford manager to be talking about players coming back from international games and making sure they're alright. It's a novelty for us and it's a new thing. That shows the quality of the players that we are bringing into the club. We are hopeful that Wojciech got through last night. They lost 2-0 (Poland v Bulgaria) but hopefully he got through OK and travels with us tomorrow and plays. But we'll see.

LM: Now you know how Sir Alex Ferguson feels?
AS: Well I'd like to be in his position. I've got to be honest it's a new thing for me but I enjoy the fact that we've got players playing for their country. It shows a level of player that is coming through the club. We would never have had that 2 or 3 years ago. It's an indication of how far we've come and what people see in Brentford as a football club and what we can do for them. That's part of being a manager. We deal with it and understand the problems that come with it. I'd rather have the problems than not be able to get any players at all.

LM: And Saturday we've mentioned the Leeds game. It's probably your toughest away league game. It's a very hostile arena to go to. It's going to be a very large crowd with loads of noise. What do you expect from Simon Grayson's side this time around because they've struggled a little bit since the FA Cup run?
AS: They have and they need to get back on track. They're a side if it clicks then they'll be the best team in the league. You know we've done well against Southampton, Charlton and Norwich without picking up any wins but we know that we've got to be on our best to get anything out of Leeds and it's a hostile atmosphere. I've been up there to watch a couple of games this season. If you can't look forward to going to play at Elland Road then you're in the wrong game. That's what we got promoted for to play at big places. We've got some lads who have shown they can play there and not be intimidated but this is a little bit different. These fans are proper hardcore, die hard fans who have been through some tough times and they're a club that not just deserves to be in the Championship but the Premiership so they've had their problems and the fans have been through thick and thin. They get behind their side and we know that but I'm thoroughly looking forward to it. You know I want to be a manager, I want to manage at the best places and the best place in our league is Elland Road. I'm looking forward to it. We shall see how the players respond some will obviously be nervous sometimes they stick their head above the parapet and they are there to be shot at and enjoy the experience. Sometimes they surprise you. I've got no doubts about my squad at all that they are looking forward to it, proving people wrong and this is another opportunity.

LM: Leeds are in a bit of a dip. I think it's only 2 wins in their last 8 games. I think they'll be looking at putting on a bit of a performance. Does that open the door a little for you in terms of counter attacking options if Leeds come at you?

AS: Well we've spoken about it. We've worked from Monday and you don't win at Elland Road without having to defend for some periods and the players they've got they are all at least Championship players. Some of them are capable of playing in The Premiership so we know that defensively we've got to be solid and as team we've got to be solid. We think we can get at them in certain areas and the games that I've seen this season and last season as well there are areas we feel that we can exploit and if the players stick to the game plan then I'd like to think we'd be able to create a few chances.

LM: Is the key battle in the game going to be in the midfield where you've really got to try to clog that up and stop them getting the ball into the front players because we know they've got goal scorers?
AS: It worked well at home. I changed the system after a poor result at Tranmere and we went away to MK Dons the week after and won but we're looking at it again. Our squad has changed now. The mentality has changed as the season has progressed. There is more belief but they recognise they can't be gung-ho anywhere we go whether its Tranmere, Stockport or Leeds. You've got be disciplined. You work and play the way we want to play. So we've concentrated on working hard as a team but we've worked hard on how we can beat them as a team because that's what we're going up there to do, to win. It's an opportunity for us. If we do it then it's a major scalp for us and probably one of the biggest Brentford could ever take. It's the carrot in front of us.

LM: And I suppose you won't have to worry too much about the surface up there. It'll be pretty decent.
AS: You'd like to think that. They've probably got more ground staff than we've got staff in total. When I was at Southampton during the week the pitch was immaculate but then their budgets is 6-7 times bigger than ours and they get 30,000 people through the door every home game so we can't complain about that. It's a nice opportunity to go and play somewhere with a good surface. We are decent and we are better when we play where the ball can move more quickly and hopefully that'll be the case on Saturday.

LM: And I've deliberately left this till last, but obviously the sad news of Keith Alexander. From your point of view, as a manager what did you make of him?
AS: Keith was really good. A really lovely bloke. So passionate about the game. If anyone knew more than him about lower league football then I'd be surprised. He did so well on a limited budget at Lincoln then went to Macclesfield and was getting on with a very, very poor budget but managed to get results and always kept sides in the game. I spoke to him quite regularly to be honest because one of his directors was called Andy Scott and he kept calling me by mistake. That was devastating news that he passed away. I got in from Southampton on Tuesday night and saw an interview with him and he was saying how well the team had done against Notts County and then not getting a bit of luck. Then to wake up in the morning to find out he's passed away is very, very sad news and a big loss for lower league football and football in general. He was a big part of the LMA (League Manager's Association) as well and very well regarded by his fellow managers. To lose your life at 53 is a massive loss for his family, friends and colleagues. Our sympathies go to them.

LM: Andy, thanks very much, I'm sure we'll all remember him on Saturday come 3pm. We wish you luck on Saturday as well.
AS: Cheers