Upson out to repay Hammers' faith

Matthew Upson is desperate to start repaying the faith which saw West Ham spend £6million on recruiting him as they made their controversial escape from relegation last season.

And he hopes the man at the centre of that controversy will be there with him, for at least a while, when the new campaign begins.

Seven goals from Carlos Tevez in the last 10 games spearheaded the Hammers’ successful survival bid while Upson, a big-money signing from Birmingham, was left frustrated on the treatment table.

But the ongoing dispute over the ownership of the Argentinian seems certain to end with a transfer to Manchester United – even though he may still be left in limbo at Upton Park until all the legal battles are settled.

Upson, who because of a calf injury sustained on his debut, played just 39 minutes for West Ham following his transfer in January, said: “Unfortunately the fans haven’t seen what I can do yet, but Carlos would be welcomed back by everybody here with open arms.

“He’s done nothing wrong. Like most footballers he just wants to play and when he came here he played a massive part for the club.

“I haven’t a clue about his ownership situation. I’ve researched it but still can’t work out more than the obvious fact that there is a dispute over whether it is the club or his agent who actually owns Carlos – and that somebody has made a mistake.

“But Carlos will always be favoured by the fans here because of his contribution last season.

“Obviously it is a golden opportunity if he can join Manchester United. Nobody could begrudge him but if we get to keep him – even for a while – it is a big positive for West Ham because he is such a great asset.

“Whatever happens, all the players here would say good luck to him.”

Upson is certainly hoping for a bit of luck for himself.

The 28-year-old whose progress as a highly-rated Arsenal youngster was severely restricted by a ruptured cruciate knee ligament and then a broken leg – as well as the presence of centre-backs like Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Sol Campbell - won seven England caps in his four years at at Birmingham, but tore a calf muscle on his Hammers debut at Aston Villa in February.

He had played for only 28 minutes and managed just 11 minutes of a comeback attempt against Tottenham a month later.

“I ended up just watching every other game,” said Upson. “But the only way I could contribute was with encouraging words in the dressing room. I just wished I could have got my boots on instead.

“It was very frustrating, of course, particularly with my injury history, but after this one I think I’ve learned more about my body in the last few months than during my whole career.

“I’ve been training with athletes and coaches and other specialists who made me aware that I should make massive improvements to the way I run and the way I set myself. It has been a real eye-opener.

“The calf was a problem with a long, vertical tear in the sheaf of the muscle and, in basic terms, it happened because I was unknowingly loading too much weight on that side to compensate against previous injuries.

“But having finally got over that, I’m feeling as good as I’ve ever felt, got back a belief in my fitness and can’t wait to get into the matches.”

Upson, who had four injury-free seasons at Birmingham apart from when Achilles damage sidelined him for the promotion run-in of 2006, could cost Hammers up to £7.5million based on an appearances clause in his four-year contract, but insists he does not feel guilty about his absence from the relegation fight.

“Pressure, maybe, but that was only what I put on myself,” he pointed out. “I felt I couldn’t really mix with the squad too much because I was unable to play a part but nobody here blamed me as far as I’m aware.

“Hopefully it is all in the past now. I haven’t missed even one training session in pre-season and I just want to get out there for the start.

“We’ve brought in a lot of quality players, young ones, too, with barely anybody over 30. It is just a matter of how long it will take for us to gel and the key word has got to be patience.

“But the new chairman certainly hasn’t let anybody down, has he? He’s supported the manager by putting his money where his mouth is and it is all down to us now.

“There is plenty of competition for places and the manager has some nice selection problems.

“There are five of us vying for two spots at centre-back and although I could fill in on the left at times I want to make one of those spots mine, no argument.

“But it will be a lively dressing room, too, with plenty of young men ready to give their opinions on what might go wrong but we have characters who are hungry for success and you need that.

“That’s healthy.”