Upson downs: The highs and lows of Matt's England career

By Mirror Football in 2010 World Cup Blog

Published 09:18 22/06/10

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After Ledley King's injury and Jamie Carragher's suspension, nearly man Matthew Upson looks set to be restored to the England line-up in the crunch match against Slovenia.

Here, MirrorFootball's  Chis Bloor takes a look at the highs and lows of a man whose international career has been severely blighted by injuries and perpetually undermined by media scrutiny.

UP, SON: May 2003 was the first time he forced his way into the England squad. Sven Goran Eriksson didn't use him against Australia, but he made his debut in the following game, coming on as a sub against South Africa in Durban on May 22. He then started four of the next five games.

DOWN, SON: Following a dismal performance against Denmark in November 2003, in which England conceded three goals - one from a penalty given away by Upson - he was dropped from the squad just before Euro 2004.

UP, SON: Almost a year to the day after the Denmark game he was back in the fold and on the field, this time in a friendly against Spain. England lost the game 1-0 and, although he remained very much a member of the squad, Upson didn't play again under Eriksson, largely due to his persistent injury niggles.

DOWN, SON: One of those many injuries ruled him out of the World Cup in 2006, and continuing problems prevented him from gaining any sort of fitness and rhythm. As a result he didn't figure for England at all during Steve McClaren's managerial rein.

UP, SON: A new era began when Fabio Capello took over, and the West Ham defender returned to the fold against Switzerland on February 6, 2008 -a gap of more than three years since his last cap. He became a regular under the Italian, featuring in five of England's World Cup qualifiers. The cherry on top was a goal in a friendly when England beat Germany 2-1 in November 2008, a game in which Upson was named man of the match.

DOWN, SON: Like many of his West Ham team-mates, Upson's form dipped last season as the Hammers eventually won a desperate relegation battle. He became involved in a war of words with David Sullivan after the new co-owner said following a 3-1 home defeat to Wolves that, "nobody should delude themselves that we are a good team."

Club captain Upson responded: "If David Sullivan wants to air his views on the club's website or in public then he does so - he's the chairman." However, he plainly made it obvious that the input was unwelcome, adding: "I wouldn't say, from a player's point of view, that it helps."

DOWN, SON: Things were no going better at international level. He was heavily criticised after a poor display against Egypt in March, when his slip allowed them to take the lead.

UP, SON Despite suggestions to the contrary, Upson made Capello's final 23 for South Africa and gave this confident interview about his chances of playing in the finals.

DOWN, SON: How wrong he was. Rio Ferdinand was ruled out of the tournament, and presumably the former Arsenal defender thought he was first in line to replace the England captain. However, he had to sit out the first two matches against USA and Algeria as both Ledley King and Jamie Carragher get the nod ahead of him.

UP, SON: Carragher's suspension - having hyper-ventilated his way through the Algerian game - provides Upson with the chance to re-establish himself in the team. Armed with the knowledge that, with the continuing injury problems surrounding King and Ferdinand, he might not be just a short-term stop gap, it's now or never for Upson.

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