Matthew Upson
Matthew Upson (2009)
Matthew James Upson ( born April 18, 1979 in Hartismere, Suffolk ) is an English football player and is currently the Premier League club Stoke City under contract. Since May 2003, the central defender arrived sporadically in the England team to use, but has been repeatedly plagued by injuries. Greatest success was for him to date in 2002, winning the " Doubles " with Arsenal.
Club career
Luton Town
Matthew Upson began his career at Luton Town and graduated there in 1994 at the Youth Department. In April 1996 he signed his first professional contract was for the newly relegated to the third tier club but only in August of the same year once against Rotherham United on course.
Arsenal FC
In April 1997, he moved for a transfer fee of two million pounds for Arsenal. There he saw the selling, as a perspective player Upson great competition in the form of the experienced Tony Adams, Steve Bould and Martin Keown exposed. Since it also threw back temporary injury problems, he could claim in the team very rarely. After a torn ACL in 1999, who had put him nearly a full year out of action, he was loaned in the remaining course of the season 2000/ 01 respectively in the short term at Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace. The targeted at three months lending in Nottingham had to be stopped after a few days, because the injury is not yet proved to be completely cured. In Crystal Palace, however, he collected in seven games back of match practice.
In his final season in 2001/ 02 for Arsenal Upson graduated ultimately 22 games - including 14 league matches - and won his first medal for an English title. However, the season ended again with a setback as a broken leg in February 2002 Upson was sidelined until the end of the season. This he also missed the other successes in the FA Cup and winning the doubles following a 2-0 cup final win against Chelsea. After he had recovered from his injury, he was loaned for three months again in September 2002 - now for Reading FC. Since after his return prospects deteriorate further - the new center-back pair of Sol Campbell and Kolo Toure had meanwhile developed for stem formation - it was agreed in January 2003 that a sale to Birmingham City nothing stood in the way. After a total of 56 games for Arsenal (it was there he managed no goals ) he thus left the club in the direction of the Premier League climber.
Birmingham City
For a fee of one million pounds Upson moved in September 2003 to Birmingham City, where the transfer volumes up to three million pounds - depending on the application number - staggered. Finally, where he found a good form and took his repeated for the national team of England.
But even in Birmingham returned in April 2006 Upsons injury problems back when he injured himself again against Aston Villa on the eve of local derbies in the leg and turned out for the remaining course of the season. When his club finally the end of the 2005 /06 descent into second-rate Football League Championship, it was suggested on Upsons shift towards Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United or FC Reading and beyond, there were speculations about a 7 -million deal with the FC Chelsea .. All these transfer rumors, however, were not put into action, so that Upson continued to work on his fitness at the "Blues ". In December 2006 he returned to the team back and defeated Plymouth Argyle 3-0 - the second goal in this match he scored himself
On the 18th of January 2007, the transfer between West Ham United and poker Birmingham City when the second division a 4 -million offer the London initially rejected. The offer was five days later increased to six million pounds, which ultimately approved the "Blues " on 31 January 2007 ( the end of the winter transfer window ) - the sum could be explained again, depending on the application number in West Ham, to a maximum of 7.5 raise millions of pounds. After less than 30 minutes, Upson pulled a calf injury on his debut against Aston Villa ( 0-1) and to also check out his comeback on March 5, 2007 - a 3:4 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur - he was only eleven minutes on the pitch.
Only in the new season 2007/ 08 Upson completed his first full game for the " hammer " and lost 0-2 at home against Manchester City. A week later, he led his team against his former club Birmingham City for the first time as a team captain. Continuous and largely injury- free Upson developed in the next two years in West Ham the status of a player's guide and denied 74 Official matches. Although by nature is her reluctant, he took over for the season 2009/ 10, the role of the team captain and led his team in a world characterized by constant relegation season as a defensive leader for relegation.
National
Matthew Upson had eleven games for the English U-21 National Team and graduated, scoring two goals, before being carried by his good performances in the 2002/03 season for Birmingham City in the English national team. His first game he played here on 22 May 2003 against the selection of South Africa. He acted seven times for England, as he stood in Birmingham under contract. His last game for the time being denied Upson on 17 November 2004 as a substitute in the 0-1 defeat against Spain.
It was only on February 6, 2008, he was first called up again for stable performance at West Ham United in the game against Switzerland in over three years for the national team and was able to play. Overall, he played in the 2008 and 2009 eleven games for the " Three Lions ", although his role due to the usually " set " central defender Rio Ferdinand and John Terry was limited to a replacement player. In this role he was nominated Fabio Capello in May 2010 in the preliminary squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He made it in the final squad. There he came only in the group match against Algeria, in the 1:4 second round defeat to Germany for use. Against Germany, he managed to make the score between temporal 1:2.
Achievements
- English Champion: 2002
- English Cup 2002