Matthew Upson is the first to admit that, when he returned to West Ham United for what would prove to be their relegation from the Premier League in 2010/11, he was dealing with a nasty World Cup hangover.
The former Arsenal and Birmingham City centre-back was one of those tainted by a disastrous tournament campaign in South Africa, even if Upson’s soaring header in that 4-1 defeat to Germany would prove to be a rare and extremely brief highpoint of a nightmare summer for Fabio Capello’s England.
Avram Grant would take the Hammers down less than 12 months later. Thus, completing a year Matthew Upson looks back on less than favourably, his West Ham United career ending on a sour note.
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Nuno Espirito Santo, manager of West Ham United, looks on during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and West Ham United at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom, on March 22, 2026. Sweden's coach Graham Potter arrives on the pitch prior to the FIFA World Cup 2026 European qualification Group B football match between Sweden and Slovenia, in Solna on November 18, 2025.
Matthew Upson reflects on his West Ham United exit
Speaking on the Ironcast podcast, Upson reflects on how England’s last-16 exit at the 2010 World Cup affected his confidence. Goalkeeper Rob Green was a man tainted by that blunder against the USA, with Scott Parker completing a trio of Hammers in Capello’s ill-fated squad.
“It was a sad end for me. Really sad,” Upson says. “I’ll be the first to say, I came back off the back of that World Cup and I was a little bit deflated and struggling a bit.
Matthew Upson during West Ham United v Everton - Premier League
Photo by Scott Heavey/Getty Images
“I had been working towards that for about five years. When you have a plan and you finally get there…
“The tournament was difficult for me for various reasons. It was a struggle. We never got going and we got knocked out way too soon for how good we were. There was a lot of disappointment there, and I lost that focus.
“Then, I probably only had about ten days of holiday because by the time the tournament finished, the lads were already back for pre-season. You’ve not got a long break. So I went straight into that Premier League season right from the off.
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“It was going to be a real challenge, and it was tough.”
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Upson joined Stoke as Sam Allardyce took charge of the Hammers
Upson endured an ‘awful’ injury-hit start to life at Upton Park following that £7.5 million move from Birmingham City in January 2007. He would leave under less-than fortunate circumstances too, joining Stoke months after the Hammers had finished rock-bottom in the Premier League.
And while Upson found himself playing back-up to Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth in Staffordshire, Sam Allardyce would guide West Ham to promotion at the first time of asking.
“I think I’d spoken to the club, not to Sam [about staying]. You know sometimes you just feel like you’ve had a great experience and sometimes things end, don’t they? It just felt like time to move on and do something different,” Upson admits.
“It was such a shame that it came at the end of a season where we got relegated and all the negativity that comes with that, but I almost felt like I needed a fresh start.”
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