Zola confident Upson will make England World Cup squad
West Ham boss Gianfranco Zola has tipped Matthew Upson to earn a place in England's World Cup squad.
The 30-year-old defender has been one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League over recent years and has attracted interest from Premiership rivals.
"I think he has been playing very well," said the Italian coach, who took charge in September 2008.
"He didn't perform as well as he could at the start but now he's one of the best players I've had.
"His mental strength is getting better and better. I know he has two very good players in front of him [for England] - it depends on the condition of those players.
"He knows the World Cup comes through the performances he has with West Ham."
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Results & Fixtures
Matches
| Home | Away | Score | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri Feb 17th | |||
| Reading | Burnley | - | 20:00 |
| Sat Feb 18th | |||
| Crystal Palace | Watford | - | 15:00 |
| Leeds United | Doncaster Rovers | - | 15:00 |
| Hull City | Brighton & Hove Albion | - | 15:00 |
| Millwall | Middlesbrough | - | 15:00 |
| Peterborough United | Bristol City | - | 15:00 |
| Barnsley | Portsmouth | - | 15:00 |
| Ipswich Town | Cardiff City | - | 15:00 |
| Reading | Burnley | - | 15:00 |
| Nottingham Forest | Coventry City | - | 15:00 |
| Southampton | Derby County | - | 15:00 |
| Blackpool | West Ham United | - | 15:00 |
| Leicester City | Birmingham City | - | 15:00 |
| Tue Feb 21st | |||
| Millwall | Middlesbrough | - | 19:45 |
| Blackpool | West Ham United | - | 20:00 |
| Wed Feb 22nd | |||
| Hull City | Brighton & Hove Albion | - | 19:45 |
| Tue Mar 13th | |||
| Leicester City | Birmingham City | - | 19:45 |
Tables
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Ham United | 30 | 17 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 57 |
| Southampton | 31 | 16 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 56 |
| Cardiff City | 31 | 14 | 11 | 6 | 14 | 53 |
| Blackpool | 31 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 52 |
| Birmingham City | 30 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 20 | 51 |
| Reading | 30 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 51 |
| Hull City | 30 | 15 | 5 | 10 | 6 | 50 |
| Middlesbrough | 30 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 50 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 31 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 3 | 49 |
| Burnley | 31 | 14 | 5 | 12 | 8 | 47 |
| Leeds United | 31 | 13 | 6 | 12 | 3 | 45 |
| Leicester City | 31 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 5 | 42 |
| Derby County | 30 | 12 | 6 | 12 | -4 | 42 |
| Crystal Palace | 30 | 10 | 10 | 10 | -1 | 40 |
| Watford | 31 | 10 | 10 | 11 | -7 | 40 |
| Barnsley | 30 | 11 | 6 | 13 | -6 | 39 |
| Ipswich Town | 30 | 11 | 4 | 15 | -10 | 37 |
| Portsmouth | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 1 | 35 |
| Peterborough United | 30 | 9 | 7 | 14 | -4 | 34 |
| Millwall | 31 | 7 | 10 | 14 | -11 | 31 |
| Bristol City | 31 | 8 | 7 | 16 | -19 | 31 |
| Coventry City | 31 | 6 | 7 | 18 | -16 | 25 |
| Nottingham Forest | 30 | 7 | 4 | 19 | -25 | 25 |
| Doncaster Rovers | 29 | 6 | 6 | 17 | -24 | 24 |
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