West Ham defender Matthew Upson is not panicking, despite the club being rock bottom of the Premier League. The Hammers have failed to pick up a single point from their opening four games and conceded 12 goals following Saturday's 3-1 home defeat by leaders Chelsea.
Next up is a trip to Stoke, which is sure to test the resolve of the West Ham squad once again, but Upson claims it is not all doom and gloom at Upton Park.
"It has been a shocking start in terms of results, but I am not hitting panic buttons yet and there were definite positives to take from the Chelsea game," Upson said, quoted in the London Evening Standard.
"It is important how we behave in training this coming week, how it is structured, what we do.
"Those things are vital going into a game against Stoke next weekend that we want to win.
"We need to do things sharp, positive and get things buzzing.
"The biggest negatives were the errors and that is something we have to eradicate from our game to move forward.
"We also need some stability at the back.
"We have had four games now and four different right-backs plus three different players on the right side of central defence.
"It is so hard to get that clarity of what your job is when you are chopping and changing all the time."
The second goal the Hammers conceded against Chelsea saw keeper Robert Green spilling a 30-yard free-kick from Didier Drogba, which Upson tried to clear only for the ball to cannon back off Salomon Kalou and over the stricken Hammers number one.
"It was a difficult ball for Rob to hold. We have seen Drogba take those kicks many times - he gets top spin onto the ball," said Upson.
"That is what we defenders are there for, to deal with it - we got back there, but then it was just one of those things.
"I could have still dealt with the ball - I got there first because I thought there was pressure on me and the clearance hit their player, speeded up in the air and went into the net.
"When it is going bad for you that is what happens."
