Matthew Upson: Robert Green should keep his no1 spot

Simon Johnson
8 Sep 2009

Matthew Upson has told Fabio Capello that he need look no further than West Ham team-mate Robert Green as his goalkeeper for next summer's World Cup in South Africa.

England will qualify for the tournament if they beat Croatia at Wembley tomorrow night and Green is in pole position to play with David James out injured.

The Hammers No1 has started the last four games because of James's shoulder problem and Upson said: “He's having the best spell of his international career so far. I really feel the jersey is up for grabs.

“Robert is never going to have a better opportunity to establish himself as No1 and play in a World Cup, which would be a good reward for the amount of hours and time he spent with the squad without making many appearances or getting any recognition.

“Over the last year his form has been excellent. I have obviously been playing with him at that time at West Ham and I can't remember any kind of mistakes.

“He's hung in there. He spent a lot of hours with this squad without even being on the bench and mentally that is very demanding. It's down to him and his performances now, which is all you can ask for.”

England lost 3-2 to Croatia on their last visit to Wembley and Upson also admitted he fears the new pitch could affect the home side's chances.

The West Ham defender, who is set to start alongside John Terry in defence, is worried about the state of the surface after playing in the 2-1 friendly win over Slovenia on Saturday.

The pitch was re-laid again in the summer, which was the sixth time since Wembley reopened in 2007. The FA made the decision after fierce criticism from managers Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and David Moyes following the FA Cup semi-finals in April.

But Upson has noticed little improvement and said: “You could tell from going on the pitch on Saturday that it had been freshly laid and bedded in, which anyone will tell you is not an ideal surface to play on. It is a quick surface and the ball is a bit like a bar of soap on there at times and it is hard to get it down and pass it.”