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Matthew Upson along with his former teammates Antony Kay and Jordan Spence were released from Milton Keynes Dons back on 2015.

Upson was struggling with a string of injuries which forced him to stay out of action for a long period of time and he could only make less than 10 appearances.

Ever since then, Upson has not joined any other club but he has recently been spotted in the training grounds of West Ham United and now rumors are starting to spread claiming that Matthew Upson could be joining the Premier League club in the near future.

It’s very unlikely that Upson will be joining any real competitive club as he is 37 years old and his time in the pitch as an actual player is probably over as his age is just too much unless he decides to join a club that isn’t as competitive maybe like the MLS which is a destination for older players who are looking to perform without so much pressure at least compared to other leagues around the world.

Despite not being an active player, Matthew Upson still remains up to date in relation to what is going on in the world of football and the former Arsenal player has recently talked about something that has been occurring involving: Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Manchester United and a Belgian defender called: Toby Alderweireld.

Toby Alderweireld is a 28 year old defender who is currently performing for Tottenham Hotspur and has been performing so impressively that he has attracted the attention of the other previously mentioned clubs and Matthew Upson has recently stated that Tottenham should not allow the highly-rated defender to leave anytime soon.

He’s one of the best. In the Premier League at the moment, he’s hands down one of the best. I think that Tottenham would be very, very keen to tie him up. You look at other clubs Manchester United, Manchester City they are desperate for a top centre-half and he fits the bill.” Matthew Upson said.

With comments like this one, it appears like Matthew Upson is still interested in the world of football and could be possibly enticed of taking up a staff member position in a club.

Troubled French playmaker Dimitri Payet has ignored links to China as his woes continue this term.

The player wants out of West Ham but the club is not willing to sell him, hence a pause in his career that was gradually picking up.

Payet has pleaded with the club to release him but they have repeatedly ignored him particularly as they feel hurt about the way the player responded to their good gestures. His former club Marseille have stepped up and have asked that the Premier League club sell him back to them as the player wants to move back home.

Marseille so far have not been able to meet up with the Hammers price tag. They are expected to return with a bid of at least £25 million after West Ham rejected previous offers.

The 29-year old could see his career wear down as he refused to play and West Ham refuse to let him go. He has turned down a £500,000 monthly tax-free wage to China, preferring to return to France.

The player trained with former defender Matthew Upson with the under 23 side as he awaits another visit of Marseille. The player was demoted to train with the feeder team as the issue remain resolved.

West Ham rejected a bid of £22 million from Marseille as they seem insistent on ruining the player’s prospects a bit or cashing in before they let him go. If the French club offer £25 million the London stadium dwellers might budge from the £30 million they want.

West ham would replace the player with Jose Fonte and Scott Hogan from Southampton and Brentford respectively after their £6 million bid for Robert Snodgrass was thrown out.

The team’s form has improved of late with them entering the top ten but it remains a tough season for the club that enjoyed a decent level of success only last year.

South African broadcaster Carol Tshabalala has gotten a big international TV gig as she is set to anchor Premier League Football show in the London.

The award-wining broadcaster has gradually built her career and is now a regular face in British soccer show, the Barclays Premier League Football Today. She is set to star the show alongside former Sunderland and Spurs player Darren Bent and former West Ham star Matthew Upson.

The show is poised to broadcast on SuperSport on Wednesday, November 23, 2016 at 15h30. London clubs would be the centre of discussions so Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Crystal Palace fans are expected to tune in.

Tshabalala is one of the top African broadcasters in London today. She has interviewed top African acts like John Obi Mikel – who was recently relieved of his contract at Chelsea FC – and others.

She has been pictured with several African football acts. Only a few African women are in professional football broadcasting but she has carved a niche for herself as the only African-based presenter to join the English Premier League sportscasters.

Tshabalala would be starring the show alongside Upson, who has experience playing for London sides. Upson started with Luton Town in the late 90s but moved to Arsenal before the turn of the millennium. Whilst at Arsenal, Upson spent time on loan at Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace, and Reading FC. He eventually moved to Birmingham, before spending time at West Ham United and Stoke City. Upson also played for Brighton, Leicester City and MK Dons.

Bent started his own career at Ipswitch, then he played for Charlton, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland. He also featured for Fulham, Aston Villa and Derby.

The trio would be discussing London clubs on the show.

Despite being at a fairly elevated age, Stoke City’s Lee Grant it has only been recent when he managed to make a true impact at the big stage as the English shot-stopper was without doubt the best player during Stoke City’s recent Premier League match against Manchester United which concluded with a 1-1 draw as both clubs had to settle with 1 point after the encounter reached it’s completion.

Lee Grant is a player that was initially signed as a back-up player as he was snatched up with the objective of serving as someone who could perform only during the period of time when Jack Butland was injured, this signing was completed on August 31 of 2016 but it wasn’t until a few days ago that Grant was able to prove that he can be someone much more important than just a substitute player who has only been able to make 2 appearances in the 7 opening Premier League matches of the season.

On October 2 of the ongoing year, Stoke City travelled to Old Trafford as they locked horns with Manchester United and even though the team of Jose Mourinho had the upper hand in everything, it still wasn’t enough for Manchester United to claim the triumph and the biggest reason of why the home team failed to win was because of Lee Grant’s memorable performance.

It was during this match where Lee Grant stood out and from there on out, the veteran shot-stopper has started a wave of notoriety as he has been reaching the headlines of websites and this is all thanks to his amazing performance.

The head coach of Stoke City, Mark Hughes also praised Lee Grant as the tactician said:

“He is a confident guy and we all saw his confidence this afternoon, which is just what you need when you come and play at Old Trafford. He is enjoying his time here, getting opportunities that maybe he didn’t think he would have and he is taking those chances with both hands.”

Lee Grant was initially signed on a 6 months loan deal from Derby County but with this superb performance, it might lead to the Premier League club offering him a longer stay.

Marc Wilson originally signed with Stoke City on August of 2010 and from there on out, the Irish defender went on to make over 140 appearances for the English club but after an incident that occurred in social media, this led to Wilson criticizing Mark Hughes and the 29 year old player had to make his way out of Stoke City.

“It’s fair to say that sometimes players can be frustrated with a perceived lack of opportunity and that’s the case with Marc. He’s maybe expressed himself in the wrong way and it’s fair to say that Marc probably feels his future lies elsewhere and it’s fair to say I probably agree with him’’ Stoke City’s Mark Hughes said as he revealed information concerning his situation with Marc Wilson.

Ever since Marc Wilson joined Stoke City on around 6 years ago, the Irish player became a regular starter as he consistently made over 20 appearances in almost every single season but his relationship with the club completely turned around after he critiqued some of Mark Hughes decisions as the coach of the Premier League club.

During the season of 2015-16, Marc Wilson sustained a string of wounds including ankle, knee and calf injuries which forced the Irish defender to stay out of action for the majority of that season and he had to settle with only 4 appearances during that season.

After his contract with Stoke City was terminated, he went on to join the recently promoted Premier League club Bournemouth.

During this summer transfer window, Mark Hughes has signed a few midfielders with the likes of: Joe Allen and Ramadan Sobhi joining Stoke City but still no defender has been signed and it would be a good idea for Hughes to reinforce his defensive department as most of his defenders are 28+ years old and an injection of youth could help Stoke City in snatching a higher spot in the Premier League than their traditional 9th position which they have consistently been doing since the season of 2013-14.

Matthew Upson is a defender of MK Dons and a veritable name in the football circles.

Matthew Upson lined up with John Terry about five years back. The situation was the World Cup tournament whose second round was being played in Bloemfontein in the afternoon of a chilly day. They had celebrated the goal that they had achieved in England in 2008. However about 90 minutes later there was opportunity for a goal which was ruled out due to the blunder that was made by the referee. Fabio Capello and his team had been humbled by a superior team from Germany that year. The team had to suffer a defeat of 4-1.

Upson remembers those times and that fact that, at that time he and Terry were not exactly thinking alike. The result was a dismal performance by England. Upson however, scored the lone goal and that marked his final appearance in the country in international matches. About half of that team today does not play active any more. Upson is now 36 years of age and is presently with MK Dons. He joined them from Leicester which happened last summer. He is currently suffering from a hamstring injury and is getting ready to face Chelsea which would be part of the fourth round of the FA cup. He would be up against Terry who is now 35 years of age and is a pivotal member of Chelsea. He has emerged on the Chelsea side since 1998 and till today he plays about 700 games in the competitive level.

Upson looks at Terry, who is his old partner and feels that he has achieved a lot by staying at the top level and playing at center back. This is wonderful, considering his age. He is able to train and play even at the age he is when he is surrounded by younger players around him.

Milton Keynes Dons’ Karl Robinson has confirmed that some players have played their last games for the team after the 2-1 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Matt Upson alongside others that include Nicky Maynard, Alex Revell, Anthony Kay, Cody Cropper, Jordan Spence, Carl Baker and Charlie Burns do not have deals extending into next season, though most will know by now whether they will be playing at stadium:mk again next season.

An announcement is expected as to the future of those eight players.

Robinson said:

“It’s about us rebuilding now. The line is drawn. For as quick as I forgot about the emotions of promotion, I’ve got to forget relegation.

“We’ve seen the end of some of the players, we’ll know at the beginning of next week.

“There’s no right way of doing it, but we’ve shown them a lot of respect. I have thanked them all for their hard work and dedication this season,” he added.

The final game of the Championship season was a dead rubber for both sides, though with two goals inside the opening 20 minutes, it could have turned into a tasty affair to give the season a good send off.

But despite Nicky Maynard cancelling out Chris Cohen’s opener, Danny Fox’s red card for a high tackle on Spence shortly before half time ended it as a spectacle.

At the end of the game, Robinson thanked the fans for sticking by his side throughout what has proven to be a disappointing campaign in the second tier. He added:

“Of the 11,000 or so fans here today, who already knew we were relegated, 80 per cent stayed until the end. And that’s who we’re playing for. Through thick and thin, they’ll stick with us.

“Next year, part of our team talk will be to remember the fans who stayed and showed what true supporters are about.”

Former Stoke defender Matthew Upson has urged Aston Villa to consider appointing Nigel Pearson as their next manager.

With the club relegated to the Championship and without a manager since the sacking for Remi Garde, Upson has stated that Nigel Pearson will be a good appointment for them.

In fact, Nigel Pearson is considered as one of the favorites to take control of the club given that he has enough experience to take the club forward. He helped Leicester City won promotion to the Premier League in 2014 and kept them in the top flight last season. Many believe that he was the one that laid the foundations for the current successful season that Leicester City is having.

Former Stoke player who played under Nigel Pearson at Leicester City believes that his former manager will be an excellent fit for Aston Villa as he has the qualities necessary to help the club go forward. He said that at the moment Villa need a manager with character and the discipline to help move the club forward and help them push for a Premier League return.

For Mathew Upson, changes are needed in both the board and players’ attitude and mentality, and Pearson is the right man to achieve this. He has a strong character that will help motivate the team and give them a clear vision of the future. Upson definitely knows all about the man’s character after he saved them from relegation last term.

However, it is believed that a new manager will only be appointed after a reported takeover bid is completed. Villa’s chairman Hollis is currently considering bids from China and the United States, and it is only after this that a decision will be made about the next Aston Villa manager.

Former West Ham United defender Matthew Upson has praised his former teammate Mark Noble for his tenacity and he feels that it is about time that Noble was selected for the England national team.

After coming through the ranks at West Ham, Noble went on to make several hundred appearances for the Upton Park outfit before being named as captain of the club. Now one of the established members of the squad, Noble continues to play a major role in the club’s push for a top four place in the Premier League. His form has not gone unnoticed by many of his peers.

However, England manager Roy Hodgson continues to look away from the possibility of selecting Noble. The 28-year-old has now received attention from his former teammate Upson, who currently plies his trade in the Championship with MK Dons. Upson also represented teams like Stoke City and Birmingham. He is considered as an experienced Premier League defender and he continues to shine in the Championship even at 36. Since making his debut at the age of 17, Noble has been a tremendous influence on West Ham, according to Upson. The duo played with each other for four years before Upson left the club permanently in 2011.

“He epitomises everything that West Ham is about, really. His commitment and tenacity over the years, playing in the middle of the park, stands out.His passion for the club does too, and that really filters into his game. He’s a great lad as a person too, and when you first join the club, he’s one of the first to welcome you in. He’s a local player and he’s been there his whole career, so he knows the club inside out.He’s such a warming, welcoming character, especially when you first sign,” said Upson.

QPR striker Charlie Austin is once again set to become the transfer target for many clubs in the Premier league after impressing with his goal record in the Championship.

The striker decided to remain loyal to QPR and ended up staying at Loftus Road despite the club’s relegation into the second division of English football. Austin was one of the sought-after players following the end of the 2014-15 season. He had scored on a similar level to the likes of Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane. The fact that he was English only made things much better for the top teams since he would fit in well with the home-grown players rule.

Austin, however, was always destined for the Premier League and his goal record in the Championship is a testament to this fact. Still just 26 years old, Austin will represent a great addition to any team like Manchester City or Chelsea.Defender Paul Konchesky, though, believes that it is vital that the club hold onto the player in order to have any chance of a return to the top division. Even with the 10 goals from 16 score by Charlie Austin, QPR are down in the mid-table due to a weak defence. They have not won in the last five matches and are facing another season in the Championship.

“Charlie showed the instinct that he’s got. Give him a chance and he will score.We can’t rely on him all the time but this time we have and he’s nicked two goals for us. Everyone can see what he can do in front of goal and hopefully he’ll keep banging in goals for us and for himself.Of course there will be interest in him – there was in the summer – but we know Charlie and he’ll keep working until, or if, anything happens.He gives his all in every training session and game,” said Konchesky.