We were just concerned that one of us could have found ourselves in trouble after making a mistake. That was always going to be our downfall.”There was never a realistic shout that we would miss the game Everyone in that room was desperate to play Turkey. “We had a chat about it and everyone came to the conclusion that what happened was not dealt with in the right way. But we never really had a voice in the media during those two days [before the flight to Turkey] I don’t think anyone spoke openly about what had happened. “The committee of senior players presented the case,” Upson says, conceding that it is “always difficult” for young players to disagree with established opinion leaders in such circumstances.Not that he was inclined to dissent.

Nor did he ever participate in anything quite like the “crazy, mad” scenarios, as his player describes them, which convulsed the English game last week.Upson acknowledges that Ferdinand was wrong for failing to attend his drugs test and admits he and his fellow England players might have handled matters better, including the meeting at which refusing to play was discussed. Having supported Norwich as a boy, he recalls Steve Bruce, in his extravagantly permed, pre-Old Trafford incarnation, “charging around in his curly wig”.Bruce was also a centre-back but, although he captained Manchester United through several controversial episodes and some fractious nights in Istanbul, he was never picked for England. He even feels sufficiently assured to throw in an irreverent reference to his manager at Birmingham. Were it not so, he might still be a frustrated figure on the fringes at Arsenal rather than striving to uphold Birmingham’s ascendancy over Villa at St Andrew’s.The candour and fluency with which Upson offers an insight into the world of the ?te players is a reflection of the self-belief that has burgeoned since his £3m escape from Highbury 10 months ago. He is 24, was turning out for Reading on loan less than a year ago and has a modest five caps. As such, he could be excused for hiding behind a “no comment” on the events of Istanbul, and the Rio Ferdinand affair that preceded them.Instead, as we chat amid the autumnal golds, greens, browns and burgundies of the sun-bathed Belfry to discuss tomorrow’s collision of Blues and their claret-clad neighbours, Aston Villa, Upson shows the same readiness to tackle issues that he extends to opposing forwards.

Consider his take on the half-time fracas between Turkey and England, dismissed as “handbags” by Sol Campbell. Upson, who sprinted 100 yards from the substitutes’ bench to the tunnel, reveals with a knowing smile: “It was a little bit more than that.”
In an England squad strewn with stellar names from Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea, Upson is the sole representative of comparatively unfashionable Birmingham City. Plain speaking is merely one of the attributes that make Matthew Upson stand out as a footballer. Yorke is unlikely to be recalled against Charlton on Monday with Andy Cole set to recover from a neck injury and the former Manchester United star may be sold when the transfer window opens.Souness said: “I don’t think any player is happy about being out of the eleven, but I judge them by what I see in training and on match days.”I don’t think any of the strikers – apart from Andy Cole – can be guaranteed places on the way they have played this season.”. Nothing has changed.”Meanwhile Souness has told Dwight Yorke to grin and bear it after being dropped and left behind Ciccio Grabbi in the Blackburn striker’s pecking order. It does not affect me, all I concentrate on is trying to win games here. Until somebody says to me there is an offer and you can go to Real Madrid, Barcelona or Rochdale it is not an issue.

I am very privileged.”I have not even thought about the Spurs job. Graeme Souness is sticking with Blackburn Rovers despite renewed talk of a move from Tottenham Hotspur to make him their new manager.
Souness has seen his side slump in the Premiership and go out of Europe since the Spurs post became available, but his resolve to remain at Rovers is just as strong.The Blackburn boss is irritated by the rumours and knows he is out of the running because of his initial reluctance to be considered when Glenn Hoddle was sacked.Even a poor set of results has not changed that view and Souness said: “I have got my hands full here, I come to work every day and the Ribble Valley is as good as it gets in this country at this time of year. Now even those boys are tutored in escolinhas, the beach soccer clubs.Brazilian football, Socrates recently complained, has become bureaucratic and standardised. The virtuosos, such as Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo, still emerge, but Dunga’s heirs, Kleberson and Gilberto, are more typical.Judge Edu as an individual, not as a Brazilian, and he might make the grade..