West Ham have conceded 49 league goals this term, but Upson reckons Tomkins is showing signs of developing into a quality defender. "He has come on leaps and bounds this season," Upson said of the 21-year-old after Sunday's 3-1 win over Liverpool. "I played a lot with him last season and he has the raw material to become a top player. "If he keeps improving the way he is and mentally develops I think he'll have a great chance of being an international." Aside from a late mix-up with Lars Jacobsen in the build-up to Liverpool's goal, Tomkins played well on Sunday, keeping Luis Suarez in check for most of the game. Frederic Piquionne believes the victory has renewed the squad's optimism and has called on his team-mates to produce a repeat performance against Stoke this weekend to further their bid to avoid relegation. "We will take lots of confidence from the Liverpool win," he said. "It was very good and we are pleased we played well and scored lots of goals. We need to keep this going. We are confident but we have to do the job against Stoke."
