Avram Grant's men 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 just about summed up events so far - goalkeeper 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. Green has come in for plenty of criticism following his high-profile error against the United States in England's opening game of the World Cup. Upson, though, refused to lay the blame on his team-mate. "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." Upson maintains Green will take the incident in his stride. "Rob is a strong character. He will continue to work hard," said the defender. "I am sure he will want to put Saturday behind him and turn on the kind of performances we have seen from him over the last three years." Grant, meanwhile, remains pragmatic about the challenges ahead, despite some calls for his dismissal after only a few matches at the helm. "My vision was not for four or five games - my vision is for the long-term project and we will do it," said the former Chelsea boss, who was appointed Hammers boss in the summer after guiding financially-crippled Portsmouth into the FA Cup final. "Even if we had six points on the board I wouldn't think we were doing a great job. We need to develop and do the right things."
