Upson and Neill won't walk out

MATTHEW UPSON has told West Ham he will not quit the club even if they are relegated – and he has been joined by fellow new boy Lucas Neill.

Upson will not walk out Upson will not walk out

But Hammers boss Alan Curbishley, whose side face Bolton in a must-win game tomorrow at Upton Park as they fight to stave off relegation, will stage a clearout at the end of the season whether or not they stay up.

Anton Ferdinand, Nigel Reo-Coker, Marlon Harewood and Hayden Mullins will all be shown the door by Curbishley this summer.

But the club was boosted yesterday by the news that both £6million centre-back Upson, who joined from Birmingham in January but has played just 41 minutes’ football for the club because of injury, and full-back Neill are ready to reject the option of invoking the get-out clauses in their contracts if the club go down.

Upson, who has been troubled by calf problems, said: “I will not write off playing again this season, but we are running out of games and time and my chances look slim.

“I have worked hard to get the move here, so to not be able to play given the position the team are in is frustrating. It is difficult, but you look to solve the problem and get on with it rather than complain.”

West Ham, who were last week fined £5.5m by the Premier League but escaped a points deduction for flouting the rules over the signings of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, have also told crocked striker Dean Ashton, who has missed the whole of the season with an ankle injury, that he will be going nowhere this summer.

Ashton has met with Hammers chairman Eggert Magnusson and was told he was part of the club’s plans for next season, whatever happens in the next two weeks.

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