Matthew Upson is determined to put Birmingham City's recent travails into perspective and says he has endured far darker days in his career than at present.
The 25-year-old has been an ever-present this season in a team that has struggled throughout, has only one win in 12 games and is second from bottom in the Premier-ship table.
Upson has maintained a reasonable level of consistency despite the team?s run but pressure has been building up from all quarters.
Steve Bruce, the manager, has been handed numerous votes of confidence from various members of his board with co-owner David Sullivan assuring him that his job is safe even if the club are relegated.
Seven goals in 12 games, a crippling injury list, pre-season expectations and a failure to win in front of their home fans have exacerbated the situation.
But Upson, while confessing that they need to improve, is adamant that, on a personal level, this run pales into insignificance. Not only did he suffer two broken legs earlier in his career but he also had to contend with a grim night at the Abbey Stadium in 2002.
?This isn?t the toughest time of my career even though we are on the back foot,? Upson said. ?I have suffered two bad injuries. But the lowest ebb for me was while I was on loan at Reading and we played a first-round League Cup game at Cambridge United.
?I scored in the last minute but we lost 3-1 and I was then dropped to the bench for the next fixture and that was tough, believe me.
?However, I know how important the forthcoming fixtures are for us, as no one likes feeling like this.
?But it is up to the players to change it if we don?t like it; nevertheless, the confidence and belief is still there that we can start moving up the table very quickly.?
A resilient performance at Newcastle in their last Premiership outing, arguably their best performance of the season, has given the side renewed optimism.
The next two months are undoubtedly a make-or-break period for Upson and his cohorts as they endeavour to claw back the ground they have conceded during their opening dozen fixtures.
While Upson is happy to admit there is still a positive vibe around St Andrew?s, he concedes there is no escaping the daily pressure of the Premiership media circus.
He said: ?I don?t tend to buy papers although I will glance at stuff occasionally.
?However, you can?t avoid the television and if you aren?t having a good spell, like we are at present, then it is difficult.
?It is always nice to get out of your flat and have a bit of dinner but a run like this makes everything a bit more difficult.
?Nevertheless, I always try to put any spare time to good use.?
That invariably involves analysing performances and pondering over what improvements need to be made in future fixtures.
Upson says that, far from procrastinating about their problems, every member of the playing and coaching staff is facing them full on.
?All I can do, as every player has to, is look to ourselves and break down our own performances,? Upson said.
?If your own form is good then that will help the team, so it is important to make sure you leave no stone unturned.
?All you can do on a personal level is try to carry on doing your job to the best of your ability and study your own game. As a team we have to sit down and notice both our weaknesses and what we do well, which is what we have been doing.
?We certainly look very closely at things and the management team will analyse it as well and then try to work on it.
?We have a run of games approaching Christmas where we need to try to pick up a few wins before we face Tottenham, Manchester United and Chelsea over Christmas.?
