Arsene Wenger thinks 20 year old Arsenal left back Kieran Gibbs is "ready to play" for England. I'd rather stick with Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge for World Cup 2010, thanks Arsene, but after watching Gibbs play in Arsenal's 4-1 win over Wolves today, I think we can definitely file Gibbs under "near future".

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Oh, Wolverhampton. When they're not passing off manual labor as a prize, they're trying to turn their players into subzero ice people.

The club's physio and masseur took midfielders Michael Kightly and Dave Edwards (pictured above, left) to a cryotherapy clinic earlier in the week. No, they weren't making plans to freeze their bodies after they die so they can one day fight in Walt Disney's unfrozen superhuman zombie army, they were actually there to freeze their living bodies at ungodly temperatures and all while wearing nothing but underpants and gloves.

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Because you haven't demanded it, the return of your least favorite blog feature.[12:57] JSpitzberg: ok...[12:58] JSpitzberg: kpb/sonko --> sidwell/mears[12:58] Neal J Thurman: who does Mears have this week?[12:59] JSpitzberg: home to hull[12:59] Neal J Thurman: seems reasonable[13:00] Neal J Thurman: although Sidwell got killed in F365's winners and losers feature for just not being very good for Click to continue reading...

By TRAVIS CLARK

It was all or nothing for Rafa Benitez and Liverpool on Saturday. While a loss wouldn't quite knock them out of the title race, it would be the club's fifth loss in a row and put title talk on the backburner, at least for the time being.

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By TRAVIS CLARK

It was all or nothing for Rafa Benitez and Liverpool on Saturday. While a loss wouldn't officially knock them out of the title race, it would be the club's fifth loss in a row and continue to undermine Benitez's job status.

However, Fernando Torres was passed fit, and his presence in the starting lineup was welcome considering captain Steven Gerrard was injured.

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When Wolves emerge from the international break, the familiar strains of the Z Cars theme will fill the air at Goodison Park.
How apt - because the current points haul is criminal.
What a fantastic opportunity blown. Eight games, a meagre seven points. Simply not enough.
Now Wolves have their backs to the wall as they contemplate five fixtures against Everton, Aston Villa, Stoke, Arsenal and Chelsea. Click to continue reading...

The Manager would like to apologize for the relative lack of blogging. He's been scouring YouTube looking for new talent to sign. Well, actually he's just been stuck at work for 12 to 14 hours a day. But with tonight at home to catch up on football (and soon, sleep) we'd like to give you the first part of the weekend review early. Click to continue reading...

Steven Gerrard is currently 21.33 and has been producing well, but there are cheaper alternatives producing better results, especially across the front line. But to get those players - Rooney, van Persie, Kuyt, etc - you'll need that Gerrard money. So as a quick experiment in lieu of the Monday Morning Manager - for now as I just don't have the time to write the MMM at the moment - let's see Click to continue reading...

I've just looked at the Premier League table
And if a sense of order is starting to prevail after half a dozen games, I'm struggling to find much to scare me.
What a great feeling built around the really excellent performance on Sunday against Fulham.
A man's performance, to a man, epitomised by the quite fantastic Christophe Berra, left me sitting in the South Bank, getting re-acquainted with my massively under-used yellow seat, with a contented smile - and a warm appreciation of what Wolves have done since that stunning day in May that none of us will forget. Click to continue reading...

Your early look at the news ahead of tomorrow's team press-conferences, after the jump. Bilyaletdinov starts, takes kicks and leaves with a groin injury Guillermo Franco joins West Ham. He's 32-years old. I figure him for no more than cover for CCole. Lucas Neill joins Everton. Another defender who can play right and center. Click to continue reading...

Midweek, and therefore mostly useless, version. But certainly worth consideration for next week's matches.
Injuries mount for Wolves

Striker Sylvan Ebanks-Blake is sidelined for a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury picked up in Saturday's opening-day defeat to West Ham, while right-back Kevin Foley is also ruled out for a similar spell with a medial ligament problem.

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The dawn of the new premiership season is upon us and this year we might have something special on the cards. Of course the usual battle at the top will be very exciting but there is potential for something more intriguing. This season we have three clubs that have come up that could easily still be in the league when May comes around.

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Wolves' new boy Greg Halford has vowed to make the most of Michael Kightly's absence by gatecrashing Mick McCarthy's Premier League starting line-up.

The £2million summer signing from Sunderland is set to replace Kightly, after the winger was ruled out for the start of the season as he makes his way back from a broken foot and hip injury.

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Join me as I check in with what has been happening in and around the English Premier League over the last week.
Elano seals Gala switch
Bojinov set for Parma move
Two less bodies to choose from.
Petrov fitness a worry for Villa

Aston Villa are sweating over the fitness of their Player Of The Year Stiliyan Petrov who suffered a dislocated shoulder during the Peace Cup clash with Atlante.

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Is Denzel Washington an Arsenal fan? We have no idea, but he's standing next to one for a photo at the Soho hotel in London. Good enough reason for us to post his photo.

Park j-Sung does his supermodel pose for GQ Korea.
Don't put baby in the corner, and don't leave Fernando on the bench.

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As we move closer to the start of the season, it's at this stage that fans start analysing the squad list, namely which players to sign and who of the current squad will be sold, and who they hope won't be sold.

And among all the names that will flicker up briefly on transfer sites over the coming weeks, there will be some genuine quality - players to get both the fans and the board excited.

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So much has changed at Molineux since Wolves won their last Premier League game, exactly five years ago today.
But one thing remains exactly the same from the team that beat Wayne Rooney's Everton 2-1 to the team that will line-up to receive the Championship trophy on Sunday.
The 2003/4 team had a fantastic right back, and the 2008/9 team has a fantastic right back. Click to continue reading...

Manchester United's Ryan Giggs has won the Professional Footballers' Association Player of the Year award for the first time in his career, while Ashley Young takes the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

As we've discussed earlier and it has been discussed on various forums (culminating in that email exchange between Gordon Taylor and a fan), the short list and eventual winners are based on voting done by the players themselves during February and March.

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Mick McCarthy used 59 players in his quest to deliver Premier League football.
Some played bit parts, and others were simply magnificent as Wolves finally returned to the top flight against QPR - a Quality Promotion Result www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A50111...
And my top 10? Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Michael Kightly, Karl Henry, Kevin Foley, Jody Craddock, Andy Keogh, Wayne Hennessey, Stephen Ward, Neill Collins and Gary Breen. Click to continue reading...

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Professional Footballers Association (PFA) - Vote for your favourite player - and meet the stars
PFA 2UP Fans' Player of the Month Contenders: September 2008
The PFA's search for the Official PFA 2UP Fans' Divisional Players' of the Year Awards is now under way - and there are plenty of big names in the frame to succeed last year's winner Cristiano Ronaldo as the fans' choice. Click to continue reading...

They play in different leagues, so perhaps the comparison isn't valid, but two different results and contrasting styles of play caught my eye this weekend:
Wolverhampton Wanderers stormed to the top of the Championship table with an utterly convincing 5-1 defeat of Nottingham Forest at Molineux on Saturday. Click to continue reading...

Does anybody know anything about young Wolves winger Michael Kightly?
He certainly has the stats indicative of being quite a talent for his age, 22 years:
Championship, 2006/07
Games Started 26, Goals, 8, Assists 6
Championship 2007/08
Games Started 20, Goals 4, Assists 2
I have not had the opportunity to watch Kightly so am not prepared to make a comment on how well he would serve at the highest level, but it is apparent the 22 year old already ranks statistically among the top few wingers in the Championship. Click to continue reading...