Coyle:Our prayers have been answered

The Bolton Wanderers manager was there at the London Chest Hospital at 8am on Monday when the ventilator to Fabrice Muamba was switched off, challenging the midfielder’s body to fight and live on after his cardiac arrest. Coyle has been there throughout his player’s plight, a conduit for the extraordinary outpouring of emotion from the public and fellow-managers towards Muamba. “Kenny Dalglish actually rang me while I was in the police car, going at 120mph to the hospital. Kenny said I knew where he was if I needed anything. \"I’ve got a very good relationship with him anyway, but to show he cared straightaway sums up the man he is.’’ Sitting at Bolton’s Euxton base before training on Thursday, Coyle is calm and modest as he relates the events of a frightening, ultimately uplifting week. A religious man as well as a footballing pragmatist, Coyle acknowledges the power of prayer and the importance of medical science in rescuing Muamba. He also feels the “energy” of that support, via texts and T-shirts, willing Muamba to live. “All the Premier League managers sent messages. Players like David Beckham sent goodwill messages. As soon as I was getting the messages, I was passing them on to Fabrice’s fiancée, Shauna, and his father Marcel. \"They felt that energy and I have no doubt they transmitted that to Fabrice when they were able to go in to see him. “On that Saturday night we were all there at the hospital, with Shauna, the chairman [Phil Gartside], the skipper [Kevin Davies] and the Bolton medical staff. \"There was a sense of it being surreal, a shock. \"Because of the procedure, there was going to be 24 hours of nothing, really, because they needed to ’cool him down’ in the terminology, to stabilise him. “On the Monday morning we were there from eight. We knew that was the point when they were going to start to try to return him to his normal body temperature. \"At that point we knew his body had to kick in of its own accord. That was when he started to show signs of improvement and that was great for us all. There was real light at the end of the tunnel. \"Shauna was the first to go in and see him and she came out as high as a kite. She said: ‘He opened his eyes.’ \"The next time, he moved his arms and his legs, which was remarkable. “The two big things I always felt Fabrice had in his favour is he is a fit young man and has had to fight to earn everything in his life because of his upbringing, leaving that country [Zaire] and coming to another culture. \"He is a battler. You only have to look at the number of times they tried to resuscitate him [15]. To come through that, you can see he is a natural born fighter.” With Muamba improving, decisions began to be made on the Tuesday. “I sat with Marcel for over an hour, chatting about football and things. He felt Bolton Wanderers had to go on with their games.” Coyle also talked to Shauna. “I sat with Shauna and that’s what we said: this football club will always look after Fabrice. That’s a given, absolutely. “We would love Fabrice to come back to be the lad he was – that big smile and playing at the level he has. But the biggest single thing that Shauna said is that Fabrice is alive, and she and their son, Josh, have him. \"For the length of time his heart stopped, 78 minutes, it’s incredible to see where he is just now. But he’s still continuing with that battle. He remains in intensive care. \"He’s seriously ill but I’ve no doubt the support showed to him has played a big part in his improvement. “The support has been incredible, overwhelming, very humbling. It was all about the wellbeing of a young man. It shows you how fragile life can be. At any given moment, it can all be taken away. It’s a lesson we should all heed. You have to cherish life. “I saw that support globally the other night with Real Madrid wearing the T-shirts. It’s widespread. \"There are people at Arsenal, Manchester City, other clubs, who played with Fabrice and know he is a genuinely nice man, a great lad. When I’ve bumped into people in the street they’ve stopped and said ‘our thoughts and prayers are with him’. \"Prayer has been the word and long may that continue. It doesn’t matter what your chosen church is. The fact that a collective unit of people are praying together is important in that journey. \"I have my own [strong religious] beliefs and they’ve not changed. But it’s been refreshing to know so many people are praying for Fabrice.” Coyle himself has been the rock for club and community, echoing the stance of his fellow-Glaswegian Dalglish during Liverpool’s darkest moments. “From the background we come from, we have always had to stand together, whether for your family or as a group. If somebody is hurting, you’re hurting with them.’’ The Bolton family has certainly wrapped itself around Muamba. Mark Halsey, the Premier League referee who lives locally, travelled south to the London Chest Hospital on Wednesday. Muamba opened his eyes, saw Halsey and said: \'Mark!’. Halsey burst into tears at confirmation that a player he knows well was alive. The same day, Muamba was also visited by Bolton’s owner Eddie Davies. “Eddie is very reclusive and the fact that he went to the hospital shows what Fabrice means to the club,’’ said Coyle. “It shows you that togetherness. \"At Bolton Wanderers, we’ve always prided ourselves on being a family club.” More than 200 miles to the north on Wednesday, Coyle was gathering the squad at Euxton, ascertaining who was ready to face Blackburn Rovers in a relegation scrap on Saturday. “With some people you see the hurt in their faces. With others you don’t but that doesn’t mean to say they’re not hurting. If anybody felt it had been too traumatic, if they are not ready, they won’t play. \"While we’re playing that match there’s no doubt everybody’s thoughts will be with Fabrice. \"It’s only a football match. It pales into insignificance compared to the fight Fabrice has had.’’