Soccer:Bolton will decide on tomorrow whether they will play Blackburn in the Premier League on Saturday. Life has been on hold at the Reebok Stadium since Saturday evening, when midfielder Fabrice Muamba collapsed after suffering a cardiac arrest at Tottenham.
Medical staff at White Hart Lane and at the London Chest Hospital took two hours to get Muamba's heart working again, the 23-year-old has made huge improvements, to the point where he has been able to speak some words, in both French and English. However, further recovery may be a slow process and life for a Premier League football club must at some stage get back to normal.
Members of Bolton's squad visited their team-mate on Tuesday, along with their manager Owen Coyle, who has seen Muamba every day since his collapse. But with training planned for on Wednesday, Press Association Sport understands Coyle will return north with his players this evening and by the time he has assessed their mood, the Scot will be in a position to decide whether to confirm a fixture that could have huge implications for Bolton's chances of staying in the Premier League.
Although the belief is that Bolton are going to play, Coyle admitted earlier today that focusing on the match has been impossible.
"That's not something of great importance to me at this moment in time," said the Scot. "In the course of today, as we hope and pray that Fabrice continues to improve, that's something we will have to look at. My thoughts are that we will have the group back in training tomorrow and we will look at it from then.
"The one concern we all have is for Fabrice only."
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore revealed his organisation was in contact with Bolton regarding the Blackburn fixture, adding: "We'll take it literally on a daily basis.
"Clearly by Sunday lunchtime, we knew the players weren't going to be fit to want to play tonight (against Aston Villa). We'll check the situation again today, check the situation again tomorrow, and we'll just see how things develop."
After their extensive update on Muamba's progress yesterday, the London Chest Hospital have been less forthcoming on Tuesday.
"Fabrice Muamba has had a comfortable night in the intensive care unit at The London Chest Hospital, where the medical team is continuing to monitor his progress," read a statement issued on Tuesday morning.
It means many questions about Muamba's long-term situation remain unanswered, not least whether he will ever play again.
The former Birmingham man remains in intensive care and "a period of quiet reflection" is due to take place at the Reebok this evening between 6.30pm and 9pm to allow fans to offer further prayers for Muamba.
"It's very early in the process and the doctors have stressed that, so we all know what's involved," Coyle told reporters outside the hospital. Fabrice still has a long way to go but it's encouraging signs and whilst that is the case it's really positive and we move forward from that point. I was fortunate to see him and had a brief conversation which will obviously remain between us.
"We have to understand it's early in his continued fight for improvement but we could never have envisaged the improvement Fabrice has made from Saturday. Muamba making such improvement in such a short period of time."
Asked if he was confident Muamba would make a full recovery, Coyle added: "That's something they (the doctors) have said has happened before.
"Every case is on its own merits, but we've said consistently the two things Fabrice has which can help him further is that he's such a fit young man and the life he's had, he has had to fight and earn every step of the way. Those two things I am sure will stand him in good stead."
Muamba's family had earlier asked for visitors to stop heading to the hospital to allow Muamba to concentrate on his recovery.
"To ensure the smooth running of the hospital for all patients - as well as Fabrice's need to concentrate on his recovery - they would request that he receive no more visitors for the moment, outside of immediate family and members of Bolton Wanderers Football Club," said a joint statement released by his club and Barts and the London NHS Trust.
"Fabrice has had a comfortable night in the intensive care unit at The London Chest Hospital, where the medical team is continuing to monitor his progress."
Premier League chairman Richard Scudamore today promised a review into medical procedures at football grounds, but Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini does not believe what is currently in place is good enough.
"I was really worried on Sunday," Mancini said. "Today I have read he has improved and I am very happy for him and his family. But if you want to know my opinion, it is that here in England, where you have the best championship in the world and everything is fantastic, we need to improve the medical side for the players.
"We need to screen the players often, maybe two times a year and they have to be more accurate because they don't do this. When I saw our medical two years ago, I was really worried. I said we need to do them better. It is impossible that a young guy could die on the pitch because they didn't do a medical accurately.
"I want all the players, not just ours, to have more accurate medicals. And not once a year. Every six months. This is really important for the players because it is totally different today than it was 20 years ago. It is very important.
"What happened to Muamba and other players in the past can't happen again."
Improvements had already been made because when Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech suffered a fractured skull at Reading five and a half years ago, manager Jose Mourinho hit out at the delay in the Czech being transferred to hospital.
Chelsea made an official complaint that led to a Premier League and Football Association review, from which measures were introduced that included an ambulance being in place at stadia for the exclusive use of players and club doctors attending every game.
Meanwhile, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has stressed any member of his squad "not in the right frame of mind to play" in the wake of Muamba's cardiac arrest will be allowed to sit out tomorrow's clash with Stoke.
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