QPR could be relegated by the Muamba Factor

It never rains but it pours in the Bush. Losing to Sunderland was bad enough. Having Cisse sent off made things worse. Wigan winning at Anfield dug the grave deeper still. But most worrying of all was the fighting spirit of Bolton.

gRs with any sense would have been praying for a draw or a Blackburn win on Saturday, keeping Bolton very much in play. So Bolton's victory was bad news of itself, but much more worrying was the wonderful show of unity of fans, players and manager. Suddenly, all the bitching stopped, Owen Coyle was adored for the way he has conducted himself through the Muamba affair and the players and the fans were united into a cohesive unit.

The atmosphere in the stadium was what you might expect when a team is pressing for the title, not desperately fighting against relegation. Muamba's illness has put "stress" into context for the Bolton players and relegation into context for their fans. The fact that a player literally laid down his life for the club has shown everybody that the players care, care more than they are sometimes given credit for.

How easy will it be for Coyle from now until the end of the season. He only needs to say, "Let's do it for Fabrice" and "We owe it to Fabrice" to get the players running through walls for the club. I can't see Bolton going down now and so, unless Villa collapse to defeat in every remaining game, I reckon it is three from four, or two from three if you count Wolves as dead and buried. The odds aren't great are they?