Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier is recovering in hospital after being taken ill on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n
Houllier is in a comfortable condition and is believed to have contacted Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner at around 7am to reassure him about his current health.<\/p>\n
Faulkner is expected to visit Houllier in hospital later on Thursday where, although in a comfortable condition, he is set to remain for a couple of days.<\/p>\n
Assistant manager Gary McAllister, who played under Houllier at Liverpool, is expected to take charge of Saturday’s home Premier League clash with Stoke.<\/p>\n
McAllister will also take charge of training at Bodymoor Heath. Villa are making no official comment at this stage but are set to release a statement later on Houllier’s condition.<\/p>\n
The 63-year-old had open heart surgery in October 2001, while manager of Liverpool, after suffering chest pains during a match against Leeds.<\/p>\n
Following the open heart surgery, Houllier returned to full-time management with the Reds five months later, but parted company with the club in 2004.<\/p>\n
He then had a spell with Lyon before returning to full-time management with Villa in September as Martin O’Neill’s successor.<\/p>\n
When he took the position at Villa, Houllier revealed he had consulted his heart surgeon before accepting the job.<\/p>\n
He said he had returned to speak to Dr Abbas Rashid, the man who led the team who performed an 11-hour operation on the Frenchman, and was given a clean bill of health.<\/p>\n
“When you go into a job you know there will be pressure, that it will be hard work and you won’t sleep every night,” said Houllier at the time.<\/p>\n
“You need to make sure your body is ready. I have checked that. I am much healthier and fitter now than I was before.”<\/p>\n
Houllier has come under fire from Villa fans on a couple of occasions this season and sections of them have called for him to be sacked.<\/p>\n
But results have improved in recent weeks with Villa climbing into the top half of the Premier League.<\/p>\n
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, Stoke boss Tony Pulis and Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini have all wished Houllier well.<\/p>\n
Dalglish sent him best wishes from his former club, saying: “Of course our thoughts are with him.<\/p>\n
“We don’t know too much about it and there is no point in us being speculative.<\/p>\n
“But your health is more important than anything, so we wish him well and I’m sure he is in the best possible hands.<\/p>\n
“Doc (Mark) Waller is there, who was the club doctor here when Gerard fell ill in 2001, so he’s got a good guy beside him and I’m sure the people there will do everything they can to help.<\/p>\n
“We won’t be morose about it because we don’t understand (the nature of Houllier’s problem), but we send him our best wishes.”<\/p>\n
Potters boss Pulis, whose side face Villa in Premier League action this weekend, said: “Everyone in football will wish Gerard a swift recovery, we hope he is well and I am sure they will be looking after him, we have some fantastic medical people in this country and I don’t know how bad it is but I am sure he will get well looked after.<\/p>\n
“Pressure is part of the job, you get used to it.<\/p>\n
“Irrespective of what medical care you get, nothing stops you from getting excited on the touchline or carrying the pressure on your shoulders if things aren’t going too well.<\/p>\n
“It’s the players that win you games. If it’s just happened, Gerard will have the team prepared and Gary McAllister works closely with Gerard so there shouldn’t be too much disruption for them.”<\/p>\n
Mancini added: “It is not easy because, when you are under pressure, you can have some problems.<\/p>\n
“But I hope Gerard comes out of the hospital very quickly because he is a big person, a big manager.<\/p>\n
“He is my friend and I hope he can be on the bench in the next game.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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