Houllier released from hospital - Get well soon from all at H&V

[Lizz]

Didn't know he was ill until I read this thread. Hope he makes a full recovery and gets well soon.

[TopDeck113]

Get well soon.

[Louzie0]

Get well soon Gerard.

[Brian Taylor]

Hopefully not a recurrence of former trouble.
football mamangement mist be one of most stressful jobs going!
Speedy recovery to you and thanks for work done in AV recovery so far. GWS!

[tricky dicky]

get well soon gerard

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Get well soon Gerard.

Its only just occurred to me I dont have the first clue about his family, if he is married or has kids.

[barrysleftfoot]

  A decent bloke, who quite frankly has deserved a bit more respect from everyone at the club.

  Best wishes, and a quick recovery.

[Salsa Party Animal]

Get well soon and we will see you back in action as a manager.

[mozza]

Whilst not my favourite person at Villa - I wouldn't wish him any harm and certainly not ill health-
a speedy recovery Mr Houllier - I trust the players & supporters will give you something to smile
about on saturday afternoon ........... 

[atomicjam]

Get well soon Gerard

[Arsey]

I can not say I like him as our manager but he does seem like a really nice bloke, I hope it is nothing serious and if he does leave it is because of what happens on the pitch and not this.

[john2710]

Get well soon Gerard
Hope to see him back at VP for the Wigan game.
I think, despite some obvious mistakes, he's had a rough ride from some sections of our 'supporters'.

[VillaAlways]

Gutted.Cannot believe our shite luck this season.Get well soon GH

[ROBBO]

As someone nearer his age than most of you i feel i am entitled to say that probably the best way back to health is certainly not looking for retirement but to a full and active coming season. I am excited at the players we've been linked with and believe Houll will be there to supervise.

[wozwebs]

Reading between the lines in this Telegraph article - do you think that will be it now for Gerard as manager? Got to think of your own health.

Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier unlikely to return to full-time managerial duties this season

Gérard Houllier is unlikely to resume full-time managerial duties at Aston Villa this season after being admitted to hospital complaining of chest pains.

Villa, who are seven points clear of the relegation zone, will not be rushed into making a decision over his future, but they have conceded that the 63 year-old needs rest in the wake of a serious health scare.
Houllier was being examined at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham on Thursday night, where he was described as “comfortable” and “very positive”. However, medical staff have been unable to give any definitive prognosis on his condition and he is expected to remain under observation for a few days while further tests take place.

In the meantime, Gary McAllister, his assistant, has been given control of team affairs. The Scotsman took charge of training Thursday and will be accompanied by Gordan Cowans in the technical area for the club’s home fixture against Stoke City Saturday. The club will bring in new personnel only in the unlikely event that McAllister requests assistance.

McAllister visited Houllier Thursday afternoon, as did Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner, and was said to be in good spirits, and with plenty of colour in his face.
He is understood to have quizzed McAllister about the morning’s training session, and issued instructions for Villa’s preparation ahead of Saturday’s game. Nevertheless, there remains genuine concern for his wellbeing.

The Frenchman began feeling unwell at around 7pm on Wednesday, before chest pains forced him to visit the hospital, scenes all too reminiscent of the heart problems he experienced in October 2001.
Houllier and his family are thought to be encouraged by the fact that he was not taken into surgery immediately on being admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

When Houllier, then 54, suffered a condition known as dissection of the aorta at half-time during Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Leeds in 2001, he was taken straight to surgery for an 11-hour open-heart operation. Surgeons repaired the main aortic valve with a synthetic material called Dacron — an operation with a success rate of just 30 per cent. Houllier later admitted that he was fortunate to be alive.

Houllier arrived at Villa Park seven months ago to succeed Martin O’Neill looking bronzed and healthy, and insisting that he was fit for the task ahead.

“When you go into this job there is pressure, hard work, you won’t sleep every night, so you need to make sure that your body is ready to sustain the challenge,” he said at the time. “But I would say I’m even fitter than when I was at Lyon.”
Houllier was referring to his two years, from 2005-07, at Lyon, who hired him to turn domestic dominance into European success after winning their fourth successive championship. “I would say that this was very demanding,” he said.
However, even a decade on from his operation, the Villa manager still meets regularly with his specialist, Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital’s Dr Abbas Rashid, “on a friendly basis”. Rashid has even attended games at Villa.

Houllier is understood to have hesitated over accepting Villa’s offer of employment in September because of his wife Isabelle’s fears about what a return to the rigours of Premier League management might mean to his health.

There have been private concerns in recent weeks over Houllier’s ability to withstand the strains of modern management, and especially being embroiled in a relegation battle.

Although he has looked in good spirits at the training ground even when supporters have been calling for his departure, on match days he has looked increasingly fatigued, walking slowly from the technical area to the tunnel at the final whistle, and often arriving at his post-match press conferences out of breath.

What this means for his future at Villa remains uncertain. The club’s American owner, Randy Lerner, will fly to Birmingham for the Stoke game this weekend, and will visit Houllier, but they will not discuss the Frenchman’s future until his condition is made clearer by medical staff.

Until then, the message last night was that the future remains Houllier’s decision, and that he is still the club’s manager.
The players were informed of Houllier’s condition on Thursday morning. Stewart Downing, the England international midfielder, said: “Obviously, everyone at the club is concerned for the manager, but the news is that he’s going to be all right and that’s pleasing and reassuring.

Darren Bent, who Houllier signed for £24 million, said: “If we can win against Stoke, that will be one less thing for the manager to have to worry about. We want him to be able to concentrate just on his recovery.”