Mamma mia, that's-a spicy meat ball-a!

Hi all,

When new broke that GH was admitted to hospital, we all feared the worst. Regardless of how some sections of the fans felt about him at the time, 606 was flooded with posts of well-wishing. And from other teams' boards too.

At the time, I remember feeling that the health problems came at a very strange time. Could it really be stress-related? I mean, he had faced down a good section of our molly-coddled squad, been through a major injury crisis, and had finally got a couple of good results. So, then the pressure gets to him?

I'm sure we all did a quick Google to see what exactly aortic dissection was (ouch), and blood pressure is the main cause. Yes, stress causes heightened blood pressure, so managing a football team wouldn't help that. But diet and lifestyle are major factors too. And I remember at the time having recently seen a tweet sent by one of the Birmingham-based journalists. He had been invited to a journalist bash where they all had the chance to chill out with GH and the staff afterwards. I can't find the quote now, but he more or less said something like "GH can fairly put away the vino".

So, what reminded me of that today? This extract from today's AVFC media section...
"Daily Express: Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier has targeted a return to work with Aston Villa - after doctors reassured him that his recent health scare was nothing to do with his job."

Does GH just need to cut down on the full English in the morning? More fibre, less pushing? A glass, not a bottle? Skip the match-day balti pie?

Stress or lifestyle, I hope he makes a full recovery. Get well soon, Gerard.