Premiership: O'Leary thankful for small mercies

David O’Leary was one of the first visitors to Broadgreen hospital in Liverpool today where his good friend Gerard Houllier is recovering from open heart surgery.

The Liverpool boss, who was taken to hospital at half-time during his side’s 1-1 draw with Leeds yesterday, was being kept unconscious as is standard procedure after such a complicated operation.

O’Leary was not allowed to see Houllier but later emerged from the hospital after chatting to nurses to recall a conversation the two managers had prior to kick-off yesterday.

"He just said: 'David, this job now, dealing with players and how powerful they are, keeping them happy and the media and how people are so impatient to get results it is bad for your health.'"

Houllier will be kept on a ventilator for the next 24 hours at Broadgreen hospital, the largest heart and chest unit in the country.

He is said to be "stable" and likely to be kept in intensive care for the next several days.

Liverpool assistant Phil Thompson, who will take charge of the team while Houllier recovers, said: "At half-time, when doing our team talk, Gerard, after passing some information on to the players, felt some discomfort in his chest.

"He immediately went to the treatment room. Our doctor took a look at him and checked him over. The players were informed after the game."

Houllier’s family were at his bedside and O’Leary said it had been fortunate that it had happened on Saturday and not, for example, on the plane to Kiev where Liverpool have a Champions League fixture this week.

"He is in a great hospital and is being looked after by great people and that is a great bonus as well," O’Leary added.

Houllier’s wife Isabel arrived at the hospital shortly after O’Leary and the Leeds boss said: "She is worried but all the family are here, his brother Serge from Corsica, who means a great deal to him, they are all here.

"I spoke to Isabel this morning and she needed company just to break the routine.

"He is a good friend. I wanted to kick his butt yesterday, but not in this way. He is a nice man."