Gerard Houllier admits he was forced to retire from management after doctors told him it could kill him.

Former France manager looks ahead to a new phase of life

Difficult

Strange

Gerard Houllier has admitted he was forced to retire from management after doctors told him his next job could kill him. The 63-year-old was appointed manager of Aston Villa almost 12 months ago and was faced with the task of rejuvenating them after Martin O'Neill's spell in charge had faltered. However, after just seven months, the genial Frenchman was fighting to save his life following his admission to hospital with a heart attack. He had previously suffered one in October 2001, while at the helm of Liverpool but this one would spell the end of his managerial life which had spanned four decades. "I will not be returning to management," he told the"It's difficult. It's like being told that you can't write anymore. Like a singer being told they can't sing anymore. I loved the job, the emotion, the adrenaline. "But there is no point in hiding. The doctors have advised me that it would not be good to work again, 'no more stress' they said. So I can't. "There would be too much risk. I have to retire through ill-health because I have a lot more living to do." Houllier oversaw Aston Villa's win against West Ham on April 16th, and at the time, had no idea it would be the last time he would ever manage a side again. Just a few days after that victory, he was to experience the nadir of his health."It was very strange," he added. "We had beaten West Ham a few days earlier so I didn't think I was feeling any stress. "It was the middle of the week, about 7pm. I was just going to have a drink before dinner. Then I started to feel a stabbing in the chest. A very, very violent pain. "When it happened to me ten years ago at Liverpool, I just thought I had flu. There was no drama. It was the club doctor who said it was more serious. But this time it was more violent. "I couldn't go to bed, I couldn't lie down, and I couldn't sit. So my wife called the club doctor and then the ambulance. They were very good. Top class, I must say."