Houllier claims he's very fit for purpose

Gérard Houllier will avoid trial by fury when Aston Villa enter the soundtrap of red-and-white aggression that is Stoke City's home turf tomorrow night. But he is adamant that Villa fans need not worry about his health when he finally takes charge later this month.

Quite apart from a fit manager, Houllier pointed out that Villa are also getting a European Cup-winning one, after a fashion, even if Rafa Benitez was actually in charge when Liverpool beat Milan in 2005.

"I went into the dressing-room in Istanbul and stood shyly in a corner," Houllier explained. "Some of the players saw me and they all came and hugged me. They said: 'This is your team.' I hadn't noticed, but apart from two players they were all signed by me."

Now 63, Houllier believes that, as well as the six trophies he did win, his legacy at Anfield was, as the then chairman David Moores suggested, "bringing the club into the 21st century". That was ironic in one sense since the Kop wanted someone to take them back to the 1960s, '70s and '80s. But Houllier left with the fans' goodwill for the way he fought back after emergency heart surgery in 2001.

He assured Villa supporters that he maintained his recovery during two seasons as coach at Lyon and a further three as technical director to the French Football Federation, with whom he is contracted to continue working until next week.

"When you go into a job like this you know there's going to be pressure and hard work. You won't sleep every night and you get back late," said Houllier, who will watch the action at the Britannia Stadium in France after chairing a meeting of club managers tomorrow.

"You need to make sure your body can sustain the challenge," Houllier said. "I feel I'm even fitter than in 2005 when I went to Lyon, which was a demanding job, physically and mentally. I had a check-up in Liverpool in August and I was fine. I still see the surgeon who did my operation, but I've had no scares at all."

At Liverpool he had to confront the "Spice Boys" culture, in which alcohol played a damaging part. His inheritance from Martin O'Neill – which will again be the responsibility of caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald at Stoke – looks less fraught, though the Northern Irishman's departure apparently followed disagreements with Villa's owner Randy Lerner over investment in the team.

Asked whether cash would be available in January, Houllier replied: "If we have to improve the team in some areas, we'll do it in due time. But we have good players here already."

Had he tried to discover the nature of O'Neill's grievance? "I didn't ask, because I thought it would bias me. I didn't want to know. Martin's a good manager who did a good job. He decided to leave but I think it's better to start with a blank page. I accepted the job because there are lots of elements which make me feel that, together, we can achieve something."