Gerard Houllier will miss the opportunity to get one over on his old mate Roy Hodgson when Villa lock horns with Albion tomorrow.

But assistant boss Gary McAllister is convinced the Frenchman will get another chance to pit his wits against the Albion noss in the not too distant future.

Houllier has a strong friendship with Hodgson which has been built up over the years as they have served together on various UEFA and FIFA technical committees.

However, the Villa manager will not be present at The Hawthorns on Saturday as he recovers from heart problems which has prompted speculation over his ability to continue in management.

But according to McAllister the early signs are promising for Houllier’s recovery after the 63-year-old was discharged from hospital last night to continue his recuperation at home.

“Gerard’s got better and better, he’s got colour in his cheeks,” said McAllister.

“He’s definitely more at ease, a big thing for me was that his wife Isabelle was looking nice and relaxed and better after a tough week for Gerard and his family and everybody concerned.

“But we’ve had some fantastic news from Doctor Mark Waller who’s spoken to the people at the hospital and he came through another scan which gave him the green light to be discharged.

“That’s massive, to think where he was eight days ago when he was rushed in, to be going home is massive.

“He won’t be at the game on Saturday, there’s obviously a lot of rest and recuperation and guidance from the specialists. He won’t be there at the weekend, I think that might be too much, too soon.

“But the facts are the doctors are saying he’s good enough to come out of hospital after only one week.

“We forecast and project forward that his condition will get better and better. We’ve been convinced his condition will be fine in the future. Personally I think he will be back but there is still quite a bit to run.”

As he places his own focus on the Albion clash the Villa assistant admitted how impressed he has been by how quickly Hodgson has been able to turn things round at The Hawthorns..

“Albion have had a great run under Roy, pulled them out of it and all credit to the players,” said McAllister.

“They’ve done exactly the same as us because three or four games ago there was real pressure and they had to be realistic.

“Roy has come in and maybe made them a little bit more solid when they don’t have the ball.

“When they’ve got the ball, they’ve got good players. They have got talented players.

“The big improvement has been when they don’t have the ball. There is a solidity about them they didn’t have in the past.

“We are expecting a tough game. The onus is on them as the home team to attack and win the game but we want to try and make some breakthroughs on the back of that.”

Villa have not lost to Albion in 26 years and McAllister admitted he senses an extra motivation whenever any other Midlands club play the claret  and blues.

“I’m not being disrespectful to the midlands clubs but people look at Villa and they are the biggest Midlands club,” explained McAllister.

“That’s a fact. There is big support, a wonderful stadium, wonderful training facilities here, and the club that has finished the highest in the Premier League in recent years is there to be shot at.

“But that’s the responsibility of playing for this club. We’ve got to produce. We know the other Midlands clubs are going to raise their game against Villa. It’s only natural.”

McAllister continued: “We are now going into a game against Albion who looking to finish as high as they can and Wigan who are looking to get themselves away from the bottom.

“They’ve got plenty to play for but we have as well because these are games we can win and we can move up the table.

“There are 12 points to play for. We’ve got two fantastic fixtures to end the season, two massive clubs, and we have set little targets but I’d like to keep them amongst the group.”