• Allardyce hoping to watch Liverpool game from stands
• Blackburn manager admits he needs to alter lifestyle

Blackburn’s manager Sam Allardyce says he is “fit and well” after succesfully undergoing heart surgery last week. The 55-year-old had an angioplasty – an operation to widen a coronary artery – on Friday.

Allardyce has left his assistant Neil McDonald in charge of first-team affairs for the past three weeks, including last night’s shoot-out victory over Chelsea in the Carling Cup, but he hopes to be back at Ewood Park to watch Saturday’s Premier League game against Liverpool from the stands.

“I feel good,” said Allardyce. “Lots of people have contacted me, I have been overwhelmed with the amount of well-wishers. I’d like to thank them now, publicly, because it’s been almost impossible for me to get back to every single person that has been a well-wisher.

“I am fit and well now and I really appreciate their concern. At the moment I feel really good.”

Allardyce admits he will have to modify his lifestyle in future to maintain his health. “I’ll look after myself a bit more than I did before, keep my cholesterol down, keep going for regular testing and do more exercise if and when possible,” he said.

Sam AllardyceBlackburn RoversPremier Leagueguardian.co.uk