The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Former County boss in heart attack scare
Health: Ex-County boss messages well wishers from hospital bed
Gothenburg Great Neale Cooper has thanked wellwishers from his hospital bed after suffering a heart attack.
The popular 53-year-old former Dons star was rushed to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in the early hours of yesterday morning after phoning an ambulance in panic when he felt soreness in his chest.
The ex-Ross County manager spent two spells at Pittodrie during his playing career and was part of the Aberdeen FC team that won the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1983.
He had been out walking in Inverness earlier in the day with daughter Amy and his son, ex-Staggies winger Alex.
When paramedics arrived at Mr Cooper’s Aberdeen home, they told him he had suffered a heart attack and took him to hospital for immediate surgery.
Speaking from hospital, the former Scotland under21 international midfielder said: “I was up seeing my children in Inverness and we went out walking.
“I was driving back when, all of a sudden, I got a really sore chest. I thought it was indigestion.
“I came down the road and I was just sat in with my mum watching a bit of telly.
“She went off to bed and I stayed up. It was about 2am and I just knew something wasn’t right.
“I phoned an ambulance and one came straight away. The paramedics told me I’d had a heart attack and I was rushed to hospital. At 2.30pm I was taken straight into the operating theatre.
“They put in what they call a stent and thankfully I’m still here.
“I was struggling yesterday big time, but that’s life. I got treated so well at the hospital – I can’t thank them enough.”
He added: “My kids have just come down to see me.
“Hopefully I’ll just be in for another couple of days, but they might do more work on another area.
“I’ve had lots of people phoning and wishing me all the best, which I’m very grateful for.
“It was a real shock. I didn’t expect it but I suppose I’m getting old now. I still keep myself fit, I go out walking quite a bit. But I’m going to have to rest up a bit now.”
As well as winning two league titles, four Scottish Cups and a Scottish League Cup in his Dons career, Mr Cooper also played for Aston Villa, Rangers, Reading, Dunfermline Athletic and Ross County. He managed the Dingwall club from 1996 to 2002 and also had two stints in charge of Hartlepool United, Gillingham and Peterhead.
He finally spent two years as Derek Adams’ assistant at County before leaving the club in 2014.