"I am really shocked about what has happened over the last 24 hours, I have got to be honest," says Tony.
"Straight away I would like to say my thoughts are with Glenn and his family and I wish him a very, very speedy recovery.
"I think it has been a very difficult season for all concerned at West Ham United Football Club; that includes the players, the management, and all the backroom staff - everyone who works at the club, including people like myself.
"But one person who has been dignified and carried on through it all has been Glenn Roeder; he has been under enormous pressure in what has probably been one of the most important seasons in the club's history.
"He has been excellent in the way he has carried himself through this season, and that is the biggest compliment I can pay him at the moment."
Tony had a brief spell as Barnet manager and had a small glimpse of the pressures of being a football boss.
"I was in management for only four and a half months of which four months were very enjoyable and the last two weeks were very stressful for myself and my wife and family," he recalls.
"I have been in that position, albeit that you can't relate it to the strains of the Premiership.
"But at whatever level, it is a very difficult job - a 24 hours a day seven days a week job - from which it is very hard to switch off.
"I think sometimes supporters in general think that a manager watches his team lose then goes home at the weekend, has a barbecue and doesn't think about it.
"But it is not like that at all. You concentrate on the job all the time and there is always a different problem around the corner.
"Being a manager is a thankless task nowadays, as there is so much pressure on in terms of the money in football and everyone wanting to win something.
"It has been very difficult this season, obviously, for West Ham in their current position."
Tony says his thoughts are only with Glenn and his family, adding: "You can't think of anything else - and it would be totally inappropriate to think of anything else.
"I can't start thinking about Sunday's game. We all know how important it is but there are much more important things on the agenda at the moment - and that is the health of Glenn Roeder.
"Football is a fantastic game but life is so precious and when these things happen - and unfortunately we have seen incidents happen over the last 20-odd years where managers have had all sorts of health problems - it is always difficult.
"But West Ham is a family club and I think everyone will rally round Glenn and his family and the club will give him all the support that is needed."