Rover 214 si possible blown head gasket

Rover 214 si, 1997, 125,000 km, 4 cylinder, 5spd manual. Recently the car has been sputtering and making what sounds like clicking noises when it first starts and sometimes has trouble turning over. Also it quit on me a couple times while I was driving slow through the streets of Italy. Today my Wife was driving it up a hill and she said it made a loud noise and then quit and it would not start again. She had it towed to the local mechanic who does not speak a whole lot of english, but I trust him becuase he fixed my car when the fuel pump died and when the battery died and he did not over charge. He has not taken the heads off to check, but he told me he thinks it is the head gasket. I don't agree. I have not seen any of the tell tale signs, such as white smoke from the tail pipe. About a month ago I noticed that the temp gauge would spike even when I drove a short distance and it was cold outside. The temp would go back down slowly after I let off the gas for a while. I am going back to the mechanic tomorrow to find out if it just the head gasket or if the problem is more serious, but I would like to know what he is talking about first, especially with the language barrier, before I go back. Any idea?