Tindall - the most misunderstood man in football
· Yahoo Sports
Eddie Howe and assistant Jason Tindall have spent more time with each other than with their own wives.
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So it was rather fitting that the Newcastle United head coach likened the pair to a "married couple".
"I won't tell you who does what," he smiled on Friday. "But that's probably the best way of describing us."
From tasting defeat at Darlington in their first game, in 2009, to taking on Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League, Howe and Tindall have been together on the touchline for the best part of two decades.
There have been plenty of heated discussions in the pair's shared office over the years.
"JT is not the type of assistant manager who is just going to nod his head and agree with everything Ed says," says friend, ex-coaching colleague and former team-mate Steve Fletcher.
"It's not so much that he disagrees, but he gives him a different opinion."
Aside from a brief break, when Tindall stepped up to manage Bournemouth, following Howe's departure in 2020, they have been side by side on the touchline for a staggering 766 competitive games.
Such is the trust Howe has in Tindall and his staff that when the Newcastle head coach was hospitalised with pneumonia less than a year ago he made the conscious decision to give them full responsibility.
"It's over to you," he told Tindall.
Tindall did not just have to step up on the training ground alongside fellow assistant Graeme Jones – he suddenly found himself thrust in front of journalists at news conferences.
Some outsiders may have expected Tindall to make outlandish headline-grabbing statements but again, contrary to the persona, the softly-spoken Londoner was anything but box office.
Tindall, Jones and the rest of Howe's staff were instead focused on maintaining standards behind the scenes, imploring the players to put in performances that would make the head coach proud.
Newcastle won their next two games impressively, hammering Manchester United and Crystal Palace by a combined scoreline of 9-1.
They were well-beaten in Tindall's final match in interim charge, against Aston Villa, but Howe's side were still on track to qualify for the Champions League by the time the head coach returned to the dugout for the run-in.
It showcased the value of Tindall, Jones, first-team coaches Stephen Purches and Simon Weatherstone, and Howe's wider staff.
This has been a more challenging domestic season for Newcastle, who are languishing in 12th place in the table, after fighting on multiple fronts.
But Tindall was among those namechecked by Lewis Hall as the left-back discussed the defensive strides he had made on the eve of keeping Barcelona talisman Lamine Yamal quiet from open play earlier this week.
"He's been a massive help," he added.