NEWCASTLE’S assistant manager Jason Tindall is Mr Chocolate.
Eddie Howe’s No 2 loves himself and he would eat himself if he could. And he’s a good-looking bloke, so why not?
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It did not surprise me that Tindall was the mastermind behind Newcastle’s mass team photo in front of the travelling Toon Army after last weekend’s 3-0 FA Cup win over Sunderland.
Some call it unnecessary gloating. Some have called it ‘s***housery’ but personally I loved it.
It was the first North East derby in eight years and the first time the Magpies had beaten their bitter rivals in more than 12 years.
And especially after a miserable run of seven defeats in eight games prior to that match, Newcastle had every reason to celebrate in style.
Although a young Sunderland side were well beaten in the end, I loved the spectacle of that match.
The tackles were flying in and being roared by supporters. Anthony Gordon was getting kicked up in the air, then getting straight up and at the opposition.
It was a proper cup tie, a passionate derby and a huge result given it is now Toon’s last chance of silverware this season.
Tindall is one of those characters you just can’t ignore. His passion and tendency to wind up the opposition on the touchline allows Howe to be the calm, thoughtful one — as a pair, they complement each other so well.
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They are like Batman and Robin, virtually inseparable. The one season when Tindall took over Bournemouth as manager, they failed to win promotion from the Championship.
Reunited again at St James’ Park, they are proving their worth. Their teams have always been well-motivated and tactically adept. When I was at Watford, we struck up a rivalry with their team, before and after we were promoted to the Premier League together in 2015.
When you’re a player, you aren’t supposed to notice anything or anyone off the pitch, but I was always well aware of Tindall chirping away.
On a couple of occasions there were bust-ups between the Watford and Bournemouth teams in the tunnel and Tindall was always at the forefront, sticking up for his players.
Some might find him irritating but I had a lot of respect for Tindall for that. He wasn’t just all mouth. He is a fighter, in the best possible way.
If one man was going to maximise on a derby success last weekend then it was Tindall, he’s that sort of character.
Supporters often doubt whether players, managers and coaches have the same feeling for local rivalries as they do but in my experience, players always do ‘get’ the passion.
You can tell by the way those grudge matches are usually so hard-fought and high-tempo.
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Footballers have massive egos which need constantly stroking.
And there is nothing better for the ego than scoring a winner in a derby — knowing that the fanbase of that club will remember you for years to come because of it.
During my decade at Watford, we only played our fiercest rivals Luton Town on two occasions and that was during the pandemic. But even behind closed doors, we absolutely kicked the s*** out of each other!
This evening will bring a very different kind of challenge for Newcastle as they face a Manchester City side who are on the up — and still most people’s favourites to win a record fourth successive Premier League title.
That will be a very tough fixture but the Geordie Nation will have been buoyed by their derby win, including the players.
Tindall’s post-match photo in front of scarf-waving Toon fans will have been a decent bonding exercise too.
Newcastle are 11 points off the top four but I still believe they can qualify for the Champions League for a second successive season.
Howe’s side have been severely hit by injuries but once they start getting a few more key players back, the cream will undoubtedly rise to the top.
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In Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson, the Toon have superior firepower to top-four rivals like Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham.
And in Howe and Tindall, they have a top-drawer managerial duo with plenty to gloat about.
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