Eddie Howe says he has taken to calling his Jason Tindall “Mad Dog” after the Newcastle assistant coach was widely mocked on social media.
Howe’s long-time right-hand man has become a social media sensation in recent weeks after football fans started to notice his touchline antics. Tindall has worked with Howe at Bournemouth, Burnley and Newcastle and is a familiar presence in the technical area on match days.
The 45-year-old is often seen standing alongside Howe barking orders at his players during games and shaking hands with the opposition after the final whistle. For some people, his persona is a bit overbearing, with a Twitter account called “Jason Tindall desperate to be centre of attention” picking up nearly 43,000 followers in a short period of time.
Howe had been unaware of the spotlight on his colleague until recently, but is now enjoying taking the mickey out of Tindall. “He’s a good looking guy so when people take pictures of him he gives off a good smile,” he told reporters on Friday.
“He is an energetic personality and definitely more extroverted than I am, but that’s why we work. Yet at his core he is a serious coach and he wants to help the players.
“I have heard he gets called ‘Mad Dog’ and I’ve started calling him it too! We have good fun in the coaches’ room about all of these things. I’m not on social media but I get sent a few things.”
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In a separate interview with CBS Sports’ Morning Footy programme, Howe was asked whether he has ever felt the need to talk to Tindall about taking the spotlight from him. “That’s interesting one, it’s not something that we’ve ever talked about, really” he replied with a grin. “We’re both very active on the sidelines, so I’ve encouraged Jason to be that way.
“We were very much a partnership when we first started in management. And we try to do everything that we can to help the players out. We’re situated together at the front there and at the end of the game, he naturally makes his way over because he’s usually stood to my left.”
Fans have shared clips of Tindall approaching the opposition manager to shake hands before Howe. They were particularly amused by one showing Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil ignoring Tindall’s hand to shake Howe's hand instead.
Others have spotted that Tindall is in the centre of group celebration pictures in the dressing room, while Howe prefers to stay to one side.
It clearly does not bother Howe, who has worked with Tindall since taking the Bournemouth job for the first time in 2008. The two met much earlier in life while both playing for the Cherries and have embarked upon a successful coaching career together.
