Newcastle’s ‘Mad Dog’ assistant Jason Tindall claims ‘I don’t CARE if I upset people’ – but adds he wouldn’t refuse a handshake like Unai Emery did on Tuesday
Newcastle assistant Jason Tindall says he doesn’t care if he upsets opposition staff but insists he would never turn down a handshake like Unai Emery gave him this week.
He also believes that the change in Premier League rules, which allows only one coach to officiate in technical matters, had an impact on him and Eddie Howe specifically.
However, Tindall doesn’t change for anyone. The No.2, who has gained a cult following on Tyneside and beyond for his presence on the sidelines, came on for Howe when the manager was missing due to illness during Friday’s media call.
And he was asked about his reputation as Newcastle’s ‘annoyance’, a role celebrated by fans of the club nicknamed ‘Mad Dog’.
“I don’t care if I upset people,” he said. ‘I will not stop being myself. It’s not intentional. I’m not going to suddenly stop being myself because of what people say about me and what they tell me to do. If anyone thinks this will stop me from being my real self, it won’t.
Newcastle’s assistant Jason Tindall said he doesn’t care if he upsets people despite gaining an ‘annoying’ reputation on the sidelines
Unai Emery appeared to deliberately avoid a post-match exchange with Tindall – something Eddie Howe’s number two insists he would not do
“Listen, it’s not my intention to get under the skin of opponents or deliberately upset anyone. All I’m interested in is helping Newcastle win games. When kick-off arrives, that is my only motivation. My goal is to do everything in my power to help the team. If that upsets a few people along the way, so be it.”
Aston Villa boss Emery appeared to deliberately avoid a post-match exchange with Tindall following Newcastle’s 3-1 win at Villa Park on Tuesday. Was it good to know that he had gotten into the Spaniard’s shoes?
“I don’t look at it that way, it’s not about me against the opponent’s manager and coaching staff,” he said. ‘If someone doesn’t want to shake my hand at the end of the match, I have no control over that. I wouldn’t do that myself, while some people behave differently when they win than when they lose.
‘That’s up to the individual, but I’m certainly not going to cause that problem. If they don’t like what they see, no problem, I’m not offended by it.’
It was Jurgen Klopp who suggested the rule change involving coaches in technical matters was aimed at Newcastle, and Tindall agrees.
‘Probably!’ he said. ‘But I always say: I never have a problem with a coaching staff wanting to stand next to their manager and help their team or talk to anyone.
‘I think you should do it in a respectful way and stick to the rules. I think we did that well this year. I may get a little carried away at times, but I always get dragged back into place by the fourth official, and that’s fine.”
Tindall believes the rule change allowing only one coach to be in the technical area was ‘probably’ against him and Howe
Tindall courted controversy when he arranged Newcastle’s group photo on the Stadium of Light pitch following their FA Cup win against Sunderland last month. Some observers called it disrespectful. He disagrees.
“Obviously we’ve always had a team photo when we win because it’s incredibly difficult to win football games,” Tindall said. “When you look back on your career, you want something to remind you of great moments, and that’s why we do that.
‘We had so many Newcastle fans behind the Sunderland goal, and the support the fans have given us since we’ve been here has been incredible. Sometimes it’s nice to share beautiful moments with the fans. Their support costs them a lot of money. With the love they always show us, it’s nice to give something back. And when you look back on it, it’s a great photo.’