Newcastle: Is Jason Tindall the most misunderstood man in football?

There have been a lot of heated discussions in the pair’s shared office over the years.

“JT is not the type of assistant manager who nods his head and agrees with everything Ed says,” Fletcher said. “It’s not that it’s much different, but it gives him a different opinion.

“Ed has the final say 100%, but GT is his right-hand man and he is there with the other coaches to give a different perspective on things, whether it is formation or personnel.

“He has always been at the forefront of expressing his opinion and Ed takes his take on things very seriously.”

This dynamic – and the pair’s contrasting personalities – has helped their partnership stand the test of time.

Aside from the short break, when Tindall took over at Bournemouth, following Howe’s departure in 2020, they were side by side on the touchline in an astonishing 766 competitive matches.

Such is Howe’s trust in Tindall and his staff that when the Newcastle manager was hospitalized with pneumonia less than a year ago, he made a conscious decision to give them full responsibility.

“It’s up to you,” he told Tyndall.

Not only had Tindall stepped onto the training pitch alongside fellow assistant Graeme Jones, but he suddenly found himself thrust in front of reporters at press conferences.

Some outsiders might have expected Tindall to make outlandish, headline-grabbing statements, but again, unlike his character, the soft-spoken Londoner was anything but box office.

Instead, Tindall, Jones and the rest of Howe’s staff focused on maintaining standards behind the scenes, demanding that players produce performances that would make the head coach proud.

Newcastle won the next two matches impressively, demolishing Manchester United and Crystal Palace 9-1.

They were well beaten in Tindall’s final game in interim training, against Aston Villa, but Howe’s side were still on course to qualify for the Champions League by the time the head coach returned to the dugout for the second round.

It demonstrated the value of Tindall, Jones, first-team coaches Stephen Purchase and Simon Weatherstone and the wider Howe staff.

This domestic season has been more challenging for Newcastle, who are languishing in 12th place in the league, having fought on multiple fronts.

But Tindall was among those name-checked by Lewis Hall as the left-back discussed the defensive moves he made on the eve of keeping Barcelona talisman Lamin Yamal quiet from open play earlier this week.

“He was a tremendous help,” he added.