Eddie Howe’s verdict on Jason Tindall being ‘desperate to be the centre of attention’ after account poking fun at Newcastle number two goes viral

• Tindall ridiculed on social media
• Assistant accused of hogging limelight
• Howe defended his long-time assistant

WHAT HAPPENED? An account highlighting the Newcastle No. 2's desire to be "centre of attention" during Premier League matches has gone viral, posting pictures of the coach getting ahead of Howe to shake other manager's hands and celebrate with players. Howe says he is not bothered by the recent focus on Tindall, saying the ex-Bournemouth player is taking the mockery in his stride.

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WHAT THEY SAID: "We've spent the last half hour having a laugh with him about certain things he's been sent. It's crazy how social media can create these things," he said. "He's a good looking guy so when people take pictures of him he gives off a good smile. He's an energetic personality and definitely more extrovert than I am - that's why we work well together but at his core he's a serious coach and he wants to be successful. He has his roles and responsibilities and he does those very well. I've heard this Mad Dog nickname and to be fair we have started to call him that now so we have good fun in the coaches' room about it."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Howe and Tindall have a long history together. The former defender spent most of his playing career at Bournemouth and then became Howe's assistant there. Tindall followed Howe to Burnley and back to the Cherries before they were hired by Newcastle in 2021.

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WHAT NEXT? Newcastle are third in the Premier League table and closing in on a top-four finish, which will see them play in next season's Champions League. The Magpies can boost their hopes of doing so by getting a good result against Leeds on Saturday.