Jason Tindall press conference reaction (Aston Villa vs Newcastle United)

NewcastleWorld

Charlie Bennett recaps Jason Tindall’s press conference from outside Newcastle United’s media centre.

Transcript

00:00Hello everyone, how's it going? I'm here at Newcastle United's media centre where we've been speaking to Jason Tindall

00:05in that building behind us there. Eddie Howe unfortunately still on the mend, still recovering with pneumonia

00:12and Jason Tindall, he didn't have any update I'm afraid today regarding Eddie Howe but best be assured

00:17Newcastle United are in good hands. With Graeme Jones supporting Jason Tindall and all the backroom staff there

00:23they haven't put a foot wrong really. A massive win against Man United was followed up by an even bigger triumph

00:29of our Crystal Palace in midweek. 4-1 and 5-0, I think Eddie Howe from his hospital bed would have been

00:36snapping his hand off for that and it does the world look good for goal difference as well

00:39with the Champions League race. Everyone wants to talk about the Champions League which we're going to

00:43get onto in just a moment. Now Villa are 7th, currently 5 points behind Newcastle so with just 6 games left

00:50you've got to get the feeling that if Newcastle were to win you've got to remember Newcastle now sitting

00:55in 3rd. That would almost be like planting one big black and white foot firmly in the Champions League

01:01for next season. I mean that win over Crystal Palace the other day was the game in hand and really did put

01:06Newcastle in the driving seat. Jason Tindall was asked is there a little bit of needle there with Unai Emery?

01:12Cast your mind back to Boxing Day wasn't it? It was on Boxing Day everybody was hungover watching that one

01:18I think. Newcastle Hamad Aston Villa at St James' Park 3-0 and there was a little bit of needle there

01:27between Tindall and Unai Emery. Tindall in his bad cop role as Eddie Howe's number two but he's the main

01:32man now, he's going to be the main man in the dugout but he said there's going to be, there's no qualms there,

01:37there's no beef basically. He'll extend his hand out to Unai Emery before the game

01:42and after the game. As I say, commonplace for Premier League managers. So yeah, no needle there between,

01:48at least from Jason Tindall's end anyways. What did I ask him? I grilled him on Sandro Tonali, I thought where to

01:54start. He's the player who's catching my attention right now more than any of that Newcastle United.

02:00It's the Italian, the gladiator in midfield. The key to unlock in Newcastle's season for me

02:06this year was when Tonali went in that deeper role and Bruno was given licence to get forward. That was

02:12really was the watershed moment which spun Newcastle's season on its head, led them a nine game

02:17win and run, Carabao Cup success and now this Champions League, this sort of, this bounce after

02:23the Carabao Cup final. It all started in that moment and Jason Tindall has said that he believes

02:28Sandro Tonali is now among the best midfielders in the Premier League. I think you can go one

02:33favour than that. I would say Europe and by extension planet because I really do think Sandro Tonali is

02:41that good. He's a, he's a full cover of midfield. He's the, he's not just, we had it, he's signed for

02:46Newcastle. People weren't really sure what type of midfielder Newcastle were getting. Were they

02:51getting a Gattuzzo? Were they getting a Pielo? Were they getting the long lovely Italian locks that

02:57he's got? They've got a little bit of a hybrid in between haven't they? Now Newcastle haven't had

03:01a holding midfielder for years. Like even when you think when Bruno was playing there, he's not,

03:06he's not really a holding midfield player, is he? Somebody with the defensive acumen to

03:11break up playing, you know, have that real pace to intercept possession in front of the back four.

03:17Tonali's now that guy, whether they've stumbled across him or whether it was an Eddie Howe master

03:22plan or whatever, I think they've probably signed him to replace Longstaff on the right of that

03:27midfield three. I think they've now got the defensive midfielder for many years to come. Jason Tindall

03:33said he has no ceiling. Still only 24 years old. Scary to think where he's going to be in a couple

03:39of years' time. There was some positive injury news as well. You don't get that very often at

03:42Newcastle United, do you? Jason Tindall said that Sven Botman is going to be back in action as early

03:49as next week possible. He said he's ahead of schedule. He said it's too early for this weekend,

03:53but he said he's ahead of schedule from his knee injury. If you think back to how good Botman was in

03:59in that Champions League qualification season two years ago. We've seen little of him since,

04:03really. It's been a frustrating time for him. Newcastle, anyhow, they've relied on Sharon Byrne

04:09at the back. To be fair, they've barely put a foot wrong, but Sven Botman was one of their blue chip

04:14players who arrived after the Saudi back takeover, and if you can see him get his feet back on the

04:19grass before the end of the season, it can only be good news. He also set a challenge to Anthony Gordon.

04:24Now, Gordon's someone who's been a bit of a forgotten man in recent times, you know, since

04:29that red card against Brighton, served a three-match suspension, got injured on England duty during

04:35the international break, and Harvey Barnes has took his crown. Harvey Barnes has come in,

04:39got four goals from his last three games, and his knee budging him from the left flank.

04:44Jason Tindall sort of said that. He said, look, Anthony Gordon has the crack.

04:49The shirt belongs to Harvey Barnes right now. How could you take it off him? He's in absolutely electric

04:53form, probably playing the best football since he arrived from Leicester for just under 40 million

04:59or whatever it was. And, you know, football's a squad game now. This sort of shows where Newcastle's

05:07going, the fact that they've got somebody like Anthony Gordon in England international chomping

05:12at the bit from the bench. This is where, in previous years, Newcastle would have had to play the best

05:18players every single week, run them into the ground almost, but they've got options there.

05:23They've got options from the bench, and Anthony Gordon's time will come again. That's it from me,

05:28everybody, ahead of what's going to be a mammoth Champions League shootout at Villa Park tomorrow.

05:33Whether you're travelling to the Midlands, whether you're staying at home, whether you're watching it

05:37at the pub in Newcastle, around the world, or wherever, I'd like to wish you a very happy bank holiday weekend.

05:43It's going to be a big and bank holiday, Easter Saturday, half-five kick-off. Imagine the Bias are

05:48going to be flowing, and it's going to be even better for you if Newcastle do get the job done.

05:53Hopefully the sun stays nice and shiny in the day. It's been El Scorcio Maximo at Whitley Park today.

06:00Hopefully the blue skies continue, and if Newcastle were to win, I think that would put one huge,

06:07huge, huge foot down in the Champions League race, wouldn't it? I mean, third place, five games to go.

06:14They'd be breathing down Arsenal's neck for second place. I think that would take a huge step towards

06:19Champions League qualification. Newcastle will be down there covering the game before during,

06:24and afterwards we'll have all the coverage, all the pre-match buildup, anything that Jason Tindall has

06:29to say afterwards. Players interviews, you know the score. And once again, I'd like to wish you a very

06:35happy Easter weekend, and I'll catch you later.

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