Howe remains in hospital as he undergoes treatment for pneumonia, but the Magpies head coach was able to send Tindall a text message of congratulation in the wake of this evening’s 5-0 thrashing of Crystal Palace.
Tindall will remain in charge for Saturday’s trip to Aston Villa, and there is a chance his spell at the helm will extend even further given that Howe will almost certainly need a period of recuperation once he leaves hospital.
The assistant remains adamant he does not want to be a permanent manager again, having previously had a brief unsuccessful spell in charge of Bournemouth, but alongside first-team coach Graeme Jones, he is confident he can continue to hold the fort successfully in Howe’s absence.
“There’s no real update, other than what everybody knows,” said Tindall. “We know he’s (Howe) in the best possible hands, and the most important thing at this moment in time is that he rests and he recovers.
“The more he rests and recovers, the quicker he will be able to get back to lead the team. That’s the only focus at the minute, and I’m sure as and when he’s ready, he will be in contact and we will speak.
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“We had to do the preparation all last week ourselves because obviously Eddie was in hospital, so it’s not really going to be any different. We had minimal contact last week, and that’s been the same with the preparation for this game and will be the same for the remaining games whilst he’s not here.
“The last thing Eddie needs or wants is the stress of having to think about football or tactics or anything else. That won’t get him better in a quick enough period.
“We know the expectations and the demands. We’ve been working together for 17 years now, so we know each other like clockwork. We know what’s expected to be able to go out there and deliver performances that we pride ourselves on.”
Newcastle’s performance against Crystal Palace was certainly impressive, with Tindall’s players putting the Eagles to the sword as they climbed into the Premier League’s top three for the first time since mid-September.
“The lads have delivered two excellent performances in the space of a few days,” said Tindall. “I would never have believed that we would have taken six points and scored nine goals, so full credit to the players and staff. I said at the weekend that the fans also play a part in that, especially here at St James’ Park.
“The players’ attitude, mentality and the delivery of the tactical gameplan has been excellent, to go out there and execute it in the way they have, to deliver the performances they have, and to score those goals and get those points.”
