Tiote: Derby atmosphere unforgettable

The Ivory Coast international has established himself as a key player for Alan Pardew’s side since switching from FC Twente in the summer and scored his first goal for Newcastle in the spectacular 4-4 draw against Arsenal earlier this month.

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Tiote, who penned a new six-and-a-half-year contract with the Magpies on Friday, says in the March issue of FourFourTwo that advice from former Twente boss McClaren and ex-Ivory Coast coach Eriksson was enough to help him make the switch to Tyneside.

“As soon as I’d heard Newcastle United were interested, I was keen on joining. They’re a really big club so it was a great opportunity,” Tiote tells FourFourTwo.

“I spoke to Steve McClaren and Sven-Goran Eriksson about the move, and they both advised me to join, so that was enough for me.”

The midfielder has adapted to life in North-East England well and admits that one of the highlights of his time in the Premier League so far was playing in the Tyne-Wear derby with Sunderland at St. James' Park, which the Magpies won 5-1.

“I’ve never played in front of a crowd like that before. It was one of those moments in your career you’ll never forget," he says.

“The fans are amazing; they live for the game up here. As for the weather, I knew how cold it was before I came here. I’m absolutely fine with it.”

Tiote also reveals that he supported Italian side Juventus as a child, but began following Chelsea after fellow countryman Didier Drogba joined the Blues from Marseille in 2004.

“I was a boyhood Juventus fan. Well, at least until Drogba joined Chelsea. After that, it was more Chelsea for me."

The full in-depth interview with Cheik Tiote can be found in the March issue ofFourFourTwo– out now. The issue also features exclusive one-on-ones with Dimitar Berbatov, David Silva, Frank Lampard, Samir Nasri and Johnny Giles. Subscribe now!

By Vaishali Bhardwaj

Gregg Davies

Gregg Davies is the Chief Sub Editor of FourFourTwo magazine, joining the team in January 2008 and spending seven years working on the website. He supports non-league behemoths Hereford and commentates on Bulls matches for Radio Hereford FC. His passions include chocolate hobnobs and attempting to shoehorn Ronnie Radford into any office conversation.