Report: Newcastle actually do have a lot to be thankful to Dan Ashworth for

We've been bashing Dan Ashworth pretty hard since he took the decision to leave Newcastle United.

Call it lashing out or whatever you like, but yes, we've been critical of Dan Ashworth in the previous week or so since it became evident that he was heading to Manchester United.

However, we're not so petty that we can't shed a bit of light on the good that he's done.

The Athletic have laid out some positive actions from Ashworth

The Athletic have done a brilliant piece on Ashworth's tenure at Newcastle which is definitely worth a read. In it they highlight the things he's been involved with in his brief tenure at the club, and as it turns out, he's actually done a lot more than we've given him credit for.

Since Ashworth joined the club and did his initial six-month deep dive into the inner workings, he has overseen the development of the new training ground and facilities at Benton. The state of the facilities before the takeover were literally laughable - we all remember pictures of our star players chilling out in wheelie bins full of water.

He was also instrumental in the decision to bring the women's team into the club and turn them into a professional outfit, something which is paying dividends right now with the lasses already close to securing the league title.

Will a new sporting director want to start from a blank slate?

Ashworth also oversaw the upgrading or introduction of various departments in the club such as recruitment, loans, academy, medical and sports science, analysis, psychology and mental wellbeing, and football operations. If we're being realistic we could say that he probably dropped the ball on the medical bit given the amount of injuries we've had this season - come on, we have to lash out at our ex a bit.

We will concede that Dan Ashworth has set us on the right path, but now we are left to wonder, how much of what he's done will remain unchanged when his replacement comes in?

With Newcastle looking to recruit a new sporting director, Ashworth's replacement might have a completely different philosophy and they could come in and rip up everything Ashworth has done and start again, setting us back two years. This is what we're most annoyed about. Whether you're a fan of his or not, Ashworth had the club on a path and now there's a potential roadblock ahead.