West Brom fans all say the same thing after Dan Ashworth return to The Hawthorns
Dan Ashworth appearing at The Hawthorns on Thursday has been met with universal cheers from West Brom fans.
Ashworth arguably made his name at West Brom during his spell as the Albion's sporting and technical director, as well as a youth team assistant initially between 2004 and 2012, before moving onto the FA.
Since leaving The Hawthorns, Ashworth's reputation has only grown further, playing a huge part in developmental periods for the England setup, Brighton and Newcastle United in recent years.
A five-month spell with Manchester United didn't go quite as well, leaving last December after the Red Devils paid compensation to prize him out of Newcastle – but the 54-year-old's stock remains high.
Dan Ashworth returns to West Brom
With Ashworth currently out of work, the popular West Brom figure attended a 'Football Memories' session at The Hawthorns on 19 March, as part of a scheme launched by the Baggies' Foundation.
| Club/Organisation | Role(s) | Tenure |
| West Brom | Youth team assistant; Sporting and technical director | 2004 – 2012 |
| The FA (England) | Director of elite development | 2012 – 2018 |
| Brighton | Technical director | 2019 – 2022 |
| Newcastle United | Sporting director | 2022 – 2024 |
| Manchester United | Sporting director | 2024 |
The West Brom foundation aims to help those in the local region with Alzheimer's and dementia by holding these sessions at The Hawthorns, and Ashworth shared memories of his time with the Albion.
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Ashworth's credentials as a footballing operator at the very highest level are indisputable, and given West Brom's ambition is to get back to the big time themselves, fans' responses were understandable.
Albion supporters certainly didn't mask their feelings, with one telling the club to "give him his old job back", and another going a step further, tagging Shilen Patel in his request for Ashworth to return.
That sentiment went even further for some other supporters, who argued that the Baggies should "lock all doors and gates at The Hawthorns" to prevent Ashworth ever leaving the Albion again.
West Brom fans' affection towards Ashworth – despite him leaving for the FA nearly 13 years ago – clearly hasn't waned, with one supporter saying his presence at the Foundation "makes my heart full".
The requests for Ashworth to stay put continued, however, with another fan requesting the club to "get him back", and another acknowledging his "brilliant brain" in terms of strategy, if they could afford him.
Another message requested that the Baggies "persuade him to come back" after the job he did in his eight years, with "don't let him out" being the overriding sentiment of the Albion fanbase.