WHILE the progress Newcastle United have made in the past 12 months on the pitch is blatantly clear, Eddie Howe is equally as excited about the forward steps the club has taken behind the scenes.

After the takeover in October 2021, the new owners made it clear that their plans included major infrastructure improvements, developing the club's current Benton base while eventually planning to move to a new state-of-the art training ground and the potential extension of St James' Park.

There have also been several new additions to the recruitment and scouting team this season as Newcastle put the foundations in place to make sure they're geared up for the next step and becoming a force on the European scene.

Work on the training ground is not yet complete but Benton has been transformed in the past 12 months, as fans saw when the club released a behind the scenes 'MTV Cribs' style video on social media this week.

The front of the building has been modernised and inside Newcastle players have benefited from several improvements.

The first team dressing room is now significantly bigger, the dining room extended and facilities and equipment upgraded.

There's a new cinema room where Howe and his coaching team study clips of players, teams and tactics in preparation for coming fixtures or when analysing what went right and wrong in recent games.

Howe has also sanctioned the installation of equipment that aids recovery and therefore performance, including a hydrotherapy chamber and plunge pool.

"It's funny. It's a bit like when you do your own house up, you don't realise the difference you've made," said Howe, discussing the improvements.

"Then someone who hasn't visited your house will come in and say 'wow, this is incredible, the improvements you've made'.

It's very much like that with us. We've become accustomed to our environment, enjoy being here, working here and feel like we're building the training ground so it's much more in tune with where it needs to be.

"A couple of players have come back after not being here for a while and have been blown away by the change. I think we're getting there. I still feel we have a lot more to do, but that is for another day."

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So what's next?

Howe said: "I think there are certain things we need that we don't have that will elevate us in terms of recovery and making sure the players after games are right for the next one as quickly as possible."

That will be particularly important next year as Newcastle plan for the Champions League.

Recruitment was also identified as an obvious area where improvement was required post-takeover - but that didn't necessarily mean the capture of players who are ready for the here and now.

Signing players who can make an immediate first team impact is obviously the priority - especially this summer with the Champions League in mind - but Newcastle also have an eye on the future. With FFP in mind, they're targeting young players who have the potential to become first team players in the long run. The January arrival of Garang Kuol was a prime example.

Paul Midgley arrived as the club's new head of youth recruitment at the end of last year, while Paul McClaren agreed to move from Manchester City as the new head of national youth scouting.

They might not steal the headlines like the arrival of new players, but for Howe bolstering behind the scenes is pivotal.

He said: "You need a team of staff, whichever department that's in, they need to be elite.

"If possible, they need to be the best people with Newcastle in their hearts and they need to have a really good work ethic to take Newcastle to the next level.

"It's never going to be one man, it's not just about me taking the club forward, it's about a group of people. We all need to have the same mindsets and really push each other."