​The 36-year-old called time on a professional playing career spanning 18 years, eight of which were spent at St. James’ Park, as he becomes AFC Bournemouth’s new Technical Director.The Magpies fan favourite looked back fondly on his Tyneside tenure, which saw Newcastle win the 2016/17 Championship title, pipping Brighton & Hove Albion by a single point on a dramatic final day, as well as qualifying for the UEFA Champions League in his penultimate season at the club.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRitchie told newcastleunited.com: “It had everything! I joined the club in the Championship and the task that season was to get promoted back to the Premier League where the club belonged.”I feel really proud to have been part of that group. The pressure was on and we rose to it against strong competition.”That pressure then changes and your focus turns to sustaining Premier League status which is not an easy task. You see how difficult it is.”It’s certainly not a given and although we took a while to get going in our first season back, we picked up and performed really well to finish tenth. Year-on-year, the team and club has continued to grow.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”Throughout those eight years, we saw a bit of everything. The club was one that had room for growth, with so much potential, and it was my pleasure to play a part in the trajectory during the eight years I was there. It was a collective effort from everyone on and off the pitch.”I have great appreciation for the people that supported me, the team and gave us the opportunity to perform. The owners, Mike for signing me and giving me the opportunity to play for Newcastle United.”I have to thank Amanda and Mehrdad for the effort they made to acquire the club and take it to another level. To be a part of that was special.”The managers, coaches and backroom staff at the club made every day so enjoyable! The relationships we built all played a huge part in my time at the club. I’ll have wonderful memories that I’ll always cherish from my time.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJoining Newcastle in the summer of 2016 after the club suffered relegation to the Championship, Ritchie played a pivotal role in securing United’s immediate return to the English top-flight, recording 12 goals and eight assists.Ritchie, who had experienced his first full season of English top-flight football the season prior with Bournemouth, revealed a key factor towards Newcastle’s 2017/18 season, which resulted in an impressive top-half finish despite sitting around the division’s bottom three.”That first season back in the Premier League was so important,” Ritchie added. “It’s where the club belongs and we were responsible for that to remain the case.”Externally, we were doubted but I believe we used that as fuel. It helped the group to create a siege mentality and go on to achieve what we did.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”It was integral as it built a lot of belief within the gr