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Eddie Howe is not given to dramatics or sweeping public pronouncements. So by his usual demeanor, his media briefing following Sunday’s loss to West Ham qualifies as a angry tirade. Newcastle took an early lead but West Ham took the lead by half-time, as well as hitting the post and having a penalty overturned by VAR, prompting Howe to execute a triple change at the break.

“That was the frustrating thing about the first half,” the coach said. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I believe this indicated of where we were at that stage during the match and it’s very, very rare for me to feel that way. Actually, I cannot recall having done so during my tenure as head coach of the club, therefore I believed the squad required some shaking up at the break. That’s why I did what I did.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth all came off at the interval and the team managed to steady to an extent in the second half, without ever appearing like they might get back into the contest against a side that had won only one of their last nine league matches. Given the congestion the middle of the table currently is, with a mere three-point gap dividing the top spots from mid-table, and nine points between the upper and lower ranks, a run of 12 points from 10 games has not placed Newcastle stranded but, equally, they cannot finish the season in thirteenth place.

The Issue of Expectations

The problem partially is one of perception. In the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the club possess the wealthiest backers in the globe. The expectation at the time the Saudi fund bought 80% of the team in 2021 was that it would bring a game-changing impact, similar to the former Chelsea owner achieved at Stamford Bridge or the City Group did at the Etihad. The difference is that those two owners took over before the advent of financial fair play rules (while the ongoing charges against City concern if they breached those guidelines once they were implemented).

Financial regulations limit the ability of owners, however rich, to invest funds on their teams and therefore likely would have hindered any Saudi attempt to elevate the team to the standard of Manchester City. But it wasn't necessary for Newcastle’s spending to have been so restrained as it has; they could have invested further and remained within the threshold – or just accepted a relatively meagre European fine given their major issue is primarily with the continental than the Premier League rules.

Stadium Spending and PSR Rules

Besides which, infrastructure spending is exempted from Profit and Sustainability calculations; the easiest way to raise income to create additional PSR flexibility would be to expand or redevelop the arena. Considering the site of the home ground, with protected structures on two sides, in reality that likely means constructing an entirely new venue. There was talk in March of possibly making the nearby relocation to Leazes Park – opposition from community organizations could surely have been overcome with a commitment to build a new park on the existing stadium site – but there has not been no movement on that plan. There has been substantial cutbacks from the Saudi fund on a variety of projects as it shifts focus on domestic affairs; the attitude to Newcastle appears completely in alignment with that change of approach.

The Alexander Isak Saga

The Alexander Isak episode was arose from that conflict. A more confident leadership might have portrayed his transfer as essential to release capital for additional spending; instead there was a vain attempt to keep him. This resulted in Newcastle began the season amidst a sense of disappointment despite the signings of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The opening was indifferent: a single victory in their initial six fixtures.

But it appeared a corner had been turned. They had won five victories in six matches before Sunday, a run that featured convincing wins of a Belgian side and a Portuguese club in the European competition. That’s why the display against West Ham was such a shock. The issue maybe is that Newcastle’s style is extremely intense, high-energy; a minor decrease in energy can have profound effects. Maybe the strain of Premier League, Champions League and cup competition, five fixtures in a fortnight, had taken its toll. The German forward featured in each of those games and looked especially fatigued.

Reality of Modern Football

This is the reality of today's the sport. Coaches must be prepared to rotate. The manager has been unlucky that Wissa’s fitness issue has left him lacking attacking options but, regardless of how reasonable the explanations, the weekend's performance was unacceptable –particularly following taking the lead at a ground primed to turn on its own side.

Howe will wish it was merely a temporary setback, one of those days when all players is off-colour simultaneously, but if Newcastle are to secure the Champions League in the future, not to mention eventually launch an genuine championship bid, they must not be as inconsistent as this.