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Eddie Howe isn't typically given to histrionics or sweeping public statements. So by his standards, his media briefing after the weekend's loss to West Ham counts as a angry outburst. His side scored first but the opposition took the lead by the interval, while also hitting the post and seeing a spot-kick revoked 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 think that was a reflection of where we were at that stage during the match and it's extremely uncommon for me to feel that way. In fact, I cannot recall I have during my tenure as head coach of the club, so I felt the squad required a significant change at half-time. This explains why I made those decisions.”

Three key players were substituted at the interval and the team managed to steady somewhat in the latter period, without ever really looking like they could get back into the game against an opponent that had secured just a single victory of their previous nine league matches. Given the congestion the middle of the standings is, with just three points separating third from 11th, and nine points between the upper and lower ranks, a sequence of twelve points from ten matches has not left Newcastle stranded but, similarly, they cannot finish the season in 13th.

The Problem of Perception

The problem to an extent is one of perception. In the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Newcastle have the richest backers in the globe. The expectation when the Saudi fund bought 80% of the club in 2021 was that it would bring a game-changing impact, similar to Roman Abramovich achieved at Stamford Bridge or Sheikh Mansour had at Manchester City. The distinction is that both of those owners took over prior to the introduction of financial fair play regulations (while the ongoing charges against City relate to whether they breached those regulations once they were in place).

Financial restrictions restrict the capacity of owners, however rich, to spend money on their teams and therefore probably would have slowed any Saudi attempt to raise Newcastle to the standard of Manchester City. However there is no need for the club's expenditure to have been so restrained as it has; they might have spent more and stayed inside the threshold – or simply taken a relatively meagre European fine since their major problem is more with the continental than the Premier League rules.

Stadium Investment and PSR Rules

Besides which, infrastructure spending is excluded from Profit and Sustainability assessments; the simplest method to raise income to create more financial headroom would be to expand or redevelop the stadium. Considering the location of St James’ Park, with protected structures on two sides, practically that probably means constructing an completely new venue. There was talk in March of possibly undertaking the short move to a local park – resistance from local groups could surely have been overcome with a commitment to build a replacement green space on the existing stadium site – but there has not been no movement on that proposal. There has been significant retrenchment from the PIF on a range of initiatives as it refocuses on local investments; the approach to Newcastle appears completely in alignment with that change of approach.

The Alexander Isak Situation

The star striker episode was born of that conflict. A bolder management might have portrayed his sale as essential to release funds for additional investment; instead there was a vain effort to keep him. This resulted in Newcastle started the campaign amidst a sense of disappointment despite the signings of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The opening was mixed: a single victory in their first six fixtures.

Yet it appeared a corner had been turned. They secured five victories in six matches before Sunday, a streak that featured demolitions of Union Saint-Gilloise and a Portuguese club in the European competition. This explains the performance against West Ham was such a shock. The issue perhaps is that the team's style is extremely intense, very high-octane; a slight drop-off in energy can have significant effects. Perhaps the strain of domestic, Champions League and Carabao Cup competition, five fixtures in a fortnight, had taken its toll. The German forward featured in all five matches and looked especially fatigued.

The Nature of Contemporary Soccer

This is the reality of modern football. Managers must be ready to make changes. The manager has been unfortunate that Wissa’s fitness issue has left him short of forward choices but, regardless of how valid the explanations, the weekend's performance was inexcusable –especially after scoring first at a stadium primed to criticize its own side.

The Newcastle boss will hope it was merely a temporary setback, an off-day when everybody is below par simultaneously, but if the Magpies are to qualify for the Champions League next season, let alone one day mount an genuine title challenge, they cannot be as unreliable as they have been.