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Eddie Howe isn't typically prone to dramatics or sweeping media statements. So by his usual demeanor, his media briefing after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat qualifies as a angry tirade. His side took an early lead but West Ham were ahead by the interval, while also striking the woodwork and having a penalty revoked by VAR, leading Howe to make a triple change at the break.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” Howe stated. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I think that was a reflection of where we were at that stage in the game and it’s very, very rare for me to feel that way. In fact, I cannot recall having done so during my tenure as head coach of the club, so I felt the team required a significant change at the break. This explains why I did those decisions.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth were substituted at the interval and the team managed to steady somewhat in the latter period, without ever appearing like they might get back into the contest against a side that had won only one of their previous nine league matches. Considering the congestion the middle of the standings currently is, with just three points dividing the top spots from mid-table, and nine points between the upper and lower ranks, a sequence of 12 points from ten matches has not placed the Magpies adrift but, similarly, they must not end the campaign in 13th.

The Problem of Perception

The challenge to an extent is one of public view. With the Saudi PIF, the club possess the richest backers in the globe. The expectation when the PIF bought 80% of the team in 2021 was that it would bring a transformative effect, similar to the former Chelsea owner had at Chelsea or the City Group did at the Etihad. The difference is that those two investors assumed control prior to the advent of financial fair play regulations (and the ongoing allegations against City relate to whether they violated those regulations once they were in place).

Profit and sustainability restrictions limit the ability of proprietors, however rich, to invest funds on their teams and so in that sense probably would have slowed every Saudi effort to raise Newcastle to the level of Manchester City. But it wasn't necessary for the club's spending to have been quite as cautious as it has; they might have spent more and remained within the limit – or simply taken a fairly minor European penalty since their major issue is more with the continental than the Premier League rules.

Stadium Spending and Financial Rules

Besides which, stadium development is exempted from PSR calculations; the easiest way to increase revenue to generate additional PSR flexibility would be to extend or renovate the arena. Given the location of the home ground, with listed buildings on multiple sides, in reality that probably implies constructing an entirely new venue. Rumors circulated in March of possibly making the nearby relocation to a local park – opposition from community organizations could surely have been overcome with a promise to create a new park on the existing stadium site – but there has been any progress on that plan. There has occurred substantial cutbacks from the PIF on a range of initiatives as it refocuses on domestic affairs; the attitude to Newcastle seems completely in alignment with that change of approach.

The Alexander Isak Situation

The Alexander Isak saga was arose from that tension. A more confident leadership might have framed his transfer as essential to release capital for further investment; rather there was a vain attempt to retain him. That meant Newcastle started the campaign amidst a feeling of disappointment even with the acquisitions of several new players. The opening was mixed: one win in their initial six games.

But it seemed a turning point had been turned. They had won five victories in six matches prior to Sunday, a run that included convincing wins of Union Saint-Gilloise and a Portuguese club in the Champions League. That’s why the display against the Hammers was such a shock. The issue maybe is that Newcastle’s approach is extremely intense, very high-octane; a minor decrease in energy can have significant effects. Maybe the strain of Premier League, Champions League and cup competition, five fixtures in a fortnight, had taken its toll. Woltemade featured in all five games and looked particularly weary.

Reality of Contemporary Football

That’s the nature of modern football. Managers must be ready to make changes. The manager has been unfortunate that Wissa’s fitness issue has left him lacking attacking options but, no matter how reasonable the explanations, the weekend's showing was inexcusable –particularly following taking the lead at a ground primed to criticize its own side.

Howe will hope it was merely a temporary setback, one of those days when everybody is below par at once, but if Newcastle are to secure the European competition in the future, let alone one day mount an actual championship bid, they must not be as inconsistent as this.