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The Newcastle manager is not prone to histrionics or sweeping media pronouncements. So by his usual demeanor, his media briefing after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat qualifies as a furious tirade. His side scored first but West Ham took the lead by the interval, as well as striking the woodwork and having a penalty revoked by VAR, prompting Howe to make a three substitutions 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 in the game and it’s very, very rare for me to feel that way. Actually, I don’t think having done so since I’ve been manager of the club, so I felt the squad needed some shaking up at half-time. That’s why I made those decisions.”

Three key players were substituted at the interval and Newcastle managed to steady somewhat in the second half, but never really looking like they might get back into the game against a side that had won only one of their last nine fixtures. Considering the congestion the middle of the table currently is, with a mere three-point gap separating the top spots from mid-table, and a nine-point margin between second and 17th, a run of twelve points from 10 games has not placed the Magpies stranded but, similarly, they cannot finish the season in 13th.

The Problem of Perception

The problem partially is one of perception. With the Saudi PIF, the club possess the wealthiest owners in the globe. The expectation at the time the Saudi fund bought 80% of the club in recent years was that it would have a transformative effect, similar to the former Chelsea owner achieved at Stamford Bridge or the City Group did at the Etihad. The distinction is that those two investors took over prior to the introduction of financial fair play rules (and the current charges against Manchester City relate to whether they breached those regulations after they were implemented).

Financial restrictions restrict the ability of proprietors, no matter how wealthy, to spend money on their teams and therefore likely might have hindered every Saudi effort to elevate the team to the standard of City. However it wasn't necessary for Newcastle’s expenditure to have been so restrained as it has; they might have invested further and stayed inside the limit – or just accepted a relatively meagre European penalty since their big problem is more with the continental than the Premier League regulation.

Stadium Spending and Financial Regulations

Additionally, stadium development is excluded from PSR assessments; the easiest way to increase revenue to generate additional financial headroom would be to expand or redevelop the arena. Given the site of St James’ Park, with listed buildings on multiple sides, in reality that likely means building an entirely new venue. Rumors circulated in spring of possibly making the nearby relocation to a local park – resistance from community organizations might 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 proposal. There has occurred significant retrenchment from the PIF on a variety of initiatives as it shifts focus on domestic affairs; the attitude to Newcastle seems entirely in alignment with that strategic shift.

The Alexander Isak Situation

The Alexander Isak episode was arose from that tension. A bolder leadership could have framed his transfer as necessary to free up capital for additional spending; rather there was a unsuccessful attempt to retain him. That meant Newcastle began the season amid a sense of disappointment despite the signings of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The start was indifferent: one win in their first six games.

Yet it appeared a turning point was reached. They had won five victories in six matches before Sunday, a streak that featured convincing wins of Union Saint-Gilloise and Benfica in the Champions League. This explains the performance against the Hammers was such a shock. The issue perhaps is that the team's approach is very aggressive, very high-octane; a minor decrease in energy can have significant consequences. Perhaps the pressure of domestic, European and Carabao Cup matches, five fixtures in a fortnight, had taken its toll. Woltemade featured in all five games and looked particularly fatigued.

Reality of Contemporary Football

That’s the nature of today's football. Coaches must be ready to rotate. The manager has been unfortunate that Wissa’s fitness issue has meant he is short of attacking options but, regardless of how valid the reasons, the weekend's showing was unacceptable –particularly following taking the lead at a ground primed to turn on its own side.

Howe will hope it was merely a temporary setback, an off-day when all players is below par at once, but if Newcastle are to qualify for the European competition in the future, let alone one day mount an actual championship bid, they must not be as unreliable as this.