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Eddie Howe isn't typically prone to dramatics or sweeping public pronouncements. Based on his standards, his press conference after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat qualifies as a furious tirade. His side scored first but the opposition were ahead by the interval, as well as striking the woodwork and seeing a spot-kick revoked by VAR, leading Howe to make a triple change at the break.

“That was the frustrating thing about the first half,” the coach stated. “I almost could have taken anyone off and I think that was a reflection of our performance level 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, so I felt the squad required a significant change at half-time. This explains why I made what I did.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth all came off at half-time 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 secured just a single victory of their last nine fixtures. Considering the congestion the middle of the table currently is, with just three points separating third from 11th, and a nine-point margin between the upper and lower ranks, a run of twelve points from 10 games has not placed the Magpies stranded but, equally, they must not end the campaign in thirteenth place.

The Issue of Perception

The challenge to an extent is one of public view. With the Saudi PIF, the club possess the richest owners in the globe. The assumption at the time the PIF bought a majority stake of the team in 2021 was that it would have a transformative effect, similar to Roman Abramovich achieved at Stamford Bridge or Sheikh Mansour had at Manchester City. The distinction is that those two owners assumed control before the advent of financial fair play regulations (while the ongoing allegations against Manchester City relate to if they violated those regulations once they were implemented).

Profit and sustainability regulations restrict the ability of proprietors, however rich, to invest funds on their teams and therefore likely would have slowed every Middle Eastern effort to raise the team to the level of Manchester City. But it wasn't necessary for the club's expenditure to have been quite as cautious as it has been; they might have invested further and stayed inside the limit – or just accepted a relatively meagre European penalty since their big issue is more with the continental than the domestic regulation.

Infrastructure Spending and PSR Rules

Additionally, stadium development is exempted from Profit and Sustainability assessments; the easiest way to raise income to generate more PSR flexibility would be to extend or renovate the arena. Considering the location of St James’ Park, with listed buildings on two sides, in reality that probably implies constructing an entirely new venue. Rumors circulated in March of possibly undertaking the nearby relocation to Leazes Park – opposition from community organizations might have been overcome with a promise to create a replacement green space on the existing stadium site – but there has been no movement on that plan. There has been substantial retrenchment from the Saudi fund on a variety of initiatives as it shifts focus on local investments; the attitude to the football club seems entirely in keeping with that change of approach.

The Alexander Isak Saga

The Alexander Isak episode was arose from that conflict. A more confident leadership might have framed his transfer as necessary to release funds for additional spending; instead there was a vain attempt to retain him. This resulted in Newcastle started the campaign amid a feeling of frustration even with the signings of several new players. The opening was mixed: one win in their first six fixtures.

Yet it seemed a turning point was reached. They had won five in six before the weekend, a streak that included demolitions of Union Saint-Gilloise and Benfica in the Champions League. That’s why 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 consequences. Perhaps the strain of Premier League, Champions League and cup competition, five games in a fortnight, had got to them. The German forward featured in all five games and looked especially fatigued.

The Nature of Modern Soccer

This is the reality of modern football. Coaches must be prepared to make changes. Howe has been unlucky that Wissa’s fitness issue has meant he is lacking attacking options but, regardless of how reasonable the explanations, Sunday’s performance was unacceptable –especially following scoring first at a stadium primed to criticize its own side.

Howe will hope it was just a blip, one of those days when everybody is off-colour at once, but if the Magpies are to secure the European competition in the future, not to mention eventually launch an genuine championship bid, they must not be as inconsistent as they have been.