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Eddie Howe isn't typically given to histrionics or sweeping public statements. So by his usual demeanor, his media briefing after the weekend's loss to West Ham qualifies as a angry tirade. His side took an early lead but West Ham took the lead by half-time, as well as striking the woodwork and seeing a spot-kick overturned by VAR, prompting Howe to make a three substitutions at the break.

“That was the frustrating thing about the first half,” Howe stated. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I believe that was a reflection of our performance level at that stage in the game and it's extremely uncommon for me to have that impression. In fact, I don’t think I have since I’ve been manager of the club, therefore I believed the team needed some shaking up at half-time. This explains why I made those decisions.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth were substituted at the interval and Newcastle did stabilise to an extent in the second half, but never appearing like they might fight back into the game against a side that had won only one of their last nine fixtures. Given how packed the middle of the table is, with a mere three-point gap dividing third from 11th, and a nine-point margin between the upper and lower ranks, a run of 12 points from 10 games has not placed the Magpies adrift but, equally, they cannot finish the season in thirteenth place.

The Problem of Perception

The problem to an extent is one of public view. In the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Newcastle possess the richest owners in the globe. The assumption at the time the Saudi fund bought a majority stake of the team in recent years was that it would have a transformative effect, similar to Roman Abramovich had at Chelsea or the City Group had at Manchester City. The distinction is that those two investors assumed control prior to the advent of financial fair play regulations (while the ongoing charges against City relate to whether they violated those regulations once they were implemented).

Financial restrictions restrict the capacity of proprietors, however rich, to invest funds on their squads and therefore likely would have slowed every Middle Eastern effort to elevate Newcastle to the level of Manchester City. But there is no need for the club's spending to have been quite as cautious as it has; they might have invested further and remained within the limit – or just accepted a fairly minor Uefa penalty since their big problem is more with the European than the domestic rules.

Infrastructure Investment and Financial Regulations

Additionally, stadium development is exempted from PSR assessments; the easiest method to increase revenue to generate more financial headroom would be to extend or redevelop the arena. Given the site of St James’ Park, with protected structures on two sides, in reality that probably implies building an entirely new stadium. Rumors circulated in March of potentially undertaking the nearby relocation to a local park – opposition from local groups might have been surmounted with a promise to build a replacement green space on the existing ground location – but there has been no movement on that proposal. There has been significant cutbacks from the Saudi fund on a variety of projects as it shifts focus on local investments; the attitude to Newcastle appears completely in alignment with that strategic shift.

The Alexander Isak Situation

The star striker saga was arose from that conflict. A bolder leadership might have framed his sale as necessary to release funds for further spending; rather there was a unsuccessful attempt to retain him. This resulted in the team started the campaign amid a sense of disappointment despite the signings of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The start was indifferent: a single victory in their first six games.

But it seemed a corner had been turned. They had won five in six prior to the weekend, a streak that featured demolitions of Union Saint-Gilloise and a Portuguese club in the European competition. This explains the performance against the Hammers was so surprising. The issue maybe is that the team's approach is very aggressive, very high-octane; a slight drop-off in intensity can have significant effects. Perhaps the strain of Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup competition, five fixtures in 15 days, had got to them. The German forward started all five matches and appeared especially weary.

Reality of Contemporary Soccer

That’s the reality of modern football. Managers must be prepared to make changes. The manager has been unlucky that Wissa’s fitness issue has left him short of attacking options but, no matter how valid the explanations, Sunday’s performance was inexcusable –particularly after taking the lead at a stadium primed to criticize its home team.

The Newcastle boss will wish it was merely a temporary setback, an off-day when everybody is below par simultaneously, but if Newcastle are to secure the European competition next season, let alone one day launch an genuine title challenge, they must not be as inconsistent as this.