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Eddie Howe is not given to histrionics or grand public statements. So by his usual demeanor, his press conference after the weekend'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 overturned by VAR, leading Howe to make a three substitutions at the half-time.

“That was the frustrating thing about the first half,” the coach stated. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I think that was a reflection of our performance level in that moment 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 manager of Newcastle, so I felt the team needed a significant change at half-time. This explains why I did those decisions.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth were substituted at half-time and Newcastle managed to steady somewhat in the second half, without ever really looking like they might get back into the contest against an opponent that had secured just a single victory of their last nine league matches. Given how packed the middle of the table is, with just three points dividing the top spots from mid-table, and a nine-point margin between the upper and lower ranks, a sequence of 12 points from 10 games has not placed Newcastle adrift but, similarly, they must not end the campaign in 13th.

The Issue of Perception

The challenge to an extent is one of perception. In the Saudi Public Investment Fund, Newcastle possess the wealthiest owners in the world. The expectation at the time the PIF acquired a majority stake of the club in 2021 was that it would bring a game-changing impact, as the former Chelsea owner achieved at Stamford Bridge or the City Group did at the Etihad. The difference is that those two investors assumed control before the advent of FFP regulations (while the ongoing allegations against Manchester City relate to if they violated those guidelines once they were implemented).

Profit and sustainability restrictions restrict the ability of owners, no matter how wealthy, to invest funds on their teams and therefore probably might have slowed any Saudi attempt to raise the team to the level of City. But it wasn't necessary for Newcastle’s spending to have been quite as cautious as it has been; they might have spent more and stayed inside the threshold – or just accepted a fairly minor European penalty since their big issue is more with the continental than the domestic rules.

Stadium Investment and Financial Regulations

Besides which, stadium development is excluded from PSR assessments; the simplest method to increase revenue to generate additional financial headroom would be to extend or redevelop the arena. Given the site of St James’ Park, with listed buildings on multiple sides, practically that probably implies constructing an entirely new venue. Rumors circulated in March of possibly undertaking the short move to Leazes Park – opposition from community organizations might have been surmounted with a promise to create a replacement green space on the current ground location – but there has been any progress on that plan. There has occurred substantial cutbacks from the Saudi fund on a variety of projects as it refocuses on local investments; the attitude to Newcastle seems entirely in keeping with that change of approach.

Player Sales Saga

The star striker saga was arose from that conflict. A more confident leadership could have portrayed his sale as necessary to release capital for further spending; rather there was a vain attempt to keep him. That meant the team started the campaign amidst a sense of disappointment despite the signings 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 secured five in six before Sunday, a run that included convincing wins of a Belgian side and a Portuguese club in the European competition. That’s why the display against West Ham was so surprising. The issue maybe is that the team's style is extremely intense, very high-octane; a minor decrease in energy can have significant effects. Maybe the strain 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.

The Nature of Modern Soccer

That’s the nature of modern football. Coaches have to be prepared to rotate. Howe has been unfortunate that the forward's fitness issue has meant he is lacking attacking options but, regardless of how valid the explanations, Sunday’s showing was unacceptable –especially after taking the lead at a ground ready to turn on its home team.

Howe will hope it was just a blip, one of those days when all players is off-colour at once, but if Newcastle are to secure the Champions League in the future, not to mention eventually launch an genuine title challenge, they must not be as inconsistent as they have been.