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The Newcastle manager isn't typically given to histrionics or sweeping media statements. Based on his standards, his media briefing following the weekend's 3-1 defeat qualifies as a angry tirade. His side scored first but West Ham were ahead by half-time, as well as striking the woodwork and having a penalty overturned by VAR, prompting Howe to execute a three substitutions at the half-time.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” Howe stated. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I believe this indicated of our performance level in that moment during the match and it’s very, very rare for me to feel that way. Actually, I don’t think I have since I’ve been head coach of the club, so I felt the squad required a significant change at half-time. That’s why I did those decisions.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth all came off at the interval and the team managed to steady to an extent in the latter period, without ever really looking like they could get back into the game against an opponent that had secured just a single victory of their previous nine league matches. Given the congestion the middle of the table is, with a mere three-point gap separating the top spots from mid-table, and a nine-point margin between second and 17th, a sequence of 12 points from ten matches has not left Newcastle stranded but, similarly, they cannot end the campaign in thirteenth place.

The Issue of Perception

The problem partially is one of perception. With the Saudi PIF, the club possess the wealthiest backers in the world. The expectation when the Saudi fund acquired 80% of the club in 2021 was that it would have a transformative effect, as Roman Abramovich had at Chelsea or the City Group did at the Etihad. The difference is that both of those investors assumed control prior to the introduction of FFP regulations (and the current allegations against Manchester City concern whether they violated those regulations after they were in place).

Profit and sustainability regulations restrict the capacity of owners, however rich, to spend money on their teams and therefore probably might have slowed any Middle Eastern effort to raise the team to the standard of City. But there is no need for Newcastle’s spending to have been quite as cautious as it has; they could have invested further and stayed inside the threshold – or simply taken a fairly minor Uefa fine since their big problem is more with the continental than the Premier League regulation.

Stadium Investment and Financial Regulations

Additionally, stadium development is excluded from Profit and Sustainability assessments; the simplest method to raise income to generate additional financial headroom would be to expand or redevelop the arena. Given the site of St James’ Park, with listed buildings on two sides, practically that probably implies building an entirely new venue. Rumors circulated in March of potentially undertaking 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 been substantial retrenchment from the PIF on a variety of projects as it refocuses on domestic affairs; the attitude to Newcastle appears completely in alignment with that change of approach.

Player Sales Saga

The Alexander Isak episode was born of that conflict. A bolder leadership could have framed his transfer as necessary to free up funds for further investment; instead there was a vain attempt to retain him. This resulted in Newcastle started the campaign amidst a feeling of frustration despite the signings of several new players. The start was mixed: a single victory in their initial six fixtures.

But it appeared a corner was reached. They secured five victories in six matches prior to Sunday, a run that featured demolitions of Union Saint-Gilloise and Benfica in the Champions League. This explains the performance against the Hammers was so surprising. The problem perhaps is that Newcastle’s style is very aggressive, high-energy; a slight drop-off in intensity can have significant effects. Maybe the strain of Premier League, Champions League and cup matches, five fixtures in a fortnight, had taken its toll. Woltemade started all five games and appeared especially fatigued.

Reality of Contemporary Soccer

This is the nature of modern football. Managers have to be prepared to make changes. The manager has been unfortunate that Wissa’s injury has left him lacking forward choices but, regardless of how valid the reasons, the weekend's performance was inexcusable –particularly after taking the lead at a ground primed to turn on its home team.

The Newcastle boss will wish it was merely a temporary setback, one of those days when everybody is below par at once, but if the Magpies are to qualify for the Champions League next season, not to mention eventually mount an genuine championship bid, they must not be as inconsistent as this.