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Eddie Howe isn't typically prone to histrionics or grand media statements. Based on his usual demeanor, his press conference after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat qualifies as a furious outburst. His side scored first but West Ham were ahead by half-time, as well as hitting the post and having a penalty overturned by VAR, leading Howe to execute a triple change at the half-time.

“The opening period was particularly irritating,” Howe said. “Virtually any player could have been substituted and I believe this indicated of where we were in that moment in the game and it’s very, very rare for me to have that impression. In fact, I don’t think having done so during my tenure as manager of Newcastle, therefore I believed the team required a significant change at half-time. That’s why I made what I did.”

Anthony Gordon, Nick Woltemade and Emil Krafth all came off at half-time and Newcastle did stabilise to an extent in the second half, but never really looking like they could fight back into the game against a side that had won only one of their previous nine league matches. Given how packed the centre 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 Newcastle stranded but, equally, they must not finish the season in thirteenth place.

The Problem of Perception

The challenge partially is one of perception. In the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the club possess the wealthiest owners in the world. The assumption at the time the Saudi fund bought 80% of the team in recent years was that it would have a game-changing impact, as the former Chelsea owner had at Chelsea or Sheikh Mansour had at Manchester City. The difference is that both of those investors took over prior to the advent of FFP regulations (and the ongoing allegations against City relate to if they breached those guidelines once they were implemented).

Profit and sustainability restrictions restrict the capacity of owners, however rich, to invest funds on their squads and therefore probably might have slowed every Middle Eastern attempt to elevate Newcastle to the level of City. But there is no need for Newcastle’s spending to have been so restrained as it has; they could have spent more and remained within the threshold – or simply taken a fairly minor European penalty since their big problem is primarily with the European than the domestic regulation.

Infrastructure Investment and PSR Rules

Besides which, stadium development is excluded from PSR calculations; the easiest method to raise income to create additional PSR headroom would be to expand or redevelop the arena. Considering the location of St James’ Park, with protected structures on two sides, in reality that probably implies building an entirely new venue. Rumors circulated in spring of potentially making the nearby relocation to a local park – resistance from community organizations could surely have been surmounted with a commitment to create a new park on the current ground location – but there has not been any progress on that proposal. There has occurred substantial cutbacks from the PIF on a variety of projects as it refocuses on domestic affairs; the attitude to the football club appears completely in keeping with that change of approach.

The Alexander Isak Situation

The star striker saga was arose from that tension. A bolder leadership could have portrayed his sale as essential to release capital for further investment; instead there was a unsuccessful attempt to keep him. This resulted in the team started the campaign amidst a sense of frustration despite the signings of Woltemade, Yoane Wissa, Jacob Ramsey, Malick Thiaw and Anthony Elanga. The opening was indifferent: a single victory in their first six fixtures.

But it appeared a corner was reached. They had won five victories in six matches prior to the weekend, a streak that included convincing wins of a Belgian side and Benfica in the European competition. That’s why the performance against West Ham was such a shock. The issue maybe is that the team's approach is very aggressive, high-energy; a slight drop-off in intensity can have significant effects. Perhaps the pressure of Premier League, Champions League and Carabao Cup matches, five fixtures in 15 days, had taken its toll. The German forward featured in all five matches and appeared particularly fatigued.

Reality of Contemporary Soccer

That’s the nature of modern the sport. Managers must be prepared to make changes. The manager has been unlucky that Wissa’s fitness issue has left him short of forward choices but, no matter how valid the explanations, the weekend's performance was unacceptable –particularly after scoring first at a stadium ready to turn on its home team.

The Newcastle boss will wish it was just a blip, an off-day when everybody is below par simultaneously, but if the Magpies are to secure the Champions League next season, let alone eventually launch an genuine title challenge, they must not be as inconsistent as they have been.